Susan Merrill's Blog, page 12

7 Things Wives Should Tell Their Husbands

Words of encouragement is my love language, but not Mark’s. I absolutely love it when Mark compliments me. In fact, I NEED him to compliment me! Sometimes I forget, though, that he also needs affirmation from me even if it’s not his love language. We all need some level of affirmation. Husbands and wives both need verbal love from their spouse, and I’m working on doing a better job of letting Mark know how much I respect and appreciate him.

As terrible as it sounds, I had to give it some thou...

How to Break Your Child’s Sense of Entitlement

A familiar trope in movies and TV shows for kids, tweens, and teens is kids complaining that they didn’t get something they think they deserve. They complain about a teacher giving them a poor grade. They whine to their friends about their parents giving them an early curfew or not letting them go to a party. They call coaches dumb when they don’t make the team. They expect other people to bend over backwards doing things for them, with younger siblings and “dorky” friends frequently falling...

Love Your Child Enough to Let Them Hurt

When you love your child, nothing hurts more than seeing your child in pain. As a mom, I can hardly bear to see my kids in any kind of distress, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual. From skinned knees to serious medical issues, squabbles with friends to messy breakups, parents have to help their kids through plenty of painful times on the journey to adulthood…and beyond.

Naturally, parents want to help remove pain from their child’s life. But is that always the best thing? Perhaps...

3 Ways to Practice Patience in Your Marriage

I’m sure Mark and I aren’t the only couple that sometimes struggles with impatience. At least, I hope not! Mark readily admits that patience is not one of his strengths, and I certainly have my own struggles with frustration, usually when I’m busy and over-tired (like, I admit, today). When things don’t go according to plan, your spouse doesn’t act in the way you expect, and the kids are being crazy, falling into impatience is a common response. But just because impatience is common doesn’t m...

Fight the Good Fight

Fighting for your child is something that you inherently do as a mom. Right? We fight for them to have equal opportunity, education, health, a chance to make something of themselves and we even fight for their self-esteem because we believe in who they are and what they are capable of.

My sister realized that something was up with her son in second grade, he was so smart but it was not reflected in his grades. He was falling behind. So she approached his teacher to see if she noticed the same...

What Every Husband and Wife Must Agree On

Have you ever seen those cheesy “House Divided” bumper stickers that poke fun at a husband and wife pulling for different sports teams? I have always thought they are kind of silly, and maybe a little cute. Mark and I would never need one of those, though, because we absolutely agree on our favorite teams. Especially since we went to the same place for college! But like every other couple, we don’t agree about everything. There are preferences we have that are not identical, and that’s okay....

Are Parents the Root of Bullies?

Is your child thought of as a bully or a ‘mean girl’ at school? Back in January, I had the pleasure of debating whether or not parents might actually be the cause of their children’s bully-like attitudeon Fox & Friends.

A new study suggests that the origin of bullies behaviormay be the parents exertion ofcontrol. Our kidsare a reflection of us, so their attitude and actions start with us. The important thing is, however, that we as parents take responsibility of their children and train the b...

How to Invest in Your Adult Child’s Friendships

It’s easy to invest in our relationships with our children when they’re young. They rely on us for everything! In a way, I miss that season of life. I’m proud of my kids as they grow into incredible, responsible adults, but investing in my relationship with them as they get older has become more complicated. It’s not as simple or accessible anymore. SO I’m having to figure out what it means to parent an adult child.

Mark and I have realized something unique about this phase of life: our child...

How to Water Our Late Bloomers

My two oldest daughters couldn’t have been more different growing up.

Megan was a reserved rule-follower who went through elementary school without ever being in trouble. Emily, on the other hand, was a determined girl with a mind of her own…a mind that just happened to get her sent to the corner twice in her first week of school! The first time she was in trouble, Emily explained that she heard The Little Mermaidplaying in her head and had no choice but to sing it out. The second time, she t...

8 Challenges Every Marriage Will Face

I have seen many newlyweds start their lives together under the blissful delusion that they will never face any problems in their marriage. Unfortunately, that is never the case, and not having a realistic view can lead married couples to feel disillusioned and disappointed. Marriage is one of the most wonderful and fulfilling things in the world, but it’s SO important to discuss the realities of married life and understand that all marriages go through seasons, some of them good and others n...