Tag Archives: Differences

New to Marriage Blog but Not to Marriage

I’m popping in to say, ‘Hi’ and feeling excited to be joining Courtney on the marriage blog. My husband and I have been married for over 40 years, so hopefully I’ve learned something about marriage in that time to share with you all. Since May 2007 I have been writing in the Christian area and popping in for the occasional guest movie review. A number of my blogs in Christian have covered marriage. You can check some of them out below. Much of my life involves writing. I’m fortunate to have a husband who fully supports me. He thinks I … Continue reading →

What Do You Read For?

My mom has been staying with me for the last month recovering from a fall, and with little else to do, has been gobbling up my bookshelves almost faster than I can replenish them. I’m passing along all the books I think she ought to like, but I’m finding something odd. There are some books she just doesn’t like, books I loved. Why is that? After thinking it over for a little while, I came to a very important conclusion. Readers all read for different reasons. Some read to be entertained. Others, to be educated, or uplifted, or distracted, or … Continue reading →

Marriage Breakers – Part 2

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Friday we talked about marriage breakers, things you need to talk to your potential spouse about before you say yes or before you ask the question. We covered areas like kids, finances and housework. Today we’re going to look at a few more items that can make or break a marriage. The In-Laws I am very fortunate in that I like my in-laws, all of them. My mother-in-law is not a monster-in-law and we’re actually really good friends. My sister-in-law is more like a sister than anything else and we’ve had our ups and downs, but it’s never been a … Continue reading →

Characteristics and Personality Traits in Children.

How much is genetic? How much the way God made them? And how much influence does a parent have on a child’s personality and character traits? These questions have always fascinated me. I started thinking about them again today after reading Lyn’s blog about, what the way a child colors says about them and their schoolwork. When our son was young we had his room filled with myriad soft toys in bright colors and orange pictures or bright cartoon characters on the lemon walls. I was determined not to go for the traditional blue. A colored mobile hung above the … Continue reading →

Dealing with Different Standards

Standards and expectations can play a big part in our customer relations. Even if we think we have high standards, we may very well be facing a different set of standards as we work with different clients and customers. Finding a common ground and having the tact not to offend anyone is one of the customer service and relationship issues that come with the small business territory. I find that it does not matter how high I think my work standards are, there are always going to be those who have higher ones. AND, there are going to be those … Continue reading →

When They Behave Differently at Day Care or School

We want our children to learn that different behaviors are appropriate at different times and places, but they often discover this on their own too. Parents often are surprised to discover that a child who is well-behaved at home acts out while at day care or school or vice versa—a child may be “better-behaved” when he or she is not at home. Other things can differ as well like eating habits, toileting, and sleep habits. Is there anything we can do about this as parents or are we doomed to accepting the differences? Early on, you may notice that a … Continue reading →

Is Parenting Experience Different for Older or Younger Parents?

I started out on this motherhood path rather young—23, when my first daughter was born. I didn’t feel particularly young at the time and definitely did not feel “too young” to be a mom. I thought that I would become a mom again as an older parent, but that hasn’t happened yet so now, in my forties, I am a typical mom of teens. I have friends, however, who have both been “young” parents like me and waited until recently to embark on the path of parenthood. What I am unclear about is whether the parenting experience is really all … Continue reading →

Dating when You Both Have Kids—Part Five—Dealing with Differences and Inequities

I wrote in part two of this series on two single parents dating about how there can be major differences in parenting in philosophies. These are not the only differences that can cause issues when you are dating another single parent—the way that your children view each other and the differences in the lifestyle, rules, expectations, and discipline between the two families can be a big deal. Comparisons are inevitable and both you and your children might find yourselves noticing and focusing on how things are quite different for children in one family than they are for those in the … Continue reading →

We Just Won’t Always See Things the Same Way

Most of us expect that we will see things differently from our spouses or close friends and family, but for some reason, we assume that our children will have perspectives much closer to ours. Perhaps it is that we think we will be able to shape them from the early formative years, or perhaps it is because there are times when it really does seem like we are so similar and symbiotic. But the truth is—we are different people and we really will not always see things in the same way or the have the same approaches to things. It … Continue reading →

Sometimes, I Really Don’t Get It

I try to be hip, I really do try to understand where my teenagers are coming from and maintain a sense of humor, a sense of balance, and some sort of detached curiosity–but the truth is, there are those times when no matter how hard I try to be hip and understanding, I really don’t get it… Sometimes, I admit I am absolutely horrified and petrified at the things my teens say and do–no matter how relaxed and savvy I try to be, there are jokes I don’t get, actions that seem so strange and foreign to me and I … Continue reading →