Great Thanksgiving Traditions: Showing Thanks

Posted on November 18, 2011 by guest

Traditions establish identity. I don’t know a person who isn’t proud of their family traditions. Those traditions make us who we are. They teach us what “the good life” looks like and create feelings of unity and love which instill desires for more family experiences and deeper relationships. Traditions give us hope for our futures.

Those blessed family traditions teach us to love and want families. They bind us together with deep, emotions. Those treasured experiences are also what helps family members forgive each other. And, often times, traditions even bring people back into the family fold after being offended or going astray.

Ideas For Family Traditions

In the year 1998 our Thanksgiving holidays changed forever Continue reading →

Why They Stay

Posted on November 16, 2011 by guest

Many ask why a victim of domestic violence stays. This is not an easy question to answer. There are a number of resources which help make sense of domestic violence situations. An excellent one is Hidden Hurt, which contains much of the information below. My next post will deal specifically with how to help.

I have been told many times that victims should “just get out,” and that there is nothing that outside parties should do to interfere until the victim asks for help. But it is not that easy. Abusers have waged a long war to convince their victims that they have no choices, or that they are the ones who cause the problem. Some of that emotional mess has to be detangled before victims can extract themselves from the situation.

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Cell Phones And Teenagers: Warning!

Posted on November 5, 2011 by guest

A few years ago I noticed a new sign posted at our local swimming pool. The sign read, “Absolutely no cell phone use in the locker rooms!”

At first, when I saw the sign I felt like some of my rights had been taken away or something. It felt like I was being controlled. Not that I had ever made a call in the locker room before…but what if someone called or something? Why did the pool administration feel the need to micro-manage it’s patrons?

Details

The majority of patrons to the local swimming pool are high school and middle school age teens. They have swimming classes and swim teams there because it is also used as the high school swimming pool. If you ever see them having a swim day, you will see all the kids have these days, they come in all kinds of shapes and colors. It’s quite something to see. And, most of these teens have cell phones. Families with children aren’t probably who the sign is talking to as much as the teens who visit the pool daily.

Still, why should someone care if a person uses their phone on their own time while dressing in a locker room? Wait!!! Why would someone Continue reading →

Halloween: Two Ways To See It

Posted on October 28, 2011 by guest

On my parenting blog people ask me questions all the time about raising children and about how to keep the feeling of love in their homes. This recently asked question is both timely and important to consider. Be sure to read to the end on this one.

The Question:

“Nicholeen, what do you do for Halloween? It seems like such a dark holiday, and I really don’t like participating.” Continue reading →

–Ans, –Ites and –Isms

Posted on October 19, 2011 by guest

For a long time, I have wrestled with the notion that I need to commit to a political party. Every time I have gone to declare an allegiance of one kind or another, something has stayed my hand. I have been ashamed of this for some time, thinking that perhaps I was too wishy-washy, too uncommitted, too weakly opinioned. I have been enticed by several political ideologies, most notably feminism and libertarianism, and have come close to choosing one on several occasions.

But again, something has kept me “aloof from all these parties” despite engaging in their several discussions as often as I felt drawn to them. Finally, I believe I have reached the root of the issues I have with choosing a political party.

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