Asperger Awareness
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Thursday, February 02, 2012
There’a an interesting article in the New York Times today written by a man who was (briefly) diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in his late teens. Benjamin Nugent, author of American Nerd: The Story of My People, writes that when he was 17, he was judged to “fit the bill” of Asperger’s based on the diagnostic criteria.
And then, he grew up and moved to the big city and suddenly all of his issues sort... READ MORE
Keeping Christ in Christian
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Thursday, October 06, 2011
A friend of mine recently shared this perfect cartoon and yes it’s obviously hilarious but it also gave me lots to think about.
It’s very easy, when trying to do the right thing, to get caught up in a black/white way of thinking. It’s easy to point out how others are falling short in being a Christian—and then lose sight of our own failings in the midst of that.
When I think about the times I have... READ MORE
Cry Room Conundrum
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Thursday, August 04, 2011
For the first time in a long while, I am a frequent visitor of the dreaded Cry Room. It’s not my favorite place to hang out, but it’s our best option right now.
We’ve been in a very nice season for a long while. After what felt like eternity with our oldest four we finally had everyone trained with good behavior and had even managed to move to the very front of our church. When Henry came along, he... READ MORE
Okay, Mama!
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Monday, November 01, 2010
The children were supposed to be tidying the block mess they’d made, but Blaise got upset about something and came to sit on my lap.
I told him that he’d better go help his sister, but then his sister’s curly head bounced around the corner.
“That’s okay, Mama,” she chirped. “I can clean up all by myself!”
And as she skipped away to get the job done (when I checked later, the room was spotless) I thought... READ MORE
Hugging My Girl
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Monday, October 11, 2010
I’m not usually a fan of pop psychology, but I learned about the love languages a couple years ago, and the knowledge has really enhanced my marriage.
(My husband and I took the quiz which ranks the five languages in order of their importance to you, and our lists are inverses of each other. You can probably see how knowing that has helped us to bridge some communication gaps.)
But honestly, it only... READ MORE
Pulling Over
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A funeral procession passed my car today and without even thinking, I pulled over to the side of the road. Several other cars, I quickly noticed, were doing the same. Even though we were on a busy road and just in front of a busy intersection, traffic got itself to the side and waited until the entire motorcade had passed.
This is something I have done my entire life—whenever a funeral procession... READ MORE
It Bites
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Thursday, February 18, 2010
Several times a day I hear Camilla shriek suddenly: “Mama! Blaise BIT me!”
I come running to see her looking outraged and her brother looking toothily unconcerned. Even if he hasn’t left bite marks, I know she’s telling the truth, because I myself am often the victim of those eight sharp little chompers. The baby sinks his incisors into the nearest available surface whenever it pleases him. And boy,... READ MORE
Compulsory Devotion?
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Remember a while back when I asked you all about behavioral standards for kids during family prayer time?
I got some great answers, so I want to go back to the topic of kids and prayer.
Should we force our kids to pray?
I have no problem with enforcing good behavior during prayer time: sit still, don’t poke your brother, don’t cause a ruckus, etc. What I’m wondering about is whether, and until what... READ MORE
Prayer-Time Kids
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Camilla is two-and-a-half now, and my husband and I are gradually reassessing our standards for her behavior in all kinds of situations.
Babies get away with a lot of things that older children, which is how it should be. I like babyhood because of its simple baby-has-a-need, parent-responds set-up. Toddlerhood, being the bridge between babyhood and childhood, has proved to be more complex.
(I... READ MORE
A Different Drug
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Thursday, April 30, 2009
A clever newspaper entry that wonders if the old drugs worked best—being “drug” to Sunday school, to church, and to the woodshed for bad behavior!
Thanks to my friend Lyn for passing this along.
