Most visitors to Año Nuevo State Park this time of year are looking for elephant seals. Our family went in search of a snake. The San Francisco Garter Snake, to be exact, an endangered species that makes its home in that area. C20 has been desperate to find one. We decided to make this President's … Continue reading Found It!
Tag: parenting boys
Adventures in Parenting: Snake on the Loose
Spoiler alert for the squeamish: all snakes are back in secure cages. Yes, you read that right. All snakes, because we (intentionally) have several. Five, to be exact. C20 thought he wanted to be a herpetologist (reptile expert), but turns out, that college major involves way more math than he wants to do. Meanwhile, it’s … Continue reading Adventures in Parenting: Snake on the Loose
Found!
If you attended our church this morning, you heard Guy preach this story. If you know me well, you may have heard me tell this story. Having studied Luke 15 earlier this week, this story has lingered on my heart. It has become a touchstone of faith for our family, a reminder of God's love and … Continue reading Found!
An Uncommon Commitment
The month, and again the week, before he began 6th grade and a new school (Aug 2015), I asked Tween when we could get his hair cut. The first time, he shrugged, very pre-teen of him. The second time he responded, "I'm not. I already put it out on Instagram that I'm growing my hair … Continue reading An Uncommon Commitment
Learning to Let Him Go
Today Teen drove away with friends to cheer on their high school football team in the state championship (Go, Campo Cougars!). Four hours away, in a city they’ve never visited. They’ll stay together in a hotel, arranged by another parent. They’ll return home tomorrow. It makes me a little nervous, honestly. There will be plenty … Continue reading Learning to Let Him Go
Find His Motivation
Some may call it bribery. I call it motivation. Initially, the goal (mine, at least) was to get Teen's college application essays written before the school year started. Despite the 2-session college essay workshop he attended, that didn't happen. The college counselor came to our home to talk through the process, yet Teen has felt so … Continue reading Find His Motivation
Thankful Thursday – Kickin’ the Door Shut & a Happy Dance!
By 12:20pm tomorrow, both our boys will be done with this school year. Hallelujah! This has been a particularly rough year for a variety of reasons. Junior year for Teen, filled to the brim with cultural stress even when our immediate little family wasn't topped to our own stress limit. Unfortunately for all of us, his school … Continue reading Thankful Thursday – Kickin’ the Door Shut & a Happy Dance!
Garage
“Mom, I’m okay, I wasn’t involved, but the police want you to come pick me up.” My heart races at this rush of words through the telephone. Teen and two other boys had permission to spend a summer night at another friend’s house. He has a game room and they wanted to play late into the night. Teen … Continue reading Garage
Rituals: Cation House
Writ large on the walls of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Pablo Neruda’s words strike a chord in my soul: “I spin on the circle of wave upon wave of the sea.” My life has felt like constant spinning, waves of joy and laughter, wash of chaos and drama, waves of peaceful beauty. My parents’ lives … Continue reading Rituals: Cation House
Talking with Boys in Cars
Long before Guy and I had kids of our own, let alone teenagers, we ran a youth group filled with young people we loved. One of the things we quickly learned: girls like to talk face-to-face while boys talk more openly when engaged in activity. Of course that's a generality, but we've seen it play out so many times … Continue reading Talking with Boys in Cars