A BIT ASKEW

I received news this morning that filled me with anxiety. Coincidentally, my children are hosting a film day / play day with their...

I have been pondering a question floating in the ether of social media: If I could speak three words to my 18-year-old self, what would...

Today, my boys performed a puppet show in a school for the first time. It was a little more stressful and required a lot more...

Family is a tricky business. Holidays, weddings, graduations, reunions, they are all the carnivals of life. They are the joy-filled,...

Although feeling lost and overwhelmed is normal and natural in my vocation as spouse and parent, I find that I rebel against it at every...

I have found that the Act of Contrition is about as easy to gloss over as the Our Father. In the Act of Contrition we have, "I firmly...

I have noticed that cowards and bullies are basically the same people. There is a kernel of unhappiness in their life that fuels unkind...

I have found that having active kids sometimes means cracks in the plaster and holes in the drywall. There are those who take the time...

My boys had an assignment: spend three hours with someone, the other person's choice of activities, nothing immoral or illegal, just no...

In my years of tripping over toys and miscellaneous debris, I have learned to look at the floor as I go through my bedtime routine. As...

I have noticed that in life there are sprinters and there are marathon runners. For one the goal is speed. The first one there gets the...

I have noticed that I have attended many funerals of people I have not known well. I have gone to support other family members and...

I find that there are two kinds of family: the one a person is born into and the one a person adopts along the way. When I was young, I...

In the time of Jesus, sitting shiva was a custom in which the people would come together to grieve. They came together to heal and to...

The Tefft kids waging Lego war on Christmas morning. During the first week of January, my son Billy said, "New year, new me." This has...

I have been reflecting on the idea of motherhood as of late. What is a "mother"? It is the woman who gives life to the child. Giving life...

I have a tendency to act out of fear. If I present a side of myself that is competent, I will be liked. If I dress in a way that...

As I watch my kids grow, I remember when I was their age and how I handled the situations they are currently facing. Badly. I handled...

When I am at my best, I am generally patient and kind and most of the things St. Paul told the Corinthians love meant. The trouble is...

Lately, I have been wanting a lot of things. I wanted my kids to clean their room. They were not as interested in cleaning their room as...