One February day I had lunch at the mall with two friends. As we were settling our tabs, they decided that before we left, we needed to go to Victoria’s Secret to get our husbands a Valentine’s Day gift. They had obviously done this before and seemed to be jointly aware of the plan. My curiosity has always been much greater than my fear of others thinking I am uncool, so my imagination went into action and my mouth…
I have three daughters and all of them have, at times, been disappointed in their appearance. It always makes me sad. Today I read about a new danger on the web—anorexia support websites. These sites are not communities supporting recovery…they are communities of girls encouraging each other in the pursuit of thinness. Their comments made me very sad. They are so unhappy with the way they look. The article stated that the number-one recommended therapy for anorexic girls was family…
One day I was riding in the car with my mother in law. She is lovely! I mean it—she kind of floats along in this happy, Pollyannaish bubble that my more intense, analytical nature can only keep afloat for about three minutes. We picked up the kids from school, and the curve balls started coming towards me at 95 miles per hour from every direction. All I heard was a cacophony of “Mom, can I…” None of the requests were…
When I say, “I would do anything for my kids,” I envision the ultimate sacrifice. I picture an attacker approaching one of my children with a crazed look in his eye. Resolved to defend them, I fearlessly step in between their life and a loaded gun. I save them. I’ll admit—it’s a little dramatic. The real problem is, I often think in terms of physical risk to my children’s safety, and forget it’s their emotional and spiritual wholeness that is…