With the start of a new year, many of us search for ways to make necessary changes in our lives. We write out our resolutions, make plans to join a gym and get fit, swear off cigarettes and processed food and set goals for weight loss or finding a new job. A New Year...
If only, if only, if only ... Moms, these two words are the bane of contentment in my life, and maybe in your lives, too. If only I had more money, then I would be happy. If only the kids made better grades, then I could relax. If only I were 10 pounds lighter... If...
For generations of psychologists and parents alike, birth order has been an intriguing area of study and debate when it comes to raising children. How do children that come from the same parents and are raised in the same environment each turn out so differently? As...
Face it, moms, raising kids just isn’t easy. And bringing up an honest kid can feel like a heck of a challenge at times … and that’s no lie! But of all the character traits I strive to instill in my children — compassion, generosity, kindness, forgiveness — honesty...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year …” or so Andy Williams croons in the beloved holiday song. Starting just after Halloween, mothers everywhere start preparing for the holiday season: making phone calls to relatives near and far, planning get-togethers and...
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. My mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer; invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast, to be exact. The gripping fear I felt upon hearing those ugly words was like a cold, hollow ache in the pit of my...
It’s 5:30 a.m. A loud “raspberry” screeches through the monitor from my daughter’s nursery and jolts me from a sound asleep. For a moment, I’m confused. What is that noise? Is this a dream? My sons’ rooms are upstairs, too far away for me to hear their televisions or...
Well, moms, it’s that time of year again. It comes each January, after the gluttony and extravagance of the holiday season when our pocketbooks are empty and our muffin-tops bulge; we prepare to face the coming year by examining our lives and determining what we can...
If there is one thing I love about this time of year, it’s the anticipation of the holiday season. Thanksgiving conjures images of pumpkin, gourds and Indian corn; a beautifully set table brimming with platters of savory-smelling dishes, including my mother’s oyster...
We mothers like to think of our word as law, at least when it comes to our children. We don’t even mind, nor are we surprised when a question asked of Dad is diverted to Mom with “Go ask your mother.” After all, mother knows best, right? We know the agenda of the day,...
"Mom, can we have chicken for dinner?" "No, I hate chicken! Let';s have spaghetti." "Can we go swimming?" "No, let';s go to the arcade." "I want to see the new Harry Potter movie." "I want to go to the planetarium." "EZ';s!" "Cheesy Jane';s!" "Operation!"...
My mentor in psychology, Dr. Will Kouw, frequently talked about a parenting chute, the idea being that we put the infant in one end and s/he exits a responsible adult. The job of the parent is to provide the outer limits (of the chute) to keep the child safe while he...
In the January/February edition of SAN ANTONIO WOMAN, I followed up on a 2003 article on gender differences — a topic too large to address in a single column. In the most recent article I cited two new books, both titled The Female Brain. The first was written by...
My mother-daughter holiday vacation was not even off the ground when personal disaster reared its ugly head. In my own haste and excited anticipation, I forgot one of my several suitcases filled with essential toiletries, carefully chosen makeup and an indispensable...
With divorce and remarriage continuing to increase, some people predict that by the year 2007, blended families will outnumber nuclear families. Living successfully, meeting that "deepest hunger need" in such a family requires a complex set of communication skills and...
Infertility basics were the focus of Health Matters in the January/February 2004 issue of San Antonio Woman. In this edition, we continue our exploration of the subject through the perspective of someone who experienced the challenge first-hand. For some couples,...
