October 2021

Boundaries; what's this buzz word all about?

What do you think of when you imagine a boundary? A gentle stream meandering through two fields; a fortress wall guarded by armed soldiers? A boundary at its most basic can be described as a dividing line. When we consider boundaries in relationships it can feel more unclear. When I experience feelings of discomfort, resentment, or guilt, they provide a clue that a boundary has been crossed, even if I didn’t realize it was there.

 

Parenting - Back to Basics

What do you do in life when you’ve tried all “the things” – the strategies, the suggestions, the desperate measures – but nothing seems to work. I feel like I face this challenge daily in parenting (more often than not), at least with my oldest child. I’ve read all the books, scoured all the journal articles, talked to all the experts (wait, aren’t I an “expert”?), and still I come up short. When all else fails, and I feel close to ready to rip my hair out, here are my fail-safe, back-to-basics approaches: