A few nights ago, a neighbor boy gave a box turtle to one of my sons. I suppose his mom said he couldn’t keep him and he figured my son would have more luck at our house, The House of Many Pets. However, contrary to popular opinion, I DO NOT keep every stray animal that […]
Just Say No to Snapping Turtles Read More »
My son raised his hand. “I think our mascot should be the narwhal.” “The narwhal? Now that’s an interesting idea,” Kari Miller, the new principal of a future local middle school, smiled. I try to picture a logo sporting a whale with a 9-foot overgrown canine tooth and realize there’s a risk to being an inclusive leader-
Inclusive Leadership & the Narwhal Read More »
Have you ever felt like you’ve been abandoned? Sure that no one gave a rip about you Convinced you didn’t belong Unloved On your own…
When You Feel Abandoned Read More »
I am one of the few people in the world who does not like movies. After too many times of feeling trapped in the middle of a packed theater watching something I didn’t want to watch, I finally decided I couldn’t trust that a moviemaker will take me somewhere I want to go. So, I don’t watch
Inside Out- A Movie Review Read More »
Tears streamed down the little ballplayer’s face and his shoulders shook as he sat, dejected in the dugout. He had failed to hit the ball again. His dad/coach marched into the dugout. “There will be no crying on the ball field, do you understand me? No crying! You are not a baby!” The boy buried
10 Things to Say When Someone is Crying Read More »
It’s dangerous to have an open-door policy. Not to mention messy. I spy a pair of dirty, yellow socks under the couch in the living room and pop them into the washing machine with another load of clothes, then set a lonely tennis shoe on the front porch and pick up the granola bar wrappers
Neighborhood Kids & the Danger of an Open-Door Policy Read More »
Last week, I wrote a message to the students I teach in my undergraduate public speaking class: “If your grade is on the edge and you do not turn in a final paper, you may fail this class.” Fear is a powerful motivator, and I know it. Chances are, you know it, too. Whether with
Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad, Boss? 4 Ways to Avoid Using Fear to Persuade Read More »
I hate sharing disappointing news with my kids, especially when they’ve worked hard and have their hearts set on a dream. I suppose that’s why the American Idol folks have fun with singers who did get through to the next round by prefacing the news with something like, “You’ve got a lot of tough competition here, and we
Munchkin: To Be or Not to Be? Read More »
Long ago we were courageous hunters and diligent gatherers. We slept in caves at night and walked the land in the day. And then we had a brilliant idea. What if we created a shelter outside of the cave that wouldn’t limit us to cave-dwelling? So we created make-shift tents out of wooden poles and
The Evolution of Camping Read More »
It’s just a blanket, given to him by a friend. But my 7-year old wants it with him as we drive to the hospital in the early morning hours while it’s still dark outside. It’s soft, made of fleece and soccer balls- the sport my son was playing when he broke his leg last week. It’s a
Not Just a Blanket Read More »