Category Archives: Parenting

Hallway Torture

Posted on June 30, 2012 by russtowne

One of the toughest challenges we had as parents was regarding discipline. We wanted to be firm but loving and fair and for the consequences to be effective, age-appropriate, and child-specific. Unfortunately, it quickly became obvious that what is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipline & Consequences, Family "Fun", Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged child, children kids, conseuences, discipline, fair, firm, grounded, hallway, kid, loving, parents, parneting | 4 Comments

Divide and Conquer

Posted on June 29, 2012 by russtowne

Much of what My Beloved and I learned about parenting was taught to us by our children. For example, if they wanted something and the first parent they asked said “no”, they’d simply go to the other parent and ask … Continue reading →

Posted in Family "Fun", Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged beloved, breakfast, child, children, closed ranks, consequences, conseuence, cupcakes, divide and conquer, kid, kids, learned, parent, parents, strategy, united, united front, weakest link | 4 Comments

Yes, I Remember

Posted on June 29, 2012 by russtowne

From Mikey’s Funnies: My five-year-old son squealed with delight when he opened his birthday present from his grandmother. It was a water pistol. He promptly ran to the sink to fill it. “Mom,” I said. “I’m surprised at you. Don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Grandparenting & Grandkids, Humor, Parenting | Tagged chemistry, chemistry set, child, drum set, drums, grandchild, grandfather, grandmother, Grandparents, Grandson, Legos, Mother, rock polisher, rock tumbler, son, thingy, toys, tumbler, wate pistol, wood-burning | 4 Comments

Sock Wars!

Posted on June 28, 2012 by russtowne

One day when our boys were still fairly young, I kidded my Beloved about something as she sorted and matched a basket of clean socks and was rolling the matched pairs into little balls to keep them together. The next … Continue reading →

Posted in Family "Fun", Humor, Love, Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged boys, famiy, hilarious, hilariously, laugh, laughter, laundry, sock, Sock Wars, socks, sons, throw, young | 7 Comments

Investing In My Relationships along the Way Or Paying For It BIG TIME Later

Posted on June 28, 2012 by russtowne

In my recent post, “Blowing the Dust Away” I used the phrase, “…investing time together” A reader commented in part, “I think investing in our valued relationships is a great way to put it.” (Thank you, Cathy!) That got me … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Friendship, Grandparenting & Grandkids, Growth/Learning, LIfe Lessons, Love, Observations, Parenting | Tagged attention, Caring, children, commitment, Family, focus, friends, great, Important, investing, Love, loving, Money, parenting, raising, Relationships, romantic | 4 Comments

Two More Bullying Stories

Posted on June 27, 2012 by russtowne

When I was 15-1/2 I used to walk or ride my bicycle to work at a large buffet restaurant. One day as I neared the back door of the restaurant a bully started taunting me and yelled that he was … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullying, Courage, Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged buddies, bullied, bullies, bully, dad, father, firends, Gary Cooper, High Noon, junior high school, lesson, marshal, middle school, punch, School, thugs | 6 Comments

TROUBLE!

Posted on June 26, 2012 by russtowne

‘The sole purpose of a child’s middle name is so he can tell when he is really in trouble!’ –Author unknown (at least to me) While funny, the above statement was also true for my brothers, sisters, and me, when … Continue reading →

Posted in Family "Fun", Humor, Parenting, Quotes I Love, True Stories I've Written | Tagged brothers, consequences, dad, daughter, dire, Family, innocent, mom, parenting, parents, sisters, son, trouble | 8 Comments

I Can Save THIS One

Posted on June 24, 2012 by russtowne

I remember reading a short story with a HUGE message years ago that had a big impact on me and how I view life. It went something like this: One day a little girl was walking on a beach with … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Growth/Learning, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Making the World a Better Place, Observations, Parenting, Stories That Touched Me | Tagged dad, father, girl, little girl, mom, Mother, ocean, parents, sea, Star fish, starfish, tide, water | 8 Comments

Parenting “Fun” with Younger Son

Posted on June 21, 2012 by russtowne

Beloved and I are very proud of all three of our now grown children. Each of them is unique and special in their own ways. But there were many times when pride wasn’t the primary emotion we felt when dealing … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Family "Fun", Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged beloved, little sister, parent, parenting, sister, son, window, younger, younger son | 4 Comments

I Met My Wife While Playing Hide and Seek In the Dark

Posted on June 20, 2012 by russtowne

I met my wife while playing Hide and Seek in the dark. Perhaps I should explain… But first, some background… When I was a youngster all of our relatives lived out of state, so my family celebrated holidays with another … Continue reading →