Tag Archives: feelings

You are in Charge of YOUR Feelings

Kids are a handful. If you’re a single mom, you know that all too well. While my son and I have a very close relationship, there are times when he makes me want to rip my hair out. He’s four, that happens sometimes, it’s in their nature to misbehave and test their boundaries here and there. I have found myself saying, “Logan you are making Mommy really frustrated right now!” However, I realized just how wrong I really was. Yes, I am extremely frustrated with his behavior, but ultimately I am the one choosing to feel frustrated. He can’t “make” … Continue reading →

If You’re Grumpy and You Know It…Read a Book!

Logan has been pretty grumpy lately. I’m not really sure why, and frankly I’m not even sure if he knows why most of the time, but I’ve been a little concerned about it for a while. I noticed the change about a month or two ago and started looking for solutions to the problem. We talked about it often and most of the time I got very little response out of him. I knew something was bothering him, but he couldn’t seem to vocalize what it was. Instead he would hit, kick, scream, and throw things. I was at a … Continue reading →

Book Review: All About Adoption:How Families Are Made and How Kids Feel About It

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All About Adoption: How Families Are Made and How Kids Feel About It is a book from Magination Press, which specializes in titles helping children understand tough situations or deal with feelings. (Magination Press is also the publisher of Maybe Days, a Book about Foster Care.) All About Adoption authors Marc Nemiroff and Jane Annunziata are both clinical psychologists specializing in families and children. All About Adoption starts out by saying “there are lots of different ways to have a baby. ..some parents have one baby..and some parents have two or three babies all at once. “Babies grow inside a … Continue reading →

Animals Have Emotions, Too

Some people like to think animals are just animals. They think animals don’t think or feel or have emotions. Oh really? If animals didn’t have emotions, would they take orphaned animals in and nurture them as their own? Even when they’re different species sometimes. Would they cower from thunderstorms or snakes if they didn’t feel fear? Would they mourn the loss of their babies or even their people when they die? Would they show signs of depression? Would they smile when they’re happy? How could they do any of those things if they didn’t have emotions? I get viral emails … Continue reading →

Watching the Buzzards and the Bunnies

The other day a horrible thing happened: one of the neighborhood bunnies got hit by a car and died. I didn’t see it happen. It must have happened after my walk with Murph, because I would’ve noticed the bunny body in the road on our way home. As it was, I spotted it from the kitchen window as I was washing dishes. I wasn’t sure it was a bunny at first, though. It could have been a piece of clothing someone lost. But when the first buzzard showed up, I knew it was fresh kill. The Buzzard Brigade At first … Continue reading →

Think about How You Would React

As single parents, we may be tempted to get wrapped up in the world we are trying to create (or re-create). Many of us feel compelled to stay focused and dedicated to work, keeping our homes and families in order, and trying to minimize chaos. It can be hard to see things from our child’s perspective—especially when it comes to issues with the child’s other parent or other touchy topics. I think it can be helpful to try to step outside of ourselves and see things from our child’s perspective. Instead of always thinking about how things make US feel—it … Continue reading →

Go Ahead and Cry (When the Customers aren’t Looking)

We cannot always be chipper, eager and happy home business owners. In fact, I do not think it is possible to start a business and never get frustrated or discouraged. We try so hard to give good customer service and say and do the right things that we can put incredible pressure on ourselves to be happy all the time. Baloney! Sometimes we just need to have a good cry—we just need to try to do it when the clients and customers are not standing by. A couple years ago, when I was still working in nonprofit management, I remember … Continue reading →

Feelings do Pass

When we are in the midst of strong emotions and feelings, it can seem as though things will never change. Overwhelming feelings like depression, frustration, regret and others can really take hold of us. It is important, therefore, to remind ourselves that everything changes—all feelings do pass and even if it feels completely overwhelming today, it will likely change tomorrow or the next day… Single parents do not have the market cornered on strong, overwhelming feelings but I have yet to meet a single parent who does not wrestle with occasional bouts of pretty heavy emotions. For some odd reason, … Continue reading →

What is Buried Beneath the Resentment?

Resentment can be a seething, nagging emotion. It is not that all single parents have to wrestle with resentment (nor is it the solitary domain of the single parent) but it can get in the way of our being able to be fully present for our children, our families and our lives. The thing about resentment is that it is usually masking something else—it is a defensive emotion that keeps us from facing what is really going on. Figuring out what is buried beneath resentment can help us to heal and move on. Resentment can be a cover-up for things … Continue reading →

Uncomfortable Feelings on the Job

Wouldn’t it be great if every day was all sunshine and dollar signs in our home businesses? Wouldn’t it be fantastic if our customers contributed to our feeling good and if running a home business meant getting rid of all those discomforts and frustrations that came with the more traditional job of working for someone else? The fact is, that while we might get rid of some of those discomforts and realities that plagued us when we worked for someone else, there are still going to be times when our work is anything but sunshine and dollar signs. Our home … Continue reading →