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 […]
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’s Your Inner Voice Teaching Your Kid?
The way kids talk to themselves has MASSIVE ramifications for the kind of adults they become. How do parents set up their kid’s internal dialogue for success? Here’s the tricky part: a big part of what shapes their inner voice comes from you. For many of us, we might not be as intentional with our own thoughts as […]
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 […]
Is it okay for you to be imperfect?
Sometimes s**t happens. Yes, you got me, Palmer today! I wanted to share some thoughts I have about the various expectations we have – as parents, friends, spouses, neighbors, strangers, siblings, and ourselves. Last week it was my week to write our Sunday email but somehow Saturday night came after a very busy week, I was at […]
What Makes Our Kids Choose to Stay Close?
What makes any of us parents that our kids want to be with when they are grown and have a choice about how often they see us?
A teenagers darkest moments
Palmer today! This email talks about suicide, so I wanted to give you a heads-up in case it is triggering for you Sometimes I forget. I forget the feeling of pressing a gun barrel to my temple. I forget how hopeless and scared I was. I forget the days, weeks, months, and even years when […]
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 […]
No one wants to fail…right?
You got me, Palmer, today! Nobody wants their life to turn out badly. As far as I know, most of us hope that our life turns out to be one of significance and that is aligned with the dreams we have for ourselves. A lot of times I will hope something happens in my life […]
Family Vision Workshop 9/3: Our “Why”
You got me for this lovely Sunday! Palmer here 🙂 This might be the most powerful tool humanity has at its disposal. If used properly it can do everything from bring together strangers to uniting nations… but don’t quote me on that! 😅 What I love most about this tool is that it can create […]