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One of the biggest reasons why I had a strong relationship with my parents — and still do — is because I always knew I could talk to them about anything.  – still can.

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Can you remember those times when you knew you did something you shouldn’t have, and it would have helped to talk to someone about it, or at least confess to relieve your conscience? If you could just talk about it you could get a few hours sleep that night instead of laying awake for hours worrying.  Maybe you don’t have that sort of disposition, but when I was a kid I did.

When you’re a kid, telling a grown-up that you’ve done something wrong can be a recipe for punishment.    I mean, that’s their job right?   I had friends whose parents yelled a lot, and grounded them for the slightest infraction.  If I’d had that type of parent I would have grown up keeping a lot of things to myself.

Lucky for me my Mom had this rule:  If I didn’t want her to get mad about something “terrible” I needed to tell her I only had to do one thing.  A really simple thing. Read the rest of this entry →

Even as kids reach adolescence, they need more than ever for us to watch over them. Adolescence is not about letting go. It’s about hanging on during a very bumpy ride.
Ron Taffe

Hold on. This goes for all of the people we love, we keep them close and support them regardless of their age.  If your teenager is asking you to step away from their life, ask yourself why.  And ask yourself who should be the primary influence in their lives peers or family.

Support through adolesence is something that I learned by living through it.  I am fortunate to have been raised in a communicative family.   I’ve heard people on television, say: “When I’m a parent I hope I’m nothing like you.”  Those words couldn’t be farther from the truth for me.

I always felt supported by my parents.  And I still do.  They love me like no one else ever can or ever will.  Now I’m an adult and don’t really need them any more.  But, it’s still nice to know they have always loved me for who I am and will always want what’s best for me.

There were times in my adolescence when I felt compelled to ask for more freedom or independence.  My parents always listened to my requests and metered out as much as they felt was appropriate.  Which in some cases I felt was a little overbearing or unfair.

It go something like this:

• When I’d tell them all my friends are going: “There’s lots of time for that when you’re older.” (true)
• When I’d suggest they not come watch me play sports: “Of course we’re going — we love you and we want to spectate at your volleyball match.” (nice)
• When I’d insist it was embarrassing that my parents would chaperone at a school dance. “We trust that you’ll be behaving yourself whether we are there or not, so it shouldn’t matter if we see you at the dance.” (good point.)
• When I wanted cool sneakers, aka expensive ones:  ”As long as we’re paying for your shoes they don’t have to be the ‘in’ brand.  We’ll pay as much as practical shoes cost, if you want cool ones, you can pay the difference.”  (I never did buy the cool ones.   Or maybe just once, but I quickly realized it wasn’t worth it afterall.)

I read Hold On to Your Kids  when my children were small.  And while I didn’t necessarily agree with everything in the book, I’m glad I read it.  It helped reinforce that I want to be an involved parent through all the stages of my children’s development.

So far, so good.  12 years and counting.

If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy:

• Eye Contact
• Love and Rules
• The Importance of the Couple Bond
• What are you Paying For?  Allowances for Young Children
• How Much Help?
• Three Piggy Banks

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You might hesitate to call this pudding, but until you’ve tried it, you can’t knock it.
Avocado is the main ingredient, and as you know avocado buddies up with whatever it’s mixed with.

mmmm….

Interested in the recipe?  Check it out at Paleodietlifestyle.com

Stay tuned for my other awesome discovery carrot cake!!

These tasty treats are a great way to indulge without breaking the carbo-meter.

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This video is food for thought.   Well it’s really thought for food! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSeSTq-N4U4] It is presented by Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD who gives convincing evidence that our obesity problem in North America correlates directly with the low-fat movement of the mid 80′s.  Do you remember when the food guide became a food pyramid with grains and cereals on the bottom?   Before that it was “eat a balanced diet from all 4 food groups.” This change was spurred on by the idea that dietary cholesterol was a direct contributor to heart disease.  More recent evidence seems to indicate that the alternative, eating a carb rich diet, is responsible for many, many  health conditions like obesity, diabetes, depression, and more. Since all carbohydrates are metabolised to simple sugars they all cause a spike in insulin production and fat storage.  Bottom line:  eat much less carbohydrates and be healthy. You can read Dr. Eenfeldt’s blog here:  www.dietdoctor.com These bits of information keep flooding me from various sources, which is why I just couldn’t resist trying a paleo/primal diet.

The first in the stream of information that I’ve been receiving on this topic was this book, which fell into my hands in January:

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There are many things in life that I’d like to try.  Things I’d like to be more dedicated to, areas I’d like to improve in my lifestyle.  But, it can often seem very daunting to embrace change that seems to loom infinitely into the future.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Paleo style eating lately.  A good friend started doing it about a year ago, my massage therapist is doing it, it keeps finding me on the internet.  It is compelling me.

The thing is, I am not sure that this is something that I want to commit to for the long term.  But I would like to give it a try.

Recently, I read a post by Steve Pavlina called 30 Days to Success.  Essentially he suggests adopting a new ideology for a set amount of time, like 30 days.  He compares it to the free 30-day trial that software companies offer you online.  And he says you can do it with anything from dieting to exercise, to quitting smoking, to well pretty much anything that requires a daily input of effort.

So, decided to give it a try.  I’m going to go Paleo for 30 days and see what happens.  I started on Monday, so I’m on day 4.

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