Susan Merrill's Blog, page 25
March 17, 2014
I Should Have Listened
My son was just 4 years old. It was his first year in preschool and the very first week.
I got a phone message from a mom inviting him over to play with her son. “This is wonderful!” I thought. “He is being sought out and may already have a friend at school.” I immediately shared the good news with him and got back an equally immediate, “I don’t want to go.”
Yikes! I thought, “He just does not have the maturity to understand the importance of having good friends at school.” So, I explained to h...
March 14, 2014
Tag Team in Parenting
When we were little, we all enjoyed playing the game of Tag. We’d run barefoot through the grass, laughing and trying to “tag” anyone we could. Tagging them meant passing on responsibilities, taking turns being it. Now that we’re all grown up, we aren’t as likely to be found running around and screaming in our front yard. But who says the game of Tag has to end when we become parents?
Today on my husbands blog I discuss 3 Ways to keep the game of Tag going with Tag Team Parenting.
March 3, 2014
Is Your Teen Ready to Leave Home?
Over the years, we’ve said many things to our kids…
From “Time to wake up, sweetheart” to “Time for bed.” From “You lost your first tooth!” to “You lost your homework, again?” From “Shhh, Mommy’s trying to sleep” to “Shhh, it’s okay, honey.”
The thing we dread saying the most, but the one thing we eventuallyhaveto say to our kids, is goodbye.But before saying goodbye to your teen, be sure they are ready by sharing these 3 simple truths with them:
1. They are special:
Filling your child up with en...
February 25, 2014
An Uncommon Family’s Adoption Story
I have to smile when I hear people talk about blended families. “Every family is blended!” I think to myself. When you take a man and a woman from two different families, and they get married – boom! You have a blended family. My family became even more blended when we adopted two children. And though blending can be beautiful, it can also bring new challenges. In her new book, Uncommon Marriage, my friend Lauren Dungy shares how blending her family through adoption brought challenges, but al...
February 19, 2014
3 Sanity Secrets for Stressed Out Moms
You know that moment when something’s gotta give because of the way you’re so stressed out? It’s that moment when we’re tempted to start pulling out our hair. It’s that moment when we have to stop ourselves from screaming into the nearest pillow. It’s that moment when we let our face fall into our hands as a sort of surrender. Face it ladies: we’ve all been there, and it’s not fun.
So to help strengthen you in these moments of weakness, here are 3 sanity secrets for stressed out moms. It’s as...
February 18, 2014
Stand By Your Man
Tough times can come into any marriage at any time. For my friend Lauren Dungy, one of a tough times for her came when she had to move her family at a moment’s notice because of her husband’s new job. She and Tony had been living in Pittsburgh, just down the road from her family. The move took them and their two young children hundreds of miles away. Here’s how Lauren handled it.
The cold January morning started off like so many others. I bundled up Tiara and Jamie in matching red snowsuits an...
February 17, 2014
Tantrum Tactics
I learned early on in my childhood that tantrums never got me what I wanted.
Growing up, I remember the time my mom took us kids to the grocery store with her to pick a few things up. Halfway down the first aisle, my 4 year old brother began to pitch a fit over wanting a box of cereal that we didn’t need. Well as soon as my mom said no, he started crying and screaming at the top of his little lungs.
To say the least, my 3 other siblings and I were absolutely mortified, and immediately ran off t...
February 14, 2014
February 12, 2014
Valentine’s Family Game Show
When we love someone, we want to learn what makes them happy, so that we can bring more joy into their life. So would you like a fun way to find out what makes your kids happy? Then play iMOM’s Valentine Family Game Show this weekend.My co-worker Andy gathered his family together and had a blast with this sweet (literally) activity.
If you’ve ever heard of that old TV game show,The Newlywed Game, this family game show is a lot like that one!Not only will learn more about your kids, they’ll lea...
February 11, 2014
An Uncommon Love Story
My friend Lauren Dungy has been married to Tony Dungy for more than 30 years. I love the story of how they met, so I’m sharing it with you today. It’s taken from their new book, Uncommon Marriage.
This part of their “how we met” story begins after Lauren finishes a phone call with her church pastor, John, who’d been trying to set her up with Tony..
Turning to face my mom, I said, “You’ll never believe why John’s been trying to reach me. He wants to introduce me to a guy—some football player wi...
