Parenting

"I told him I captured him crying seeing his son and he said, 'That's not why I was crying.'"

My girl is now the one leaving. And it’s been years since little toes lined up where I now stand, the small fingers that clung to lovies to comfort them as I left.

Over 70 percent of churchgoing high schoolers report having serious doubts about faith. But it’s not doubt that’s toxic to faith...

I’ve watched parents go crazy with enthusiasm when a kid does well.  I’ve also seen them go stone cold silent when things take a turn for the worse.  That silence speaks volumes into the heart of a child.  As a result, kids grow up desperately chasing applause, and that usually gets twisted into a fragile, warped sense of self-worth.

My boys (14 and 10) can confidently navigate self-checkout, withdraw cash from an ATM, pump gas, make phone calls with confidence, order groceries, manage an Excel budget, order an Uber, etc. because I refuse to send them into the workforce without basic skills."

"Their deaths have forever changed me and how I look at the world. In an odd way, it has made me a better parent."

"And as I turned back towards her I realized she was gasping in fear, hiccuping through a torrent of scared tears, her face red and wet."

"I accused them of happily draining the life out of me. I told them if I collapsed, they would probably just step over my lifeless body and keep going. One child stopped doing dishes and said, 'Wow, that is dark.' I had to chuckle inside."