Tag Archives: maturity

M and Ms for Marriage

Yes, Mick and I have been at it again – talking about marriage and this blog. I mentioned I was having trouble coming up with some Ms for my Alphabetical blog and he came up with a beauty or three. Read on to find out what they were. Maturity Marriage needs people to be mature. No, I’m not talking about physical age because young marriages can, and do, work. But mature in their attitude towards marriage and toward their spouse. That can mean not still trying to live like you’re still single even after the wedding ceremony. It can mean … Continue reading →

Are You Reacting Like a Grown-Up?

We talk about response and reaction here as parents—particularly how to respond to our children’s most challenging behaviors. Recently, a mom confessed to me that she had to learn how to have strong enough boundaries and respond to her child “like an adult”—to her, this meant not responding in kind to her child’s emotions: yelling back when he yelled, being petty or pouting when he acted that way to her. I think she is right in that it comes down to boundaries. Our relationships with our children can be so close and intense that we can have a hard time … Continue reading →

Just Because I’m a Mother, Doesn’t Mean I Want to Parent Adults Too

Recently, I was talking with another forty-plus single parent and we were talking about dating (of course)–we started commiserating about the fact that we would like to meet and date other “grown-ups”–for some reason, we had both drawn people into our lives that assumed that since we were mothers/parents, we would be willing to take care of everything and everyone in addition to our own children and families. The fact is, at least for me, it was just the opposite. Since I already am a parent, I have pretty high expectations of the other adults I allow into my life; … Continue reading →

They Are Not Miniature Adults

Now that my children are nearly grown, they can sometimes do darn good impersonations of adults—they can be practical, level-headed, and display a great sense of humor. But, they are not adults yet, and I do not think the tendency to expect children to act like miniature adults is isolated on teenagers—it can be tempting for us parents to have the unreasonable expectations of our children at all sorts of ages and stages. Without even realizing it, we may be expecting them to act older than their years. Sure, sometimes they surprise us, sometimes they delight us with visions of … Continue reading →

Do We Expect More Responsibility From Our Kids?

One of the stereotypes of the single parent household is that the children are expected to take on more responsibility and at an earlier age than in the “traditional” two-parent household. While I haven’t conducted an official study, I have looked around at the other single parent families I know and made my own observations about whether this might be true…or not… I think that there is definitely the opportunity for kids to take on more responsibility in a single parent home. In my own home, my kids have more of a say and more influence on how the household … Continue reading →

Will They Ever Be Responsible Enough for My Taste?

I am hyper-responsible. I suppose if there was a recovery or 12-step group for oldest children/single parents who have developed into incredibly responsible adults, I would attend and hope that I could learn how to ease up a little. The truth is, I am the way I am—whether due to temperament or life circumstances–and it definitely influences the way I parent my three children. I cannot help but compare them to me and wonder if they will ever reach the same level of responsibility? Maybe they don’t HAVE to reach the same level but I entertain plenty of stress fussing … Continue reading →

Mature Christians

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You can be a Christian your whole life and still not be mature in your faith. Fact is we will spend our whole lives with the opportunity to grow and still not have achieved the perfection of Christ. Thankfully God isn’t looking for perfect people, just hearts that long to know Him and follow Him. I’ve been a Christian a long time but I would not necessarily consider myself mature in faith. I am impressionable and vulnerable to temptation that can cause me to backslide into old habits. I want to grow and mature but the truth is, I lack … Continue reading →

Am I Bored or Am I Boring?

It’s a different day in a different year and yet when I woke up this morning and tore off the page on the calendar for the last time and put up the new one, I had to be somewhat amused. Last night, my husband and I decided to forgo any of the parties and celebrations. We hung out together and had Arby’s roast beef sandwiches for dinner. It was nice to just hang out and enjoy ourselves having a quiet evening together. Are We Bored? This is a question many married couples may ask of themselves or of each other … Continue reading →

When Should My Child Start Dating?

It seems like each year the dating age gets younger along with younger girls getting pregnant. Although teen pregnancy rate has declined in recent years it is still alarmingly high. But what does teen pregnancy have to do with your child dating? The connection is simple. Teenagers who are not dating are less likely to have sex and therefore end up pregnant. So at what age should your child start dating? The answer is something that parents have to decide for themselves but in this blog I hope to share some ideas to help parents reach a decision. I know … Continue reading →