From Gregory Stock’s The Book of Questions: Do you think kids should be sheltered from unhappiness? What experiences from your own childhood have proved most valuable? What were the most difficult to overcome? Were they happy or unhappy experiences? Note: I answer this question not as a parent, but as an outsider who has worked with … Continue reading Question of the Week #397
Children
Day Fourteen of the Blogmas
Welcome back to Blogmas 2023! Continuing through Christmas Day, expect to find some fun and informative holiday themed blog posts here at The Confusing Middle. For Day 14, what better way to get into the holiday spirit than with some creative Christmas crafts for kids? As a parent, grandparent, or a teacher, you're probably on … Continue reading Day Fourteen of the Blogmas
Things You’ll Wish You Knew Before You Start Parenting: A Journey of Surprises
Parenting is a profound and transformative journey that fills lives with joy, challenges, and endless surprises. From the moment parents welcome a child into their lives, they embark on a path of growth, learning, and uncharted territory. A parent who has navigated the highs and lows of this incredible journey has gathered a wealth of … Continue reading Things You’ll Wish You Knew Before You Start Parenting: A Journey of Surprises
Heartbroken and Infuriated
Have you ever found yourself in a place where you're both heartbroken and infuriated? That's where I am right now. I've been there for the better part of the last 24 hours. Yesterday afternoon, I found out from a co-worker that a child we worked with back in the fall took her own life on … Continue reading Heartbroken and Infuriated
Really? Already?
Well... it happened. And we're not even a month into the new school year. I've got a cold. I mean, it's certainly not the end of the world. I've had worse. But to think we've gotten three full weeks of school under our belts. And even saying that is a stretch, because the first week … Continue reading Really? Already?
Sleep Study
On my way to work the other day, I heard them talk on the radio about a sleep study that has come out of West Virginia University. According to the study, new parents can expect a disruption to the amount of sleep they get each night, compared to how much sleep they would have gotten … Continue reading Sleep Study
Question of the Week #150
Would you be willing to give up all television for the next five years if it would induce someone to provide for 1,000 starving children in Indonesia? This is a hard one to answer. The Book of Questions was first compiled in 1985, when television was a completely different thing than it is now. I … Continue reading Question of the Week #150
There Is No Parenting Handbook
I recently had a conversation with my friend Megan about parenting. Honestly, I'm never sure how much input I have a right to give in regards to parenting, seeing as how I have zero children myself. But the background I've had in school counseling and children's ministry gives me something of a unique perspective on … Continue reading There Is No Parenting Handbook
Question of the Week #122
If you were happily married, and then met someone you felt was certain to always bring you deeply passionate, intoxicating love, would you leave your spouse? What if you had kids? Whether I had kids or not, the answer is absolutely no. If I'm married, it means I already met the one person whom I … Continue reading Question of the Week #122
AFI #34 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 Directed by David Hand Netflix says... Walt Disney broke new ground in 1937 with this animated feature-length film, based on the famous fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, about a jealous queen, her beautiful stepdaughter, seven lovable dwarfs and a handsome prince. The Oscar-nominated classic includes the … Continue reading AFI #34 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Confusing Middle 