“I’m not a stranger,” said the approaching stranger, as I encouraged my dog to keep all four paws on the sidewalk. Leo and I had been on the home stretch of our morning constitutional when I spotted the man across the street. He had the wide-open face of one whose mind is still that of a child. “Is he a nice doggie?” he had called … Continue reading Strangers
Parents with a difficult child should work toward “appropriate and successful behavior patterns 80 percent of the time … ,” writes Ronald Federici in Help for the Hopeless Child. “Sometimes families expect perfection, which is a totally unrealistic expectation.” I had just stumbled onto this blurb on Amazon, but it stopped me cold. I wondered, had I been putting unrealistic expectations on our son? I have always had … Continue reading Rethinking perfect
1. Some dogs don’t mix well with stuffed animals. 2. Simply hoping can make gardening dreams come true. 3. I hold onto strange items. For years. What are you holding onto? Feel free to confess it — leave a reply — below. Continue reading Three minor epiphanies of the week
