I was born in Grants, New Mexico and my sister was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. Needless to say, I was too little to remember those moves. From the time I was three until I was thirteen, we lived in West Lafayette, Indiana. We moved to Marietta, Georgia in the middle of my 7th grade year. I am not sure if it was the black and white difference between the Midwest and the South or my age, but the move was HARD on me. Kids wore different fashion, listened to different music and were developmentally more advanced than I was. I have always felt bad for my 13-year-old self and have thus decided …

My third child is Socrates, a blue merle Australian Shepherd. When Harrison was 8 and Hayden was 5, we got him. The day that we drove him home, he sat between the kids in the minivan and drooled uncontrollably. They fought over wiping his face. When Socrates was 12-weeks-old, we took him swimming in the Chattahoochee River with some friends who own a Labrador named Macy. Macy not only took the new puppy as her own, but she taught him how to swim. To this day he does not know he not a Labrador (so please, do not tell him) but he has an annoying habit of herding us while we swim! Socrates is …

I don't necessarily make my TV viewing choices based on ratings...but maybe I should! Because I watch most programs with my kids, I am with them to discuss confusing content, the occasional discretionary word and hide eyes when necessary. (And this is just for the personal use commercials in between!) I probably tell my kids too much information about foul words and explicit behavior because my theory is that if I give them all of the information they will not be scared to come to me with more difficult issues. I also expect my kids to make good choices with their wealth of knowledge. With …

Harrison's dad was at work and I was on the way to visit the site of our first Oconee County residence on the morning of Sept.11, 2001. Nestled in the woods behind Friendship Presbyterian Church, the farm style home was a utopia to me. I remember looking in the rear view mirror to gaze at 2-year-old Harrison while we made our way down our long gravel drive when the phone rang... Richard was calling to tell me that one of the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City had been attacked and he and his co-workers were watching the news unfold. I turned on the radio and made my way to park …

From the time my son Harrison was in the "three day threes" at Friendship Presbyterian preschool, I've been navigating relationships with other parents. At the first parent orientation night, I looked over the sea of faces and knew I'd make friends with some parents, and the others, not very well.  At the first holiday party, it became apparent that there were levels of parental involvement. Some working parents had to drop off snacks to donate to the event. A few stay-at-home parents were party organizers every holiday. The spectrum of participation ranged from zero to one hundred percent. …

In some ways I am very old fashioned. One of these ways is my undying belief in 'thank you' notes. My friends tease me about my thank you notes, in fact. I don't mind at all. I genuinely believe that people appreciate thank you notes, and I insist that my kids write them as well. My kids have had to write thank you notes since they could hold a pencil. No matter how squiggly or crooked...they have been encouraged to at least sign their names. I believe that relatives, as well as friends, find their penmanship adorable and admire their efforts, too. As the kids got older, I encouraged them to …

The first day home from school, my daughter, Hayden, a fourth grader at Oconee County Elementary School,  told me about a new girl in her class. This child was not just new to my daughter, she was new to the school. I asked Hayden if she made an effort to reach out to the child. Hayden explained that the child spoke very little English and that she did not know her name. Even adults have a hard time reaching out to people who do not fall into their "comfort zone." How do we teach children to bridge the gap that is so hard for even us seasoned communicators? Hayden and I came up with several …

My kids want more sleepover parties, another trip to the beach and additional time to just lay on the sofa, but the party is officially over. They headed back to class today. Now comes the hardest part for our family: returning to a schedule. During the school year, we must be in bed by 9 p.m. so we can get up and the kids can be at school before 7:45 a.m. I get to work on time. We run like a well-oiled machine. But over the last eight weeks, even I fell out of that routine. We stayed up late to swim in the pool, visit with neighbors or watch DVR episodes of GLEE and then slept in to …

Last fall my son Harrison played football for the Oconee County Parks and Recreation Department. When he went to get his gear for the season, my daughter Hayden said, "Mom, I want to play!" At that time, all slots were filled. But sure enough when registration opened for this coming fall's programs, she again pleaded,"Mom, I want to play!" So I picked up the phone and contacted Trevor Ross at the Parks and Recreation Department, who was both supportive and professional.  Trevor suggested that he first evaluate Hayden to see if she could hold up under the physical exertion of the sport and …

I won't let my 12-year-old have a Facebook account. My son has asked to have an account at least three times and I have said no because: 1)  When you "accept a friend request" from someone with a logo as a profile picture because you "like" that logo, it does not mean that you know the person who is behind it. 2) When you "friend" someone who you think you know and trust, it does not mean that you know and trust who they are linked to and, depending on privacy settings, those acquaintances might be able to see your information, too. 3) In my opinion, social maturity takes practice and real …

My kids and I recently held a joint yard sale with the neighbors.  My son wanted to earn money to go toward the purchase of a four wheeler and my daughter was hoping to earn a little cash to be able to add to her Monster High dolls collection. I've made an arrangement with my son that he must pay half of the total cost of the four wheeler and I'll pay the remainder. I am trying to teach my kids -- ages 8 and 12--- about loans and how to pay one back in a timely manner. I've explained to them that if you take a loan out at the bank or use a credit card, an interest rate and fees are likely …

It's not easy being a teen.  And it's not easy being the parent of a teen.  My son is in the "tween" stage, and as I prepare for his teenage years, I look to families I know for advice.  What advice do you have to offer? Example One: This teen has a job at the pool as a lifeguard. She attended CPR classes and achieved all appropriate certifications in order to acquire her first summer job. At work, other lifeguards are changing her shifts and cutting her hours and causing her mom to make multiple trips to the pool in order to make sure that her child gets to work when she is supposed to. …

It is the dead of summer and lazy kids everywhere are whining, "I'm bored". You did it as a kid. I did it as a kid. Now my kids are whining the age-old phrase to me.  Unscheduled time is wonderful if you are an adult. It's not so good if you are a kid. Children think they want it when school is in session and then, all of the sudden, 10 weeks of summer vacation hits and they don't know what to do. Can you imagine how thrilled you would be if someone told you to go take a nap? The thought of rolling over for an extra hour of sleep is tempting to me. I would love for my schedule during the …

Summer is in full swing and so are the activities that come along with all that "free time." My kids both participate in swim teams which keeps their bodies active, but they crave time at home just to be lazy as well. But are they old enough to spend time home alone? I am in one of those "in between places" since my kids are 8 and 12. Of course I would never leave my 8-year-old at home alone. According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, children under 12 should never be left alone.  However, restrictions and recommendations for latchkey children --kids who stay home alone for a significant …

In my house, we have a divorce. My kids see their dad on Wednesday night and Saturday night. The way the arrangement is set up causes stress when it comes to any vacation time or special weekend opportunities because my kids have to choose to keep the peace and not ask to go or ask to go and risk upsetting a parent. I hear from my friends that are married that this is an issue in their home, but for different reasons. Some have a parent that works odd hours who wants to see the kids and family when time is available. Some families are made up of grandparents who are primary care givers during…

Every parent asks of their children, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" In school, the kids make posters of themselves as firemen and veterinarians and astronauts. Kids play dress up and act out their dreams. I have always talked to my kids about college as an absolute. First you go to grade school. Then you go to middle school and before long, it's on to high school. For our family, it is not if you choose to go to college, but when you go to college. I understand that not every child is cut out for college, but I intend for my two to go. I may be naive in thinking that I can raise …

My children recently attended a baptism and had lots of questions centered around religion. When my children were babies, in fact before my daughter was born, their dad and I visited a variety of churches trying to decide what "church home" was right for us. I was baptized Catholic as a baby and then "recommitted" as a teen when my parents decided to attend the Methodist Church. In college, I was a "free spirit" and thus it took until my mid-twenties for me to find organized religion again. Harrison and Hayden's father was raised Baptist. During the time of our church search, we were looking …

Last Thursday night, storms surged through downtown Watkinsville. My children and I live just a few blocks from downtown and usually suffer from downed power lines when storms hit. This past week was no different. The children were excited to have a long Memorial Day holiday and me home to "play" with them for four solid days. My daughter had a friend spending the night and my son was enjoying an evening of peace when we lost power. I keep one old fashioned phone that plugs into the wall for just such occassions. The mother of our spend the night guest called frantically to report that …

Headline news...are your kids up to date on recent headlines? How does what is going on in the world impact them? What are they saying to you about tornadoes in the South?  The death of Osama bin Laden? The royal wedding?