Tag Archives: emotional support

When Is It Emotional Cheating?

Last time I wrote about the importance of our friends, how they’re still so necessary even when we’re married.  I said that we can get some things from our friends that we can’t from our spouses.  That can be anything from goofy times, to a chance to talk about our relationship/our spouse (not bad mouth, but just to talk), to even filling some emotional needs. Now, I realize that this could be a dangerous line.  Emotional cheating is very real, and it’s not something to be taken lightly.  So today I wanted to point out the difference between having some … Continue reading →

Finding Support from Your Friends

We’ve talked extensively about how important it is that we keep friends outside of our marriage.  And that doesn’t mean that we have friends who can’t also be friends with our spouses.  It just means that we look for emotional connections with more people than just our spouses.  I know it’s very true for me; my two best friends give me things my husband never could, and not just things like watching the six-hour BBC “Pride and Prejudice.” It’s a real romantic notion – both in the love and in the story sense of the word – that our spouses … Continue reading →

Are You Too Focused on Your Child’s Looks?

Let’s face it, we are a society that is obsessed with youth and external looks can seem incredibly important. As parents, it can also be hard NOT to focus on what our children look like—are they wearing the “right” clothes? Do they have the “right” haircut? Are their teeth straight? Is there a line that we cross, however, between what is reasonable and what is obsessive? Recently, I was talking to a parent whose child has just been diagnosed with eczema. One of my own children had allergies when she was a preschooler that manifested itself with eczema so I … Continue reading →

Fill in the Gaps

There are always gaps and unfinished business in any family—regardless of whether you are a two parent family or a single parent family. I do think, however, that healing and getting stabilized after a separation, divorce, or death (or other family crisis) gives us the opportunity to figure out what those gaps are, and then work to fill things in and heal our family situations. Gaps can be major—estranged relationships, neglect, etc. or they might be seemingly minor—the need to get to the dentist or clean out the garage. There are always areas of unfinished business but the more we … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About Pregnancy Support Groups

Aside from proper prenatal care and nutrition, the most important thing a pregnant woman needs is emotional support. The obvious sources include husband, family, and friends. But very rarely are all these people going through what the pregnant woman is going through at the same time. It can be very rewarding to branch out to sources of like-kind, and the internet offers many. Families.com is one such source of pregnancy support. Visiting the Pregnancy Forums will lead you to other women to chat with about the many issues of pregnancy. These women are going through pregnancy just as you are, … Continue reading →

Mother Knows Best: Why I Homeschool, Part Two

Each of my children have a learning style that is different from what can be found in a traditional classroom. My daughter needs to be constantly reminded to concentrate. My seven-year-old needs just enough help so he doesn’t become discouraged and give up altogether. My five-year-old needs physical contact and edification. When a classroom has anywhere from twenty-one to thirty-five children all needing instruction, the teacher is overwhelmed as it is, without having to give specialized attention. Extra time and resources simply don’t exist for that. And so to answer the question of why I homeschool: I do have the … Continue reading →