Dear Elisabeth, You have more character, more integrity, more deep strength than anyone I know. You are never shallow. You prefer fresh-faced to make-up, your ancient iPhone to the 15, talking to your grandparents to TikTok, baking bread to fast food. Most of all, you show undying loyalty and vicious protection of those you love. ...Continue Reading
Good morning, Lord, Thank you for today, for Your perfect plans, for your child, Catie. Your protection is a blessing, and I’m so grateful for Your care. As Catie begins her junior year, please bless her. Fill her year surprise moments of joy and fun. Continue to grow her incredible sense of adventure and her...Continue Reading
In Houston, it’s raining for the third day. The summer is both dragging on and way too short. We’re restless for something else and dreading school’s start. I’m working on projects that move too slowly and am ready for relief. As I journaled about what could help me out of this rut, it felt like...Continue Reading
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. -Psalm 121:7-8 Last week was Senior Walk at our high school, Lutheran South Academy. It’s always a bit startling to see all these students leaving LSA. The cliché is true: it goes fast. One minute, your...Continue Reading
Anxiety is Contagious The scene in my B Block class was familiar. That morning had been a killer test in one of LSA’s notorious AP classes. Several of my students had this class—but only a handful had taken the test that morning. The rest would face it that afternoon. Hysteria spread like a bad case...Continue Reading
Healthy Teen FriendshipsAs part of my job, I speak a couple of times a month to parent groups. One of my most attended sessions is about helping your teenager navigate relationships.As you’ve probably seen in your own house, high school relationships are hard. The stakes are higher now. Your teenager is navigating friend break-ups, learning...Continue Reading
The artic blast this week gave our family one gift: time together. The day off was a nice moment to reconnect—and clean out our teenagers’ rooms. They were thrilled. Ha. Cleaning out closets is an archeological dig through their past goals and passions. Remember those years of softball? Tennis? Learning the guitar? Your Etsy era?...Continue Reading
The Answer is Not Gift Cards What are you getting your high schooler for Christmas? I’m buying gifts for my 4 teenagers and feeling cynical about what they really need. Their Christmas lists are a repeat of last year. Airpods. Make-up. Video games. Gift cards-ugh. But what would really help them? What would help all of...Continue Reading
I’ve always wanted to create a video course. Writing for teens is my favorite–and yet. So many of them love images, videos, a human voice, an animated interactive experience. A video course felt like a good way to dish up the content. And, as I started to figure out the process, it felt pretty easy....Continue Reading
October Newsletter Are You Valuable? Teenagers Ask This Question… I coach high school students. This means I sit across from them and listen carefully as they talk about their goals, struggles, and hopes for the future. My role is to ask great questions, pay attention to their reactions, and help them move forward. Here’s what...Continue Reading
