Author Archives: LASM

Dear Me, about parental goals…

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” – Frederick Douglass Dear Me, Before I tell you the magic recipe for producing a successful child (psych!), let’s define what we’re shooting for (or what I now … Continue reading

Posted in Child Discipline, Child-rearing, Dear Me, family, Kids, parenting, parenting goals | 1 Comment

Dear Me, About Raising Kids Right

Dear Me, OK, it’s time for you and me to have “the talk” about raising the kids, because I am reaping the consequences of your actions (and inactions).  I realize that this is a tricky topic – especially in our … Continue reading

Posted in Child Discipline, Child-rearing, Dear Me, Expectations, family, Kids, parenting, Wisdom | 1 Comment

Dear Me, about PMS…

“Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself.” – Rosanne Barr Dear Me, PMS is viewed as the bane of the existence of most every woman … Continue reading

Posted in Dear Me, family, food, humor, Husbands, Kids, Marriage, PMS, Self Control, spats, temper, Wisdom | Tagged | 2 Comments

Dear Me, About Being a “Good” Mom…

“It’s not easy being a mother.  If it were easy, fathers would do it.” ~From the television show The Golden Girls Dear Me, So back when you were pregnant with your first, you and Troy took classes at the hospital … Continue reading

Posted in colic, Dear Me, Expectations, Kids, parenting, Self Control, temper, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Dear Me, About Dinner Parties…

Dear Me, Dinner parties are scary.  They really, really are.  You are setting yourself up to be judged as a homemaker, hostess, cook and woman in general.  It’s a lot of pressure, but when you know what you’re doing, they … Continue reading

Posted in Blog, Dear Me, entertaining, Expectations, food, humor, Laughing At Spilled Milk, planning, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Dear Me, About teaching the kids to say please and thank you…

“The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.” – Fred Astaire Dear Me, Dad tells this cute story about how, when you were a toddler and picked up an object that you shouldn’t be in … Continue reading

Posted in Child Discipline, Dear Me, Expectations, Kids, temper | Leave a comment

Dear Me, About Your Lack of Planning

Dear Me, OK, Johnathan graduated from High School.  This is the third consecutive year a kid of ours has done this. It’s painful, heart wrenching stuff to have a much loved child fly from the nest every year.  I’m in … Continue reading

Posted in Blog, College, Dear Me, Graduation, Kids, Marriage | Tagged | Leave a comment

Dear Me, About Kids and Current Events…

Dear Me, Just to put your mind at ease, you do a really, really good job teaching your children the important things, like appreciation for old movies, how to floss and the importance of God in their lives. You kind … Continue reading

Posted in Dear Me, Kids, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Dear Me, About Graduation Torture

Dear Me, My emotions have been deliberately and shamelessly manipulated by the children’s choir teacher (who happens to be a personal friend of mine, so I can’t yell at her without consequences). Every year about this time the 200 kids … Continue reading

Posted in College, Dear Me, Graduation, Kids, kids and school, Letting Go | 4 Comments

Dear Me, About Mother’s Day

Dear Me, Remember when you were pregnant with Timothy and your first Mother’s Day rolled around and you asked Troy what he was going to do for you to celebrate and he looked at you all confused and said, “What … Continue reading

Posted in Cleaning, Dear Me, Expectations, Husbands, Letting Go, Marriage, Mothers Day, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Dear Me, About Releasing Kids into the Wild…

“Don’t handicap your children by making their lives easy.”  – Robert A. Heinlein Dear Me, So I’m talking to our sister today and she’s telling me that she is probably going to have to take her kids out of private … Continue reading

Posted in Dear Me, Expectations, Kids, Letting Go, Love, Wisdom | 1 Comment

Dear Me, About Your Sense of Style

“I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn’t itch.”  – Gilda Radner Dear Me, In the future, while you will have a smaller body, your sense of style will not improve.  For some reason God decided you didn’t … Continue reading

Posted in Dear Me, Fashion/Style, Weight | 9 Comments

Dear Me, About Letting Go…

“Children are cuddly to hold, and painful to let go.” – Arthur Tugman   Dear me, Someday you will really, really love making to-do lists.  I know this sounds crazy to you right now; your mom always had piles of … Continue reading

Posted in Dear Me, Kids, kids and school | 4 Comments

Dear Me, About Punishing a Child’s Mistake…

“A child is a curly dimpled lunatic.”  – Ralph Waldo Emerson Dear Me, A dear friend just told me a funny story.  Her six and four year old boys came upstairs – all proud, mind you – to show her … Continue reading

Posted in Child Discipline, Dear Me, Expectations, Kids, temper | 2 Comments

Dear Me, About Getting the Kids Through School…

“Do not ask that your kids live up to your expectations.  Let your kids be who they are, and your expectations will be in breathless pursuit.” – Robert Brault Dear Me, So, you were mostly a latch-key kid.  Even when … Continue reading

Posted in Dear Me, Expectations, grades, Kids, kids and school | Leave a comment