Dear Teacher, I See You
I see you struggling to make ends meet. You look at how much is coming in and how much is going out, and you don’t know how you’re going to do…
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School
Dear God, Please Fill the Holes
When I drop my kids off at school and they all pile out with bags and water bottles and lunch boxes as the line lady urges us forward (“Pull…
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Dear Girl, Your Best Friend is Out There
This school year, I hope you finally find a best friend. I know you struggle with making connections. Your fierce independence doesn’t exactly…
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This North Dakota Homecoming Queen is Capturing Hearts Everywhere
When Paula and Kevin Burckard’s third child was born, she arrived with a little something extra the North Dakota couple never saw coming. …
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Your Kids Will Turn Out Just Fine Even if They Don’t Do All the Things
My teenage daughters teach a preschool dance class, and one night not too long ago, they had a very unhappy client. The poor thing was crying…
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Our Daughter Hated School; We Finally Discovered Why (and How to Help)
I wish we had clued in to our daughter’s generalized anxiety disorder a lot earlier then we did. It’s not for a lack of information available,…
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What Happens When we Stop Pushing Our Kids so Hard?
I kick them from the house, drag my tweens to this leafy patch of monkey bars, repurposed tires, and shade. It is summer, and the whole neighborhood…
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The Excitement of the First Day of School is Over…Now What?
I still remember the excitement of the first day of school, and I’m old. The smell of newly-sharpened pencils and the tower of new books stacked on…
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Want Your Kid to Succeed? Don’t be a Lawnmower Parent
At a recent back to school night for my middle school daughter, one of her teachers explained that it is time for our kids to take responsibility for…
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Dear Son, Be Kind To Everyone—and Other Must-Dos For Elementary School
School is so exciting to you right now, little one. You are unsure about what is to come but the unknown allows you to imagine a world that is fun…
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