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What is the Perfect Age To Stay Alone?

How old is old enough? How young is too young? How do you decide? When you are a single mother one of the biggest financial outlays comes from daycare. Depending on the age of your child, number of children and where you live, daycare can be your biggest monthly expense. Most of us will happily pay the money for the peace of mind of knowing our child is safe while we work. Every day we make decisions, starting as soon as they are born, taking a quick shower while the baby naps is ok but is running to the basement … Continue reading →

Be Encouraged

I admit to having a soft spot for Jacob in the Bible. Yes, he was a liar and a cheat. But he was also a man who knew what was important. Jacob saw the value of the birthright when Esau didn’t, Genesis 25:31-34. Although the methods he and his mother, Rebekah, employed to gain his father’s blessing were underhanded and deceitful, Genesis 27:1-29, they both paid the penalty for that. Jacob had to leave home because of his brother’s anger, Genesis 27:42-45. Though they both thought it would be only for a short time, Jacob never saw his mother again. … Continue reading →

Facing a Marriage Crisis

In a previous article I wrote about how alone I’ve felt lately. It’s to the point where I’m asking, “What’s the point of this relationship? Mostly he’s good to me, yes –when he’s available. And once in a while he does incredibly thoughtful things like how he did when he welcomed my mom. But the job is all-consuming anymore and he rarely has time for me. Not even when it’s serious stuff like it has been with my mom. And I don’t know if it really has to be that way, or if he’s using work as an excuse to … Continue reading →

Thoughts on Political Scandals and the Marriages They Rock

The scandal of New York’s Governor Eliot Spitzer makes perfect fodder for the Marriage blog, doesn’t it? There’s so much to contemplate, so many dynamics to consider. Standing by a Man Who’s Done Them Wrong In a previous article I wrote how I watched Dina Matos on Today talk about her experience being in the same shoes as Eliot Spitzer’s wife, Silda, found herself in recently. In Matos’s case, she stood by her husband’s side when he admitted to having sexual relations with another man. There’s no telling why Silda chose to stand by her husband. They’ve been married over … Continue reading →

The Campaign to Encourage Adoption of Teens from Foster Care

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and this year the theme is: “You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent. There are thousands of teens in foster care who would love to put up with you.” Every year an estimated 300,000 children in the United States enter the foster care system. The current reports indicate there are 518,000 children in the foster care system today and approximately 118,000 are waiting for an adoptive family. Each year nearly 9,000 foster children “age out” of the system without having a family to call their own permanently. No family to … Continue reading →

Tis the Season of Getting

I am going to just throw this out there;  I don’t see anything wrong with buying your children a lot of gifts.  Christmas may not be about gifts but we all know gifts help make the season bright.  If we didn’t believe that we wouldn’t give to Toys for Tots, Operation Homefront, or go into an insane amount of debt every year.  Like it or not, gifts are here to stay and I do not feel that is negative.  Who doesn’t like to unwrap a gift?  Who doesn’t like to see their children’s eyes light up when they open that … Continue reading →

Living with Engineers: Tales of Efficiency

There are a lot of engineers out there in the world, and so there are a number of us married to them. Based on conversations I’ve had with other spouses of engineers, I’ve learned it’s not just me: it can be a unique, strange, and funny experience living with an engineer. The first thing you need to learn if you’re the husband or wife of an engineer is that your spouse will always think that their way of doing something, is the best way of doing it. The magic word is “efficient.” Learn it well, because you’ll be hearing it … Continue reading →

Leave Your Kids at Home

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Recently there was a story in the news about a mother who is accused of putting her five year old daughter in a tanning bed. I don’t know if this woman is guilty or not but she certainly is fond of tanning. As a single mother I’ve had to take Hailey lots of places that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. When I went to the emergency room, not only did she go with me, she had to drive me, with only a learners permit because I was in too much pain to drive myself. I will never forget how frightened … Continue reading →

When to Ask the Big Questions

Last time I examined whether or not premarital counseling ought to be a considered option for couples before they marry. Today I’ll look at another part of the question: how much couples should know about each other before they approach the altar. The main reason why premarital counseling might be a good idea is because sometimes people don’t know the sorts of things they ought to know about each other before they get married. The idea was sparked by a girl who called into my local radio station to say that she’d signed herself and her fiance up for counseling. … Continue reading →

Plant a Kiss on Valentine’s Day

What happens when you plant a kiss… in the ground, not on your sweetheart’s cheek? Will it blossom and grow into something unfathomably dazzling? New York Times bestselling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and award-winning illustrator Peter H. Reynolds have the answer in a simple yet sweet picture book–Plant a Kiss–that’s a perfect Valentine’s Day read. The book begins with Little Miss planting a kiss in an unremarkable patch of dirt. The young girl watches and waits, waits and watches, and then waits some more. After some doubting and pouting, finally, there’s some shouting, as a tiny sprout emerges from the … Continue reading →