Blogs
Blogs about Intentional Leadership at Home
Reef Early!
There’s an old saying among sailors: if you’re wondering whether it’s time to reef, it’s time to reef. Here’s what that means for the hours before bedtime.
A Thriving Garden is like a Thriving Family
Why intentional parenting is about creating the conditions for growth, not controlling the outcome.
A thriving garden doesn’t happen overnight. (I know because I love working in gardens.)
A connected, emotionally healthy family doesn’t happen overnight either.
The Day I Decided Motherhood Wouldn’t Mean Giving Up Myself
But within weeks, another realization arrived.
Loving my daughter didn’t automatically mean I knew how to be her mother.
Love gave me the passion.
The determination.
The willingness to do whatever I could for her.
But love alone didn’t teach me how to communicate when I was frustrated.
The Stress Nobody Sees: A Working Mother’s Silent Burden
I asked Melinda this: “When you’re not overwhelmed, how would you like to feel?”
We explored her idea of having peace of mind. Not a perfect life without worries, responsibilities, or difficult emotions. But a sense of inner steadiness.
Why Aren’t Parents Seen as Leaders?
Apparently, being a parent wasn’t enough. You needed a professional title to be taken seriously.
And why? Why do we recognize leadership in the workplace, yet rarely recognize it in the home?
Before Something New Can Grow, You Have to Prepare the Soil
What kind of parent do you want to be?
What do you want your home to feel like when everyone returns after a long day?
Which beliefs and habits will help your family thrive? Which ones get in the way?
And perhaps most importantly: Who do you need to become to create the family life you envision?
Before You Do, Can You Decide Who You Want to Be?
Growing up, I watched my mother being busy almost all the time. She had five children and didn’t particularly enjoy household chores. Yet she did them, day after day.
She often seemed irritated, annoyed, and exhausted. It was as though all the doing left very little room.
And we, her children, felt it. Not because she didn’t love us. But because there seemed to be so little energy left for connection.
What Is It Like for My Child to Be Listened to by Me?
Have you ever noticed your child nodding while you’re talking? I sometimes ask mine, “Is that nod because you understand? Because you agree? Or because you’re hoping I’ll finally stop talking?”
As a parent, I want to make sure my children understand what I’m saying. So sometimes I repeat myself. But when I ask them what I’ve just said, I discover they haven’t heard a word!
Thanksgiving: What Are We Really Teaching Our Children?
How could I use Thanksgiving to help my daughter understand the values I wanted her to grow up with?
I wanted her to understand gratitude.
Homework Trouble? Is It Becoming a Power Struggle?
The way we handle everyday disagreements teaches our children far more than how to finish homework. It teaches them how to communicate, solve problems, manage frustrations, and navigate relationships. And it begins with how we lead ourselves, so our children can learn to lead themselves, too.