raising children
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That Moment When…
- September 6, 2018
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: midlife
9 Comments
It doesn’t take much to get to me these days. There are little moments that knock at my heart like tiny little baby fists, not particularly painful but still palpable. I can never be sure when one of these moments will float by like a dust mite or take up residence in my mind, pushing
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Fix Yourself, Not Your Children
- January 2, 2017
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: parenting
Everyone has something. No matter how well-adjusted, mature, guilt-free, positive, kind or happy we are, there is something – or maybe even a few things – that just isn’t that great about each of us. I know, I know. You’ve worked so hard to be comfortable with your shortcomings, your weaknesses, your bad habits. You’ve fought anxiety,
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How Children Learn to Adult
- March 7, 2016
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: parenting
There is nothing about parenting that is easy. From the first cry to the day they leave home, our kids grab us by our fingers, pull at our hair, push us away and yank us back to them, leaving us both thrilled and depleted. We think we know them, because they are ours, but as they grow
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Why My Children Didn’t Work During the School Year
- April 27, 2015
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: parenting
When I was in high school, I worked at Ralph’s grocery store in what was then known as the “appetizing department,” but now is simply the deli. I sliced meat, made sandwiches, refilled tubs of potato salad, cleaned the fry machine – it was hard work. I worked alongside middle-aged men, unambitious young women and other
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The Trouble with Social Media for Parents of College Students
- April 13, 2015
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: parenting
I sat with a friend a few weeks ago as she scrolled through photos on her phone, stopping to show me pictures of her daughter, a freshman in college. This is a strong, intelligent woman with 2 well-adjusted and successful children. “Doesn’t she look good?” she asked me. “Doesn’t she look happy? She looks ok,
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Parenting an Average Student
- September 9, 2014
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: parenting
Note: This post was written with my son’s blessing and encouragement. One of the most challenging aspects of raising my son was accepting the fact that he was an unmotivated student. Though his father and I tried not to let his grades define how we saw him, especially during high school, they did have an
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10 Rules for Living I’ve Taught My Children
- September 2, 2014
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: parenting
I’ve spent 26+ years being a parent, and if there’s anything I know for sure, it’s this: children learn what they live. You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but if you don’t act as you speak, your kids won’t take to heart the things that you say. Among many others, here are 10
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How Dog Walking and Raising Kids are Alike
- July 30, 2014
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: empty nest
My dog Lambeau is thrilled each time I take the leash out of the closet. He jumps up and down, leaping with the joyous anticipation of fresh air, new scents, puddles, grass and the mystery of the unknown. My babies would greet me each morning, standing in their cribs, their happy, toothless grins welcoming me,
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Searching for the New in a Midlife Empty Nest
- July 21, 2014
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: empty nest
2014 was the first year I had no children starting school since 1992. The memory of dropping off my daughter for her first day of pre-school, my 3-month-old baby boy in my arms, is so vivid. Everything in my life was brand new – my children, my home, my marriage, my minivan, my friends. There was
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The Gifts of Adult Children
- July 7, 2014
- Posted by: Sharon Greenthal
- Category: empty nest
There comes a day as a parent when the pendulum swings towards your child becoming a full-grown adult. The world tilts a little and the pendulum stays there, never returning to childhood again. I look at my daughter’s face and see barely a whisper of the little girl who once reached for me with chubby hands and a baby
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