Welcome to In the Words of a Non-Parent! The part of the blog where I, a non-parent, give parenting advice to parents. Today we explore what happens when your kids just won't go to sleep. It's frustrating, right? So you've put your toddler down for his or her afternoon nap and the kid just won't … Continue reading Nap Time
Kids
In the Words of a Non-Parent
Today's blog post comes as an idea from my friend Jessica. She suggested that it would be interesting to hear parenting advice from someone who isn't a parent. With as much time as I've spent among families and working with kids, she felt that I could offer some unique insights into the art of raising … Continue reading In the Words of a Non-Parent
Question of the Week #70
When did you last yell at someone? Why? Did you later regret it? I do the vast majority of my yelling in either the safety of my car or in order to be heard over a large group of small humans. In the car, I feel like it's okay to yell because the idiot driver … Continue reading Question of the Week #70
Orange Conference 2016: A First-Timer’s Perspective
I’ve been hearing great things about the Orange Conference for years. Even before I became involved with Northstar’s children’s ministry, a friend encouraged me to attend the annual conference. He told me it would change my life. Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to join our kids’ ministry staff for three days in Atlanta … Continue reading Orange Conference 2016: A First-Timer’s Perspective
Dear Parents,
I am a Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselor. My job is to spend time with your troubled child while he or she is at school. I hang out with them in their classrooms. I provide encouragement and redirection as needed. I pull them out of class for the occasional one-on-one counseling session to work on goals … Continue reading Dear Parents,
Binging Parenthood
Did I type that right? When you binge watch something, are you binging the show? Because that looks like it should be pronounced bing-ing. Like Googling, except you, for some reason, use Bing. Why you'd do that to yourself, I don't know. But what I want you to hear in your head when you read … Continue reading Binging Parenthood
Being Santa
First of all, let's just agree that the guy sitting on the throne of lies at the mall is not the real Santa Claus. But that doesn't make the fake Santa a bad guy. We shouldn't try and pick a fight with him simply because he smells like beef and cheese. The Santas at the … Continue reading Being Santa
Big
Originally written in March of 2011... All Paul ever wanted was a normal childhood. But normal was the one thing he couldn't experience. He wasn't able to play with the other kids on the playground. He was always afraid he'd hurt someone or break something. But even if that wasn't a fear for him, he … Continue reading Big
Day Thirty
A Dream for the Future This seems really similar to yesterday's post. As I mentioned before, I'm not really one to plan for the future. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. And, while I don't necessarily think of myself as a pessimist, I'm definitely not an optimist. I joke around with … Continue reading Day Thirty
Day Twenty Seven
My Worst Habit I would say that one of my worst habits would be that nasty habit I have of pushing people away. It's something I recognize in myself and talk about on this blog all the time. Yet, for some reason, it's one of those things that I have a very difficult time changing … Continue reading Day Twenty Seven
The Confusing Middle 