Category: Parenting
-
Coping mechanisms and temptation entering school age
When I was around 5 I visited with my grandmother an old grannie in the village. She was making carpets and other crafty things out of colorful threads. My grandmother was also a carpet maker and I helped her with that craft as a kid. That grannie had many spools of colorful thread. I remember…
-
Lifestyle and schoolwork
We were watching a show in the evening when the teacher sent a text to the parents that she gave our kids their math test results back. And she encouraged everyone to check the kids homework and help them the best we can to practice math at home through homework. I turned to Jackie and…
-
Being an author – International book day
Last week Conrad was invited to talk about being an author, how he started, what it entails, and how do authors make money. It was money week at the International school. Today is international book day and I was invited to Jackie’s class to share about my experience as a book author. This class loves…
-
Kids speaking up
I had to return something to decathlon and Jackie needed some new shoes. Sandals we thought. At decathlon they didn’t bring sandals in stock yet so she tried some profesional soccer shoes, with crampons, the kind she would wear only on the field of grass. She is not a professional player. She likes the idea…
-
Women together
We simplified the decor and the drama of booking a guest speaker and focused on getting to know each other, building community sharing and listening, while learning something new in the process. We sometimes get lost on the artificial meeting focus, but hospitality is about helping women feel welcomed and safe, not through gifts or…
-
New challenges. New boundaries.
We have experienced first hand how addictive the iPhone can become. When we watched from the sideline the other families, how easily they gave in to kids’ demand of iPads and iPhones, we decided to have a proactive approach and implement boundaries for ourselves first. Conrad has an app limit which he abides by most often. …
-
Equals
The summer I met my lifetime American friends I was 14. They were from California and they asked us all to call them by their first names. We ever called any adults in such a direct way. This invitation created a type of closeness that we delighted in. We felt seen. Adults liked us and…
-
Time
We can’t say we don’t have time for connection, for conversations and to read worthwhile literature. We have conversations. We have connection. We pray at meal time and at bedtime. But we never read the Bible together. I take the kids to church to Sunday school to Christian school and to Christian camps. I take…
-
Seasons
I was reading a post I wrote less than a year ago, about how difficult my relationship with my older daughter was. https://dordeacasa.altmann.haus/cerul-sigurantei-si-preadolescentii/ I entered into an apparent regression of cooperation, of organizational skills, of following several steps without the work of persuasion or reminding him. A persistent state of dissatisfaction triggers all kinds of…
-
Valentine’s note from my 10 year old daughter
I love youYou make me talkI distinguish you asBeing very beautifulBecause you help mewith homework I love you.You’re magic. Not tragic.I’m glad you are magical Thank you.You make me be funnyYou are a heavenly gift,Mommy! Mama, you intuitively knowWhen fear grips meI love you, mama! Jaky
-
Conversation
Nobody ever accused a good listener of being a boring. When I worked at Apple, my job was not to show off how awesome I was, but to make our customers feel heard, seen, have their problems resolved, make them feel welcome and to want to come back again and again. Approach with a personalized…
-
Awakening love
Last night, over pizza, we had a fun engaging conversation. My favorite thing about the girls is that they can carry a discussion in creative ways, wherever it may lead. It is always enriching for me, even though I know them so well, their mind is a wonderland of knowledge and personality. Conrad wants to…