Being vs Doing: A Letter to My Younger Self

Kerry here! 😊 Walking through Hobby Lobby with my nine-day old baby in my arms, I was intent on getting supplies to make my dad a really cool sweatshirt for Father’s Day, which was just five weeks after my third son was born. A woman in the store heard my baby’s little newborn sounds and […]

I have been a thousand different women

Kerry here. Happy New Year! So long 2024, hello 2025! love the process of filling out the Year Compass, a free download where you reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year. It’s a cool process and lends itself to great introspection and conversations with loved ones. I’ve shared the link in case […]

A Simple Trick for Staying Calm During Holiday Family Time

Kerry here. 🙂 The holiday season brings extended family time, which can spark both joy and stress. With kids out of school and celebrations ahead, these mixed emotions are perfectly normal. Here’s a strategy for staying calm during challenging family moments: When my son Palmer was 15, his morning grumpiness would often affect our entire […]

When Saying “No” Means Saying “Yes” to What Matters Most

Three weeks ago, Palmer and I traveled to Columbus to present at a conference about teen mental health. After a long day of travel, we were finally in our hotel room. I was ready for a fun dinner out, but he was stressed and needed space. Palmer faced a choice: he could either push through […]

Oh, Honey

Kerry here! The Sunday before Thanksgiving: it is game-on for moms. “Dreaded December” and “May Madness” – two months that I both loved and dreaded when my kids were home. I loved them for the fun and magic I created, but they were also the most stressful. Why? Because we moms bend over backwards to […]

Beyond Comfort Zones: Building Kid Resilience

here sat my stepson during our visit to his university in Oregon, eager to get back on the river. We’d spent the previous day freezing in cold air and colder water, but he was ready for more. Now here my partner and I were, the next morning, warm and cozy in our RV on a […]

What 55 frantic passengers taught me about parenting

Last week, I was on a flight where chaos led to an “I wish I would have known” moment. There was a group of 55 non-English speaking passengers with a tight connection. Just as we were landing, the flight attendant asked everyone who didn’t have a tight connection to stay seated so this group could get […]

Are you bringing out the best in your kid?

“If you were living your best version of yourself, what would that look like? And what kind of support would be helpful?” Every time I ask a parent what they want for their kid, they are very clear about the attributes and values they hope to instill. The list usually starts along the lines of […]

5 Words to Keep Your Teen Talking

Palmer made me cry last Tuesday. Trust me, this kid has made me cry before! When he was a teen, I had a journal entry called “Cry 1000 Tears” where I started keeping track of all the times I cried about the challenges of being a mom in general, and a mom to Palmer in […]