Happy 16th Birthday, William
William turned 16 last week. We ordered Indian food and ate ice cream cake and sang a song in his honor. The chorus (set to Taylor Swift’s Getaway Car) might…
The Wonder of Kindness and Joy on Planet Earth
Last year, after we returned from a week at Hope Heals Camp, I wrote that camp “is not a place where we lay out a message of salvation, but rather…
Teens, Screens, and Summer
When we turn the corner to summertime, I sink into gratitude for slower days and longer evenings, for hydrangeas and peaches, for more time together as a family. I also…
What Happens with Three Days Away with Your Teenager
I’ve never taken a mother-daughter trip with Marilee before. But this year over spring break, Marilee and I spent four nights together in Jamaica. I was a little worried we…
3 Ways to Interact With Your Disengaged Teenager
We now officially have three teenagers under our roof. Which means we have lots of pop music playing at all hours. And we go through more snacks than we do…
It’s Always Too Much | Four Thousand Weeks
So I’m in a really overwhelming time right now. We are in the midst of a long and drawn-out move. I’m staying in a rental house with Penny and Marilee…
Never Enough
“Not good enough.” It’s a phrase that shows up in my head uninvited, with regularity. (And yes, for those of you wondering, I am an Enneagram One and my…
7 Things That Happened During Our Week Without Screens
For seven days, our family put down our devices (here's why we did this). William found a friend to keep up his Snap streak. Marilee and Penny turned off their…
Happy 15th Birthday, William!
Happy 15th Birthday, William! Henri Nouwen once wrote: Birthdays need to be celebrated. I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or…
Emotional Lives of Teenagers
If you are a parent or educator of teenagers, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents needs to be on your summer reading list. (If this…
