parenting

August 14, 2012
In This House: We Say Good Things

We promised to only say good things. There in the half-lit restaurant. Leaning back against wooden seats in a booth. We were college students, not at all frightened of forever. A diamond glistened on my left hand. On yellow lined notepads, we scribbled out what mattered. It's been one of the hinges of our relationship […]

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January 24, 2012
the reason I don't recommend parenting books

People often ask about my favorite parenting books. It's a fair question, particularly because I am a prolific reader. If you were to peek into my childhood, you would see a girl with a worn-out library card, binders of favorite poems, and a certificate for winning 3rd place in the spelling bee. Even now, I […]

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December 11, 2010
What Discipline Looks Like (in a non-spanking family)

Tim and I rarely use the word "discipline" when we talk about parenting. Don't get us wrong, we're not the kind of parents who just let our kids run amuck, but... We don't desire "quaking instant obedience or marionettes of fear." We want our children to be kind-hearted question-askers who love God and love others. […]

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April 8, 2010
Yes, My Kids Are My Friends

"You are his parent; not his friend." "Kids need their parents to be parents...not friends." "She clearly needs a parent...not a mom/dad who tries to be her friend." I hear those statements pretty regularly in our society and, quite frankly, they bewilder me. My kids are definitely my friends. We spend time together. We make […]

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March 11, 2010
Inconvenient...or Incredible?

Most of the time, it's pretty inconvenient to be a parent. You want to sleep in. But your kids wake up at an unforgiving hour. You need to make dinner. But your baby wants to be held and swayed and jostled just-so. You'd love to sit in Starbucks for an hour with a book in […]

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September 1, 2009
7 Reasons We Don't Spank

These controversial posts always make me nervous. Mostly because it's hard to have these kind of conversations when you're not sitting with the other person, relaxed on the couch or on a big comfy chair at Starbucks. There are bound to be disagreements. Some people might take what I have to say personally, emotionally. Yet […]

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