5 Ways To Connect With Your Kids Right Now
2020 was tough, but we got through it together and found strength we didn’t know we had. For everything that challenged us and threatened to divide us, there were common threads that bound us all together, too—and we clung to those.
Here are the most-read stories from Her View From Home and the news that changed us.
Dear Child, We loved you before we even met you. And once we laid eyes on your chubby cheeks and tiny nose, our hearts pulsed with that love. You have brought us so much joy, even through these rough years, and we know you will continue to do so. We will support you in whatever you do and whoever you are and no matter what you identify as. We’ve always believed in letting you follow your own path. But to be honest, we thought it would be about who your friends are, to participate in sports or dance, career choices,...
I was a tough kid, matured pretty early. I figured out the truth about Santa on my own at an early age and took it in stride. I didn’t shed a tear when my parents divorced because I knew it was the right decision for them. I made good grades, kept a level head, was realistic in my goals, and kept looking forward. Over and over, I kept hearing others marvel at how I was able to be so “normal” and “strong” in the midst of my chaotic childhood, how I could have healthy relationships when I lived amongst such...
Editor’s note: This post discusses anorexia/eating disorders I happened to overhear my daughter’s online meet for health class. The topic caused me to freeze in place. I felt a dry knot in my throat. I struggled with the idea that she was already at the age to be dealing with these issues, but even more so that it was a subject of personal pain: Anorexia. This will be the hardest post I will write, but it’s one of the biggest reasons I started blogging. I am a shy, reserved, and private person, but I’m trying to get over that. I...
We all want people in our lives who just get it. The ones who get our weirdness, hobbies, and quirks. Our challenges and joys. They get us. They’re our people. When you become a parent, the people who get it are usually other parents. I didn’t know this as a new parent, but I quickly realized it when my husband and I were at our friends’ one-bedroom apartment for dinner. I ended up awkwardly sitting on the floor in the hallway (the only private space I could find) trying to breastfeed my 6-week-old daughter. That’s when it hit me: My...
I get my love of storytelling from my dad. He has an unreal understanding and recollection of history combined with the heart and faith and training of an Episcopal priest. All skills and soul combined, he’s always been able to capture your interest and tug at your core with his weaving of words and tales. Last week was Saint Patrick’s Day. And so I called my dad and asked him to share stories of our family’s Irish heritage. We Facetimed him into our family dinner, and he went into storyteller mode. RELATED: I’d Give Anything For One More Day With...
“Wow! Your family is so beautiful!” “Your girls are absolutely gorgeous!” “The happiest family I’ve ever met!” These are the typical comments we get any time we share family photos. But do they really see the family underneath the filter and well-captured smiles? Do they see the story? I’m Diana, and I’m a professional family photographer turned “mom-tog.” RELATED: Don’t Be Fooled by My Photos: Our Family isn’t Perfect We spend an endless amount of time shopping for color-coordinated outfits for a family of five, choosing the perfect setting, following the weather report to plan for the best golden hour,...
“I’m a bad friend.” We tell this to ourselves when we forget to text back, we miss a phone call, we say no to a visit all while being completely submerged in motherhood. Sisters, you are not a bad friend . . . you are a busy friend. RELATED: Motherhood Changes Everything—Including Friendship You are covered in spit-up, nursing, cleaning, comforting, loving, rocking, burping, feeding, and bathing. You change so many diapers. By 7 p.m., you are ready for bed, utterly and completely exhausted. Mama, you are not a bad friend . . . you are a busy friend. You...
“I’m so sorry to cancel our dinner together this weekend, but my husband is sick and my baby is teething and acting sick too now. But maybe we can catch dinner a different day before you guys leave town.” I sent the text with a sigh—I had really been looking forward to that get-together—then jumped back into caregiver mode. Teething tablets for the baby, lunch for the sick hubby, another load of baby laundry. When I looked back at my phone again, her response brought tears to my eyes. It read something like this, “What can I do to help?...
Saturday morning. Another long week working from home, which others say is a blessing, but I don’t feel that. Another long, what seems like an endless night with a teething toddler, who just got over an ear infection, and a freshly turned 5-year-old who still refuses to sleep in his own bed, and a husband who snores. One day blurs into the next during this phase of life. It will pass, things will change, cherish these moments. I am not ungrateful. I am not selfish. I am not unaware of the blessings I have in this life. What I am...
Sports parents, I’m begging you . . . please let your kid fail. Another weekend has come and gone. Another weekend next to parents consistently yelling at the referees and umpires while regaling anyone within earshot of the ways they would coach differently (i.e., better). These are the parents who just can’t bear to see their kids fail. Their kid isn’t getting the foul calls, the umpire’s strike zone was too small, or the coach is simply terrible. After the team meetings, kids walk to parents as the parents loudly exclaim, “Not your fault,” or “The ref lost that game...
By Her View From Home 
by BA Eubank 
by Jennifer Vail 
by Rhonda Ellis 
by Abigail Granner 
by Emily Roussell 
by Diana Reeves 
by Tiffany Yoder 
by Jessica Swanda 
by Laura Domer-Shank 