Tag Archives: parents

Send In the Cavalry!

Posted on June 30, 2012 by russtowne

As our children got into their mid to-later-teen years, they and their friends used to “hang out” a lot at our house, and usually in our living room. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that My … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundance, Humor, Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged adults, bugler, cavalry, dinner, food, Friend, friends, good, good cook, good kids, leftovers, living, living room, Love, movie, movies, parents, safe, teenagers, welcome | 17 Comments

Don’t Smile!

Posted on June 30, 2012 by russtowne

My Beloved and I found that one of the hardest things about disciplining our young children was staying serous when scolding them—especially when every instinct in our bodies and minds wanted to smile or burst out laughing. For example, call … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipline & Consequences, Family "Fun", Humor, Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged cat, cat litter, child, children, consequence, discipline, kids, laughter, Mr. or Ms. Serious, Ms. Smiley Pants, parent, parents, pudding, smiles, spouse | 2 Comments

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

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

How a Daunting Gauntlet Became a Fun Zone

Posted on May 2, 2012 by russtowne

Some years ago I was standing in a long, long line at a major theme park in southern California (yeah, the one with the ears). I was bored, hot, and tired. I stuck a hand in my pocket and noticed … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Humor, LIfe Lessons, Making the World a Better Place, Random Thoughts, True Stories I've Written, Uncategorized | Tagged child, children, coins, Disneyland, ears, excitedly exclaimed, exclaim, grinnd, joy, our little secret, parents, pocket change, rin, secret, shoe, shoes, smile, smiles, standing in line, whispered, wife, young children, youngster | Leave a comment

Speaking of Daring Adventures…

Posted on April 26, 2012 by russtowne

Our eldest son and his wife are expecting their first child. I believe that having a baby is one of the greatest and most daring adventures of all. Their son’s due date is TODAY. It will be my wife’s and … Continue reading →

Posted in Courage, Family "Fun", Grandparenting & Grandkids | Tagged baby, daring adventure, due date, grandchild, grandfather, grandmother, Grandson, great adventure, newborn, parents, son, waiting by the phone | 2 Comments

A 5-Run Homer!

Posted on April 2, 2012 by russtowne

I just experienced a a most unusual baseball game between the Giants and the Yankees. During it I got to see a 5-run homer, a batter run the bases backwards, players skipping in the outfield an doing somersaults in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Courage, Humor, Inspiring, Unexpected Pleasures | Tagged 1st Graders, 5-run homer, announcer, baseball, bats, beautiful, being beautiful, bleachers, buddy, coach, eyes puddled, fans, First Graders, gentle, Giants, Kindergartners, Little League, loving, manager, motorized, parent, parents, pitchers, players, running bases, show-boats, shy, shyness, skipping, smiles, somersaults, special, Special Education, Special Education baseball league, stands, teacher, tears, wheel chairs, Yankees | Leave a comment

The Hug

Posted on March 30, 2012 by russtowne

THE HUG It was one of those mornings. You know the type. Things are tense. Our infant son had been up all night. My wife’s eyes (along with the rest of her) were weary. My oldest son, the five-year-old, wasn’t … Continue reading →