Feeling wounded by her fourteen-year-olds Tyrannosaurus-like outburst, my friend slumped across the park bench. She looked defeated as she told me about her son’s disappointment with their recent family celebration which she had cut short in expectation of the demands of his 4:30 am workouts. “You never let me do anything fun!” he had yelled when she encouraged him to head to bed early, reminding him of the agreement they had previously made.

Parenting coach and Washington Post columnist Meghan Leahy asked herself, “Could I write a book that provides some hope, while also challenging you to be more compassionate, more loving, and more open to your child and yourself?” This 2020 book is the result. She wants parents to trust their own gut. She explains, “I see my role as a parenting coach as culling the immense wisdom, experience, and knowledge of the previous generations of parents, combining it with today’s science and real-world parenting needs, and helping each and every parent find their intuitive voice.

My child is learning to ice skate. I’m proud of her. No one else in our family is big into ice skating. So it is unfamiliar to me. Since she is high school age, she has paid for and attended her lessons alone. I haven’t heard the instructions from her teachers. I haven’t spent much time with her on the rink. But, when she gets back home, she consistently says, “That was so fun!

When parenting feels hard, parents can become desperate for a solution. The urgent need for improvement leads us to search for quick-fix solutions. That must’ve been what Dr. Kevin Leman had in mind when he wrote his 2015 book, “Have a Happy Family by Friday.” The title implies that the changes will be quickly implemented with immediate results. But, of course we now that our families can’t be changed in just a few days.

Rules can be scary. Rule enforcers can be scary. Breaking rules can have big consequences. Compassion can motivate you to overcome obstacles. These mindsets are eloquently described by Tracy Kidder in his book, “Among Schoolchildren.” Mrs. Zajac seemed to have a frightening amount of energy. She strode across the room, her arms swinging high and her hands in small fists. Taking her stand in front of the green chalkboard, discussing the rules with her new class, she repeated sentences, and her lips held the shapes of certain words, such as “homework,” after she had said them.

When I follow-up my learning with an application of the learning, I am more likely to remember what I learned. I’ve found this works well for my children, too. After field trips, I like to pause and reinforce the learning. I especially like to do it creatively. When I found this book at the library, my kids and I were excited to use it to reinforce some of what we’ve learned at National Parks.

When I began homeschooling, I thought I would only teach my oldest child at home for one year for kindergarten. I didn’t think homeschooling would be a good fit for us. But, after that first year, I found I loved homeschooling. So, we continued. The more we keep going, the better it gets! One of the reasons I hear parents frequently say they don’t want to homeschool is, “I’m afraid I will mess my child up.

While browsing the “New Releases” shelf at my library, I came across a parenting book that was published just six months ago. The title caught my eye since I am in the midst of parenting teens and young adults. The School of Hard Talks: How to Have Real Conversations with Your (Almost Grown) Kids by Emily Kline The book promises to improve our relationships with our children by helping us connect and communicate better.

“Torrid and frigid are antonyms,” I repeat for the third time to my 10-year-old daughter as she takes her vocabulary quiz. “Why can’t she remember their definitions?” I pause in frustration. When we visited Planet Word Museum in Washington, DC, we encountered an exhibit that engaged my daughter in learning all kinds of synonyms and antonyms. This time, she remembered the words: because she used them as paint. Innocuous though it appeared, this little three-sided room was full of learning.

I have been homeschooling for a long time. I know what to expect from my children and from myself. I know how to set up our schedule to succeed. New homeschoolers, especially those who are beginning to homeschool after public schooling for some time, often say, “What if I mess everything up?” Truthfully, I haven’t had much sympathy for this fear. This is probably because I eased myself into homeschooling, starting with one child and adding the others as they aged in.