Bright Families

The stories I've shared with my older teens, collected from people in our circle as cautionary tales. I want my kids to have an idea of what's happening if something weird ever does come up. Often people end up in bad situations because they don't recognize them quickly enough, and stories help us recognize things without having experienced them before.

So often I think I need a better system or clearer ideas, and then what turns out to be most helpful is an inspiring word or example from another person living the ideas and systems I'm trying to live.

Ideas for more calories and nutrients for teens, particularly those prone to depression and anxiety, and how to manage blood sugar when it's gotten too low.

Let's go beyond touching safety and train our kids to notice weird behavior long before it gets to touch. There's usually a grooming period in which the perpetrator tries to build complicity and guilt int he child through a series of "odd" interactions and "don't tell your parents" remarks. Examples of spotting this behavior early as a parent and how to approach the topic with young kids.

Cassandra has 11 children in her blended family and speaks about how we can support women in difficult circumstances to parent in peace and faith.

The pitfalls of lab work - poor reference ranges, not knowing your own ideal numbers, etc - and why you should get it anyway.

Tuna dip, hash browns, homemade ranch, and more!

A quick take on strategies that will help. And be patient with yourself! Exercise, protein, music, small routines, slowing down, recognizing the role of feelings in distractibility.

The tricks that help us have a short experience when someone catches a stomach bug.

Rhonda is a home school mom of 3 and Catholic life coach who specializes in helping people overcome addiction to pornography. We talked about her work, the tools people use to overcome this and other habits, and how parents can help their kids resist or recover from using pornography.