Marriage and Family

The Different Ways of Families

different ways

It starts with different families. Our friends grew up in different communities and, of course, different families. Naturally, they had different experiences growing up, as each family created a harmony of its own. Mealtimes around her family’s dinner table included conversation, tasty food in pretty dishes, and homemade bread served in a basket with a dainty, linen napkin. Always homemade bread, and always served in a tidy basket with a clean, linen napkin. At his home, … Read more

The Reasons We Tell Lies

undermine the authority

The fisherman’s lie. There’s the well-known tale of the fisherman who comes back with a story of his great catch. He opens his arms to show how long the fish was – yet even as he is speaking, he is moving his arms further and further apart. The size of the fish grows with the telling of the tale. Why does a fisherman exaggerate the size of the fish in his telling? Is it because … Read more

Two Ways We Undermine the Authority of Parents

undermine the authority

Undermining Authority No matter what our experience or expertise, it is wrong to undermine the authority of other parents. We do this blatently and we do this subtly. Any way you slice it, it’s wrong. Blatance Blatant ways are most obvious, of course. These are the times we deride the decisions of other parents by saying so out loud in front of our kids – or theirs. This is one way we undermine the authority … Read more

Structure and Safety for Your Kids

structure

The Frazzle.  There is no structure when an active, inquisitive kid is on the loose. One of ours belonged in the circus. This kid was in constant motion. I was frazzled from my attempts to keep him safe. I cannot tell you how many times he slipped outside or disappeared inside the house, eluding my frantic search. Not only did he try to elude me and get into things he shouldn’t have, he also put … Read more

A Place for Ruth – a New Book

a place for ruth

A Place in Germany – then Denmark. Ruth Reimer was seven when her Mennonite family fled Germany and arrived in Denmark as refugees of war. For three and a half years, she, her mother, and siblings were moved from one refugee camp to another – a total of five in all. During some of those years, they did not know if Pappa was alive. The possibility that he survived the war was slim, for Pappa … Read more