Showing yourself compassion in a world of self judgment

Showing yourself compassion in a world of self judgment
I give her the mom stare and say louder and firmer with eyes that could shoot fireballs: “You better put those keys down right this second or you will not get your license until you’re 18. And don’t EVER tell me what you’re doing with my keys and my car! You are walking, end of discussion.”
 
Knowing that was final, she slammed the keys back on the counter, huffing and puffing as she stomped out the door, being sure to semi-slam it. Slamming a door in our house is guaranteed to not go well for the culprit.
 
Ahhh. Sweet silence. Lord. Have. Mercy.
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Nasty kisses and permanent wishes

Nasty kisses and permanent wishes
I don’t recall what prompted me to french kiss my seventh-grade boyfriend in the youth room that day, but the memory of it still haunts me. To be fair, neither of us had any idea what we were doing.  With him being older, I let him take the lead. Bad decision. What followed was a disgusting hodge-podge of lips, tongue, and saliva that felt nothing like I anticipated.
Straight nasty.
 
Let’s just say I wasn’t too eager to do that again.  At least with him. But I don’t count it a total loss.
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How to Talk About Sex With Your Kids Without Making It Weird....Mostly.

How to Talk About Sex With Your Kids Without Making It Weird....Mostly.
After having children, I knew I was not going that same route when it came to “explaining” sex. The amount of fear, shame and confusion I experienced could have mostly been avoided if there had just been more honesty and openness around the subject.
 
When our oldest was 7, one day she randomly blurted out “BUTT SEX!”.
Listen, I don’t have a dead set age on when you need to talk to your kids about sex but there are signs you cannot overlook and this was mine. 
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