The Pursuit of Normal - Raising Two Kids While Still Growing Up Myself

Many literary experts agree there are approximately seven plot lines in existence. Every story, no matter the setting, characters, climax, or resolution, is simply a variation of one of these seven main plots.
One could argue this is true in parenting as well. The lessons which teach our children are all variations of a handful of basic lessons:...

My reaction to kid/parenting videos like these evolves in 3 phases.
Phase 1: The Ugly Cry. (Tears streaming and snot dribbling included.)
Phase 2: The irrational fear that I am a terrible parent who will never raise kids like that.

We sat around my parents’ table. To my right, my 18-year-old niece preparing to go to college. To my left, my 97-year-old grandmother. Thousands of experiences between them – lessons learned, dreams fulfilled, storms weathered. And still more to come...

This summer, I was married 16 years. Forty percent of my life has been spent committed to a man I met when I was a 22-year-old graduate student, living on my own for the very first time, on the cusp of beginning my first “real job.”
On the eve of my 16th wedding anniversary, I was tempted to share stories of the lessons I’ve had in patience and compromise. I could fill pages with examples of slowly (and at times, painfully) learning the art of listening rather than just hearing...