I’ve done it countless times. When it comes to talking with my teenage daughters, you can bet money I’ll say the wrong thing, ask the wrong question, and inadvertently cut short the promise of a satisfying conversation. Apparently I’m not the …
Author: LuAnn Kern
Is it Bedtime Yet? How to Survive Your Teen’s Sleep Schedule
I ran into a friend the other day and we got to talking about family. I asked how the school year was going, now that her kids were in middle and high school. After the expected “all’s good” report, my …
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When your Thanksgiving doesn’t look like a Norman Rockwell painting – and that’s OK
In 1943, Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. Out of it came perhaps his most well-known and beloved painting, Freedom from Want. Since then, one could argue and advertisers and social media would agree, it …
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Why Our Adopted Teens Are So Stressed Out, Part 2
In Monday’s post I shared how scientists, led by Dr. Daniel P Keating, have discovered that prolonged periods of stress on a pregnant woman can affect the fetus resulting in babies that are literally born anxious. The gene that regulates …
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Why Our Adopted Teens Are So Stressed Out, Part 1
If you’re looking for it, it’s all over the news. Even if you’re not, you’ve probably seen a headline or two. Here’s the jist: Adopted teens are over-represented in mental health treatment and facilities and adoptive families are struggling to …
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What to Tell Yourself When Your Teens Aren’t Filling Your Bucket
Daughter #1: I had a good dream last night. Dad: Oh? What about? D1: I dreamt I got a puppy. A German Shepherd puppy. And I named it Timbit. Dad: Ah. That sounds like a nice dream. D1: And then …
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What I Learned from an Adoptive Mom 7,500 Miles Away: Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors
My Facebook feed is getting more and more difficult to read. Being in groups with other adoptive parents, I see posts about the challenges they’re having with their children, their extended families, the schools, the doctors, and the “system.” They’re …
When the Fruit Still Grows – Knowing God’s at Work in Your Teen’s Life
When we gave up the fight with the neighborhood rabbits we gave up our dream of home-grown produce for this season. We whispered “uncle” to the weeds and shielded our eyes from that corner of the yard. We sighed when …
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What’s the Cost of Listening to Your Teenager?
Three weeks. Three weeks of averting my eyes as I walked past them every day. Three weeks of watering the pots that sat on the mulch and rocks, just inches away from the bed that would eventually be their home. …
Holding Space for Ourselves: Why Self-Care is Holy, not Selfish, Sinful, or Just for the Wealthy
It’s the second day of the new school year and I unexpectedly find myself with a clear calendar and a whole day to myself. Someone pinch me. Yesterday was hard and crazy busy; tomorrow will be the same. But today, …