If you’ve ever wondered how to help your child process frightening events, don’t miss episode #6 of my podcast and this great interview with Robyn Gobbel. Robyn is a therapist whose clinical practice is focused exclusively on working with families of children who have experienced a history of toxic stress and complex trauma. How should we […]
Are You Weary of Parenting?
Have you ever felt discouraged and sad as a parent? I’m guessing you have. I wrote this at the end of our time on Whidbey Island. It seemed a bit whiney and maybe discouraging, so I didn’t post it. Today, I read it again and thought it may help you to know you’re not alone. […]
Talking with Annarose about Siblings
If your family is a blend of kids by birth and adoption/foster care, or if you had an established family created by adoption and then added new children from “hard places,” don’t miss this interview with my daughter, Annarose. How do siblings in the family feel, and what do they experience, when you add children […]
Can Suffering Make You an Introvert?
Last weekend I posted this on my OTM Instagram and Facebook page: This is the full text: Once upon a time, I was an extrovert, but that feels like a distant memory. The change may have begun as a slow draining away as we dove into parenting kids with lots of trauma, but our accident […]
A Three-Point Plan for Parenting Middle Schoolers
Do you have middle schoolers? Are you wondering how to manage these years? As of today, I have five teens and one pre-teen (plus five young adults). I love teens, they’re interesting, fun to be with, and their worlds are exploding with opportunity. They also need a lot of guidance. Middle school is a time […]
Thankful for Vacation and for Going Home
This morning I was up at 5:00 because the “silent” alarm on Russ’ Fitbit was going off every five minutes. He didn’t hear a thing. It’s our last morning on Whidbey Island and I’m thankful for the moments in the nearly dark and very quiet house, but after spending hours packing the house last night, […]
