Tantrums and Triggers
All the parenting books in all the world can’t prepare you for the emotions that rise up when your child screams at you, slams the door, and yells, “I don’t…
When my husband came home from prison
I was going through some of my photos on my phone and came across a video I made on the day that my husband came home after 10 1/2 years…
Forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same
How in the world did you forgive the people who raped you? How in the world did you forgive your father for killing your mother? How did you forgive…
When the pain jumps out to scare us
Sometimes pain jumps out and scares us. It could be a pain we experienced years ago. A pain we have long forgotten and even escaped. The hurt was deep in…
Being open and honest when it comes to “the talk”
As a mother raising seven children in today’s culture, I have often wondered how in the world was I going to raise pure, honest, and Godly children, especially when it…
Growing a Healthy Marriage With Natural Family Planning
The Church’s teaching on artificial birth control is, for many, one of the most challenging and least understood teachings of the Catholic Church. Although it would seem that artificial birth…
Reconnect with your partner and children through love languages
This is an excerpt from "Liberated Learning" by Crystal Stafford, available January 2022. Have you ever seen love grow cold? No one who marries thinks it will happen to them.…
Keeping Grandma’s Spirit Alive at Christmas
December the fifth marked the third anniversary of my beloved grandma’s passing. I feel her loss and miss her every day, but even more so each December, and especially at…
The Sexiest Thing My Wife Ever Said
From the time my wife and I started dating, she was always on some sort of contraception. She bounced around from method to method, changing it every so often. She…
Enduring the holidays as a divorced parent
I was not originally going to share this piece. It is not particularly flattering; rather, it is harshly humbling. Yet, as a writer, I have been encouraged, on countless occasions,…
Maintaining Relationships as a Mom is Super Hard so Please Have Patience with Me
“If they really cared about you then they would make time for you.” I get so frustrated when I hear that phrase. I’ve heard this so many times and frankly,…
These are the things parents say to get (or do with) their child instead of gifts this Christmas
As much fun as toys are for kids, they can drive up the wall. If I have to pick up one more toy that has broken five minutes after my…
