I just received a phone call from my son in his residential treatment center. He is singing a familiar tune that goes “It’s not my fault.”

If you are the parent of a child with attachment issues, you are very familiar with this tune. Everyone is at fault but your child. I have heard this tune in so many forms it doesn’t even phase me anymore. I don’t even argue about it because it is pointless.

Last weekend Sammy received two days of restriction at the treatment center because, “Some of the other residents said I had a bad attitude while I was working.”... more

Yesterday was spent traveling home to Kansas after my endoscopic surgical procedure in Indianapolis. I awoke this morning at 5 AM with a migraine—no surprise there, after general anesthetic, a little extra stress (although I wasn’t really worried about this at all) and a completely out-of-sync sleep schedule. My throat still hurts but it is better. I had dinner with my doctor the day after my surgery (he's a long time friend), and he mentioned he wasn’t sure the big tube... more

A few days ago, the public elementary school that Dora attends hosted its quarterly skating party. Beth loves to attend, for it provides an opportunity for her to see her old classmates. However, as we hopped in the car to pick Dora up at school and head to the skating rink, Beth commented on how “homeschooling is where (she) should be!” She and I both love this new arrangement. It has exceeded our expectations.

But this blog isn’t about homeschooling. It is about a conversation I had with my neighbor whose kids were also at the skating party. This neighbor has a daughter... more

Dora had the best day yesterday that she has had in a long while. As I mentioned previously, she was much more relaxed after purging her feelings while moving manure. We had a good talk during our rocking time that evening, and apparently, she listened. Among other things, I told her there was no way around the pain … only through it. Face it, deal with it, move past it … or live indefinitely with it unsuccessfully buried somewhere within. I also told her for every day she considered her options but did nothing,... more

Notwithstanding the fact that I have been trying really hard to drop a few pounds, I have eaten like a rescued refugee these past few days. Everything we ate for dinner tonight was already blessed once.

I spent all day dragging up Christmas decorations and putting up my Snow Village ceramic houses. I was going to brave Black Friday like Julie did, but when I woke up it just didn’t seem like a good idea. I shopped from my computer instead! Much, much easier.

It... more

So, October has come and gone … It has been two months since Dora’s arrival. I’m tired! Have I mentioned I’m tired? I fixed a cup of coffee before heading out with trick-or-treaters last night, just to insure I didn’t lapse into a coma before the festivities were over …

On Saturday night, Beth and Dora participated in “Trunk or Treat,” compliments of our local community organization. Dora had been so stinky the preceding week that I had decreed she could trick-or-treat one of the two times we were going out … the Trunk-or-Treat event or on Halloween night.... more

A long time ago, I heard a story of an enterprising mom who grew very weary of her son’s constant lying. One day she caught him in yet another lie, and she told him, “I owe you a lie!” Some time passed, and one day he approached her about having a bunch of his friends over on Saturday night. She readily agreed, and he invited his friends and planned his party. A short time before the party was to begin, his mom looked at him and said, “Remember that lie I owed you? I’m paying you back right now. There will be no party.” This young man had to call all his friends... more

Continuing with some of the ideas mentioned in the article The correlation between sense of humor and mental health, the following paragraph really grabbed my attention:

People with great mental health have a high self-esteem, strong sociable encouragement, and are members of warm, compassionate families (Zeman, 2003). Maintaining mental health over time is extremely important; however, risk factors exist for mental illnesses. Preserving mental health can be accomplished by three characteristics.... more

Did you know that a sense of humor is a sign of good mental health? Amy has NO sense of humor. She doesn’t get jokes; she doesn’t make jokes.

An article entitled The correlation between sense of humor and mental health. states that:

Individuals with a greater sense of humor are more motivated, cheerful, trustworthy, and have a higher self-esteem. They are also more likely to develop close, social relationships (Kelly, 2002).

… humor corresponds... more

Answers.com defines stealing as follows: to take (the property of others) without right or permission. It does not define certain circumstances where it is acceptable to steal or not ... it says taking property without right or permission.

In a recent comment, Mater had this to say:

As for stealing, here I disagree with Nancy Spoolstra that stealing is stealing. Without intending in the least to pry, I do believe it matters what children take... more