Today’s Family Now

By John G. Warren For me, elementary school was a nightmare. When you fail a grade so many times and you’re learning to shave amongst classmates half your size, an indelible mark is placed on your self esteem. And I don’t blame the nuns, or my parents, or the many social workers who tried to help me. It’s just the way it was. In the late 1960s my ADHD was misunderstood. Not even the principal’s paddle, riddled with holes for faster blows, could whack me to attention to complete my assignments. And the alchemy of [...]

By LaDonna Kennedy The Murphy family is giving the classic TV show Green Acres a run for its money. The family consists of Shawna and Kevin and their five children: Jonah (12), Elijah (10), Sam Isaac (8), Eliza (7), and Anna (4). The family was living the quiet, suburban life until much of what they knew changed. Two years ago, Shawna heard about a property for sale and fell in love with it. Shawna grew up on a 5-acre farm. She helped her father tend to peacocks, chickens, and other livestock. She wanted a more [...]

By Carrie Vittitoe Michelle and Matt Runkle, Lily (8), Jackson (6), and Caroline (8 months) from Newburgh, Indiana. Photo by Alisaan Elpers - Captured Studio Photography  When Michelle Runkle began experiencing contractions at 34 weeks of pregnancy in July 2017, she didn’t think much of it. When she was pregnant with her son Jackson, she had prodromal labor for a month prior to his birth, so she thought that the contractions she was having were the same. She went on with her day and even went out to dinner that night. During the meal, Michelle’s [...]

By Carrie Vittitoe When did encouraging our children become so darn complicated? If we tell them “good job!” we aren’t being specific enough in our praise. If we leave them to their own devices, we are neglectful. If we push them, we are domineering and putting too much stress on their shoulders. There is no winning in modern parenting. Overall, it seems that if parents err on any side, it’s the side of encouraging our children to be independent, and then doing much more for them than we should. Pare down the word “encourage” to [...]