My college major was special education. I loved learning about and working with kids who learned differently. Kids who didn’t quite know how to do things “right.” My friends and I were full of pride and passion about our ability to accept and love our students as they were. We cheeredContinue Reading
Have you ever noticed that some folks just seem to breeze through those challenging moments that would make you just want to explode? Have you ever wondered how they manage to do that? I suspect that these “Teflon people,” who let so many things just slide off, have really just learned to viewContinue Reading
Someone in your life is concerned about your well-being. For the umpteenth time, that person has inquired about your well-being. At this point, what you’d really like to do is just say “STOP!” And you might just start feeling like a rebellious kid again – complete with eye roll andContinue Reading
A while back, I had a brief chat with a rather impatient man on line in front of me at Costco. His impatience with having to wait was obvious. He paced next to his cart, sighed, and rolled his eyes at me. Since I can’t resist starting a conversation atContinue Reading
A little while ago, I posted some tips on carrying out New Year’s resolutions. (See post below this one.) Then I re-read what I wrote and realized that it isn’t obvious how this topic fits in with my overall theme of effective communication, anger, conflict in the family and atContinue Reading
We tend to think there’s something magical that happens when we enter a new year. “New” implies change and hope. Maybe this time I’ll really, really do things differently. I’ll clean off my desk, lose weight, eat better, return those phone calls, reconnect with friends, read that book, save moreContinue Reading
Today turned out to be so much better than I’d expected. Tired, way too busy, and not feeling very social, I almost passed on being part of a magnificent experience! But, I’d made a commitment and couldn’t think of a good reason not to honor it. And, besides, a promiseContinue Reading
Families sometimes forget how important those words are. After all, we’re family. We know we love and care about each other. We don’t have to watch our language, be careful about how we say things – right? Well…… maybe. Sometimes. With those close to us, it’s true that we tendContinue Reading
My favorite coffee mug has this inscription, “if I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done!” That sentence defines many parts of my life. And, usually, that’s fine with me. But, sometimes, I just don’t want to be the one who’s expected to “do it.” Are you the one whoContinue Reading
So – you’re an adult now. In your 20s, 30s, 40s or older. It doesn’t matter. As soon as you get together with your family, you might end up feeling like that little kid or teen you once were. Families just tend to have that effect on most of us!Continue Reading