by Cathy Tompkins, MA | Mar 12, 2025 | Thoughts for Families
Leaving the Nest: Adulting 101 I may have said this before, but just to be sure: being the parent of a teen wasn’t easy, but it paled in comparison to parenting a 20-plus-year-old. As long as they were living at home, I could tell myself that I knew they were safe at...
by Cathy Tompkins, MA | Feb 14, 2025 | Thoughts for Families
Parenting Older Teens I heard Alan Alda (of Mash fame) say that being a parent is like watching ea cheesy horror film. As you watch that teenager open the door to the spooky basement to investigate the source of a disconcerting noise, all you can really do is watch...
by Cathy Tompkins, MA | Jan 14, 2025 | Thoughts for Families
Kid Power 101 Last fall, I spent a week with a friend I hadn’t seen in 40 years. To my great relief, what we loved about each other as teens survived the ensuing years of our very different lives. As we each told stories to “catch up”, I realized that in spite of...
by Cathy Tompkins, MA | Dec 11, 2024 | Thoughts for Families
I usually enjoy the holidays. I get shopping done early so I don’t have to add that to the cooking, wrapping, togetherness, decorating, and reflection this time of year brings. But there was a time in my life when I dreaded the holidays. As a child, the holidays...
by Cathy Tompkins, MA | Nov 11, 2024 | Thoughts for Families
Capacity 101 We overfill a water balloon, and it pops before we can deploy it. We exceed the capacity of a paper bag, and it tears open and spills our groceries on the ground before we can place items on our shelves. We ignore the damp place on that paper bag at our...
by Cathy Tompkins, MA | Oct 14, 2024 | Thoughts for Families
The Power of Togetherness I had the pleasure of attending the Southwest Collaborative Music Convergence in Flagstaff on Labor Day weekend. I heard 12 people create a sound environment that brought moments of great beauty interspersed within an often strange...
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