Search Results for: blog men dont nag

When Being ‘In Love’ Is Not Enough

As I’ve read the forums recently it seems a few people in relationships feel unsure about what they should do. They are ‘in love’ but unsure about the commitment of marriage. It prompted me to think that love is not enough. Being is love is great, but sometimes you can be in love with the wrong person. I’ve been in love twice in my life. The first time I was very young, still in my teens. Yes, I was in love with this boy but at the same time I realized one thing – though in love he was not … Continue reading →

Musings of a Mom

Today is a special day in our family. My oldest son turned 16. Was it really 16 years ago that I went through 32 hours of labor and two hours of pushing to deliver this remarkable young man? I clearly remember the way he looked those first few days whenever he was hungry. His tongue would move in and out. My husband and I jokingly referred to him as a lizard. Now his tongue is sometimes too quick to whip out a zinger or something smart. I remember looking into those deep, dark brown eyes and feeling almost like I … Continue reading →

She’s Just Not That Into Me

She loves me She loves me not She really loves me She really wishes I would move to another country, so she wouldn’t have to endure my constant nagging about picking up her toys… or they all go to charity. OH.YES.THEY.WILL. She is my five going on 15-year-old daughter. My precious piece of sunshine, who as a baby would squish her marshmallow cheek against my chest, as we swayed to the angelic sounds of Libera singing a haunting rendition of “Sanctus.” (I challenge you to listen to their version without tearing up.) Now she prefers the not so heavenly strains … Continue reading →

What Type Of Newborn Mother Are You?

Whether you’re a veteran mom or about to give birth to your first child, you probably have opinions about life with a newborn. My husband worked in a church last year, so we built close relationships with many people. Everyone in the church felt a close connection to us, even if we didn’t know them very well. It was wonderful. We found out I was expecting a baby in the fall, and as the due date approached, I got an increasing amount of comments from people that made me very nervous. They were comments like, “What hospital are you delivering … Continue reading →

Mothering or Smothering?

Sometimes as women we can take the mothering role too far and end up not only mothering our children but our husbands. This is not good for any relationship. The truth is women, on the whole, are born organizers. How often have you said to your husband ‘Don’t forget you were going to…’ whatever it might be. But to keep reminding your husband about what he should do comes across as nagging and what happens then is that many men tend to switch off and resist. Come to think of it many women do it too when people hassle them … Continue reading →

Loving Your Teens Through Problems

Teens are…. well, teenagers. One minute they can be on top of the world, impressing you and making you proud. The next minute they are rebelling, and shaming themselves and even you. They mess up. Sometimes they mess up big. We have to remember however, that we all mess up, and they are just a reflection of us. As their parents, it is our job to get them through their issues without minimal long-term damage. In dealing the dirtier, grittier, messier parts of raising teens, we have to remember to not take their mis-steps personal. When we internalize their mistakes, … Continue reading →

Measuring Pain

At my doctor’s office, every exam room has a poster depicting the pain scale. From zero (no pain) to ten (the worst pain), each number also has a face depicting an expression from happy to tearful. This is officially known as the Wong-Baker FACES scale for pain measurement. It was developed by two pediatric specialists — Donna Wong and Connie Morain Baker — to help children assess and manage their pain. There are other scales to help patients assess their pain levels, like the McGill Pain Questionnaire, which asks (adult) patients pick from groups of words to describe their pain. … Continue reading →

Do Our Teens Have it Too Easy?

We had to wash dishes by hand. They have dishwashers that they won’t even load without a fight. We typed our term papers by hand and used white out. They use laptops and can create flawless papers with a little effort. We had to work with teachers after school if we didn’t understand a concept. They can use Google and Wikipedia as their tutors. We carried nickels and dimes so we could call home in case of an emergency, if we could find a payphone. They can connect to us and their friends instantly with their cell phones. We had … Continue reading →

Sharing What’s Important

At Christmas time we see lots of people we don’t normally see. Because we live in a tourist area, we often see couples or families on holidays. We also see people brought along by other family members to church for special services, as we had yesterday. At times like these some women manage to convince their husbands who don’t normally attend, to come. Each week I see women at church on their own because their men won’t come. They aren’t interested. Others are on their own, because their family they have been victims of a family pulled apart by unfaithfulness … Continue reading →

Teens: How Old Are They Anyway?

A recent Washington Post article addresses the conflict of treating teenagers like kids, or considering them to be young adults. Just who is a “young adult”? Common sense says legal adulthood starts at age 18. But elements of our society have unofficially declared that the onset of adulthood matches the onset of puberty at the very grown-up age of 12 – which is one of the reasons why parents often seem uncertain about how to parent during the critical teen years. The point of the article appears to be that parents should not forgo parenting and being hand on with … Continue reading →