The Next Step
My son was born with an umbilical hernia. It’s a common condition in premature and underweight babies. Umbilical hernias are not usually serious but if the hernia doesn’t heal on its own over time, medical intervention may be required. Three weeks ago I sat in the waiting room of a pediatric surgeon’s office. I had anticipated this day for the past 3 years. I knew it was coming, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. My son’s hernia [...]
I’m a list maker. I always keep a To Do list. I keep one for work tasks and one for personal use. I love to check things off my list once they’re complete. It makes me feel productive and accomplished. For the last 8 weeks “write a First World Problems post” has been on my work list. Each Monday I stare at it and think, What can I write about? What has happened or inspired me in the [...]
Three days before Thanksgiving, I sent a text to my best friend. She has four kids, ages 14 to 2. Besides my own mom, she’s my best parenting resource. Me: I’m thinking this would be a good year to get an Elf on the Shelf! Her: Me: Come on! It can’t be that bad. It seems like so much fun!Her: Nope. Don’t do it. Wait as long as you possibly can. You’ll see. Me: Nonsense! (followed by a [...]
Rambunctious. I’d say that’s a good word to describe my son. The old adage “it takes a village to raise a child” is true in my case. I’m guessing most parents can relate. Earlier this month I participated in a two-day Motivational Interviewing training class taught by KPCC at Christ Church in downtown Charleston. My dad generally watches my son while I’m working, but on this particular day he was unavailable. As such, he enlisted the help of [...]
I’m inspired to write blog posts nearly every day, but I would be remiss if I didn’t write one about Tuesday night’s Dent Dinner. I love events of any kind; I’ve planned hundreds of them…corporate meetings, galas, fundraisers, holiday parties, golf outings, debutante balls, bar mitzvahs, weddings...the list goes on. I enjoy the behind the scenes work and all the little details that go into it. The linens, centerpieces, music, audio visual, programming, entertainment, food – let’s not [...]
Let me preface this post with a disclaimer: If you are squeamish when it comes to bodily functions, read no further. Tuesday, October 4 2:47 a.m. Lying on my bed, facing the door, I awaken to the sound of “pssssst” and see a set of small hazel eyes staring back at me. My affectionate and persuasive toddler asks to get into my bed. He kisses my face and I give in, “OK, but just for a minute…” And [...]
Last week I took to the road. I’d planned a girls’ outing with my bestie and the first step was to pick her up in Beckley. That meant I had over an hour to myself in the car. Considering my treks are generally accompanied by my two-year-old and his chirpy kids’ songs, I was pretty excited to listen the Road Trippin’playlist I’d spent the previous week compiling. Our plans for the jaunt included driving to North Carolina, [...]
My son has a Veggie Tales book that he loves. We read it night and day. A pastor’s wife gave it to him. Why is he so attached to this little book? There is a red button in the upper right corner that plays a song. It’s annoying and catchy and it gets stuck in my head. He plays it so often, I rarely think about the meaning of the words. Because a thankful heart is a [...]
What do you mean there are people all over the world, walking around aimlessly, hunting virtual cartoon pocket monsters? And these weird little creatures are everywhere? In the shampoo aisle at Target? Beside the escalator at the Town Center mall? On the dashboard of my car? Even in my house? Um, more like Pokémon No. For the parents, grandparents, non-fans and others who don’t quite get what all the fuss is about, I did some digging on the [...]
Dear friends, The shock of last week's flooding is starting to settle and some people may be experiencing normal, post-traumatic stress reactions. As we come together to help with cleanup, gather supplies and offer our support to those who have been directly affected, here are some tips on how to be a skillful listener: Give empathy for what we have been through Acknowledge that this has been a difficult event Validate that stress reactions are normal Hold hope that these reactions will probably [...]