The other day my daughter looked at me and worriedly said, “Mom. Why do my legs look like this?” “Like what?” I asked, confused. “This. Look at how big they are, and they do this (pointing to her legs as she sat on the chair).” “I don’t see anything, honey. I just see your legs.” “No. They are fat. The boys don’t have all this fat on their legs. Why do I? It’s ugly.” Cue my tears (once I was in private). What I heard when she asked these questions was: “Mom. I hate my body li

“Walking off a beaten path will open up a world of beautiful possibilities.” — Anonymous I walk by a dead-end road almost every day and have always wanted to explore it. I never did, because I was afraid. I was afraid of the signs: “Dead End, No Parking Beyond This Point.” I was afraid of the barrier that blocked a portion of the road and the sneaking fear I might get in trouble. To be clear, there are no signs saying people are not allowed to walk on the road. There are no “

Today was our first epic school blowout. I came head to head with one of our young ones, and it was a several-hour, no-one-is-relenting, knockdown battle. While I never outright screamed, I can admit my voice level was significantly louder and firmer. And no spankings were involved, but the threat of being in their room for the rest of the day, with meals brought up to them, was issued. At the end of a five-minute timer, this child decided to try and change their attitude and