If you adopt children with severe emotional issues, mental illnesses or mental disabilities, be expected to walk through fire when you attempt to find help for them.

When it is no longer safe for them to remain at home, when a parent MUST seek an out-of-home placement in order to ensure their safety and that of other family members, it has been my experience, on three diagnosed kids over the last decade, that they will then turn on you.

My other choice would have been to possibly allow a murder to take place. And then if it was not me killed, I would have to face questions such as, “Why did you not seek help? Were these verbal and physical threats? Have you had him in counseling?”

This... more

It’s starting to look quite likely that I may only be able to write my minimum number of posts this month. It’s not a time issue for me as I can blog quickly, rather it is a number of challenges in my home right now that I’d prefer to resolve first.

A big one is criticism and outright condemnation. I’ve finally gotten to my computer after a few days away from it and have caught up on Nancy Spoolstra's recent posts about facing unwarranted blame.

I’m... more

I was going to write about positive expectancy but I got waylaid by negativism this morning before church. I should be sitting in my Ladies Sunday School Class, absorbing the teachings of Miss Martha, always an uplifting and interesting experience.

Instead I dropped off all the other children and came back home to deal with a 12 year old rager who last split his bedroom door in half and who has punched holes in my walls. He’s again angry because I wouldn’t let him attack a ten year old who accidentally got a drop of water on him yesterday when they were... more

Adult men who grew up in single-parent households are twice as likely as other men to have been sexually abused during childhood, a U.S. study found.

I’m a single parent.

I’m very aware, and outspoken, over the “Mom’s Live-In Boyfriend” problem. Usually in every crime against children, there's a “Mom’s Live-In Boyfriend” suspect; often unemployed, living in her apartment, and serving as a free babysitter. Way too often he has... more

Several days ago I was asked about my other children, what were they doing while one child violently raged. How did they handle it emotionally? How to I protect the good kids?

My oldest daughter, my only birth child Sarah, pictured her with her son, started to respond in the comment section, but held back, feeling she might be perceived as flippant or insensitive, so she’d called me up with her opinion.

Basically she had wanted to respond simply, “we deal with it. It’s part of the adoption of older children, but it doesn’t mean we have... more

Once again with the national abduction of the two Missouri boys and the perfect information that led police to find both boys given to them by a local school master and a friend, we might want to update our family safety rules again.

Safety rules are for any place and every place our children go. As parents we might take it for granted that they must know this. But in reality we need to tell them and then tell them again and again until they understand us.

Who would think a 41 year old Pizzaria Manager would be the type of person who would abduct teenage... more

The snow if falling all over the place and our kids are ready to head out into that gorgeous white stuff to make their first snowman.

So it is now time to think about family safety during winter sporting and activities.

Here are a few good and helpful hints:

1.) Dress for the degree of and weather outside. 2.) Take a back pack with extra dry socks and gloves. 3.) Make sure skates fit appropriately. Make sure the laces are tight and secure the ankle. 4.) Check out the blades on the... more

In this cold winter weather. Our bodies need a little more nutrition and calories to keep us warm.

Especially busy children who are out to play in the snow and are burning up calories right and left. It is best to make sure they stop long enough to have a good breakfast to start the day.

Warm oatmeal or some bacon and eggs may be just right for the menu. Orange juice and milk are better choices for a good morning drink. But a nice warm cup of hot chocolate laced with milk instead of water will work too.

Angela's blood sugar levels can fall... more

Most of us can think of someone we know who seems to "Yell" better than they can speak English.

We often do not think when we are raising our voices what effect our voice and words are having on the little ones around us.

If you yell a lot as a parent. You might find that your child does not respond to you very well. They have two choice to get used to you sounding loud or to become scared of you and react to your anger.

I always tell my children if they are raising their voice at someone. They should remember to lay their baby down and not... more

When I need to smile my husband is always good for a cute joke. However because of his job as a Gas Station Manager he often has incidents that are as humorous as a good joke.

I thought I would share one with you:

It was around six in the morning and the usual "Get to Work Fast" rush was on at the gas station. Several cars filled up their tanks and left. This one car kept sitting there. The lady got out of her car and walked to the back of the pump area.

Where someone had obviously left a cooler sitting there. She came into the... more