Dear Mom Who Is Afraid to Leave Her House

Dear Mom Who Is Afraid to Leave Her House

Dear mom who is afraid to leave her house, If it’s because of your special needs child- I can understand. If it’s because of a fear of judgement- I can understand. If it’s because of a feeling of helplessness – I can understand. If it’s because of your own anxiety – I can understand. If it’s because of your own depression- I can understand. You see, I may not have been in your exact situation, but I can relate. Because I have been there. Because, at one point, I was the mom who was so wrapped up in nerves. I hated the thought of leaving the house. I didn’t want to deal with people at all. To be fair, there are some days that I…

10 Discipline Strategies for Children and Parents

10 Discipline Strategies for Children and Parents

When it comes to raising kids with character, one of the most powerful tools that we have in our parenting toolbox is discipline. We’ve talked about how to effectively discipline an ungrateful child and how to discipline a toddler. Now, let’s talk about discipline strategies for children and parents. Honestly, having self-discipline is huge for a work at home or stay at home mom. Really for anyone in the workforce. But, let’s talk about how that can also apply to parenting. How to use self-discipline at home My youngest child is proving to be the most challenging of my three children. I’m not sure why this is, but it’s happening. Daily, it seems, a new issue comes up and I find myself in a power…

How Autism Ruined Yet Another Holiday (Except that it didn’t)
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How Autism Ruined Yet Another Holiday (Except that it didn’t)

Autism has a tendency of ruining things. Having an autistic child ruined my life. Yes, friends, that was my mindset. But I couldn’t have been further from the truth. I’ll take you back to a time when I thought differently. A time when I was quick to blame autism for just about everything. And yes, I mean autism specifically and not my child. I would never say that my child ruins things because it’s entirely untrue. Her autism, on the other hand, oh yes – I could place blame on that for plenty of things. First, autism robbed me of my hopes and dreams for my daughter once we got the diagnosis. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. Autism would ruin so…

How to Actively Listen and Respond to Your Child

How to Actively Listen and Respond to Your Child

Communicating with our children can be a difficult task at times. We feel like they’re not listening to us; they feel like we’re not listening to them. Good listening and communications skills are essential to successful parenting. Your child’s feelings, views and opinions have worth, and you should make sure you take the time to sit down and listen openly and discuss them honestly. Are you reacting or responding? It seems to be a natural tendency to react rather than to respond. We pass judgment based on our own feelings and experiences. However, responding means being receptive to our child’s feelings and emotions and allowing them to express themselves openly and honestly without fear of repercussion from us. By reacting, we send our child the…

An Apology to My Children: I’m Sorry I’m Not the Perfect Mom
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An Apology to My Children: I’m Sorry I’m Not the Perfect Mom

We, as parents, are not perfect. And let’s face it, I have yet to meet a mom or dad who truly has it all together. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, if you feel compelled to do so, here’s how to compose an apology letter to your children.  At the same time? I learned that I needed to stop apologizing. I needed to stop saying that I was sorry for not being the perfect mom. I’ve realized that I’m not perfect and though I may strive for perfection, being perfect is just not possible. I’m an imperfect mother though I may try my best and today, I want to share with you some tips on motherhood and coming to terms with being an imperfect mother….

Did I really fail as a mom?
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Did I really fail as a mom?

I failed as a mom Failure in life is inevitable it seems. But without failure, there would be no success. I would argue, in fact, that in order to succeed and move forward; sometimes you have to fail. Coming to terms with the fact that you’ve failed is not always easy and I am one of those people who hate to admit that they’ve failed. Perhaps that’s why the realization hit me so hard during a conversation that I had with Kyle on Christmas of 2015. This conversation started so simply as I was discussing my plans for the next three years in terms of working at home. It was during a more heated part of the conversation that I realized that I was failing…