by Shannon Popkin | Jul 18, 2013 | Parenting, Sin
I have one child, this summer, who needs a lot of correction.One recent morning, he committed about a dozen sins in rapid fire–so many that I was unsure even where to begin and my blood pressure was so high that we both needed some time to decompress. So I sent...
by Shannon Popkin | Jun 4, 2013 | Change, Father, Kids' Perspective, Media, Parenting, Sin
Some years ago I bought a bunch of perennial flower bulbs, planted them, and waited to see what would happen. I had no idea what colors might pop out of those clenched green fists, and I could hardly keep myself from prying the blooms open! I would study them every...
by Shannon Popkin | May 23, 2013 | Kids' Perspective, Mistakes, Parenting, Sin
“Mommy, I just took my socks off ’cause they got wet from the paint.”He said it as he was whizzing past–sockless–on his way up from the basement to go outside. “What paint?” I called after him.”That paint on the...
by Shannon Popkin | May 20, 2013 | God, Mistakes, Parenting, Sin, Teens
Lindsay is our first child–our parenting ‘experiment’. Only, as a preschooler, she provided an invalid hypothesis: She made parenting seem easy. If we used a stern voice, she would drop her head and comply. If we gave her one warning, and the...
by Shannon Popkin | Mar 29, 2013 | Beliefs, Faith, Sin
Lindsay had this cute, little white sweater to go over her Easter dress when she was about three. But by mid-afternoon, the sweater was no longer completely white. It had little chocolate smears (and drooly drips) all over it. So my cousin, Nicole, said, “Want...
by Shannon Popkin | Mar 5, 2013 | Marriage, Problems, Sin
The first time she met him, she thought, “I don’t have my wedding ring on, so he won’t know I’m married.” She doesn’t remember what attracted her. Maybe his forwardness? His attentiveness?Whatever caused the spark, it made her pulse...