March 11, 2016
by Maralee
4 Comments
It happened again the other day. I was reading through an article about a child who had experienced abuse and neglect. When I finished reading the article itself, I decided to skim through the comments (I know, I know– rookie … Continue reading
March 7, 2016
by Maralee
1 Comment
“As long as my husband finds me attractive, that’s all I care about.” This seems to be the mantra we wives repeat to make ourselves feel better about the state of our bodies as we age, carry children, and come … Continue reading
February 12, 2016
by Maralee
1 Comment
I remember the moment. The four of us were all sitting on the kitchen counters eating cereal at ten p.m. (or it might have been ice-cream. . . we were young and stressed) debriefing about the events of the day. … Continue reading
February 8, 2016
by Maralee
Comments Off on When it’s Right to do Infertility Wrong (a lesson from Hannah)
When I was little I used to run around with a pillow under my shirt, pretending to be pregnant while also pushing a doll in a stroller, with another doll on my hip. Pregnancy was always part of my plan. … Continue reading
January 14, 2016
by Maralee
Comments Off on Talking to Your Toddler About Foster Care
In my family, foster care is normal. My kids have grown up in a home where caseworkers are their friends, our foster care agency is “the fun place with the ducks” (there’s a pond behind the building), home studies and … Continue reading
January 4, 2016
by Maralee
Comments Off on A Woman Called Bitter
A couple weeks ago I listened to a sermon about Ruth. As part of the backstory the pastor talked about Naomi’s transition to the name Mara and what a miserable name that would be to have. That part of the … Continue reading
November 12, 2015
by Maralee
Comments Off on Foster Parenting with Compassionate Curiosity
The first children who depended on me to care for them were teenage boys. As a housemom to 6 boys ages 12-18 at a group home when I was in my early twenties, I started this whole parenting thing in … Continue reading
November 2, 2015
by Maralee
1 Comment
A friend from college unexpectedly lost her four year-old son in a heartbreaking accident. A close friend was recently diagnosed with another health problem on top of the others she already wrestles with. Painful struggles in my own family have … Continue reading
October 4, 2015
by Maralee
Comments Off on Lies My Miscarriage Told Me (excerpt)
Miscarriages are cruel. They steal your hopes and dash your dreams. They silence you with shame and regret. They make you feel unworthy of the gift of motherhood that comes so freely to others. They make you second-guess every decision … Continue reading
September 10, 2015
by Maralee
Comments Off on Horton Hears a Foster Kid
This summer our local movie theatre had a morning movie series for kids. I took a couple of my kids to a few of them and other than the time the three year-old got his shoe caught in the folding … Continue reading