Grasshopper New Media Presents...

Community service has been a big part of my life since my own childhood.  My own mother often took me along as she did her “volunteer work”.  It has been such a part of my life that, as an adult, I never considered if I would volunteer… it was merely a question of where and […]

People often ask me what it’s like to have teenagers. Unfortunately, for them, my answer is a very bland: “Everything’s great, I couldn’t ask for better kids.” Now, I’m not one to fall under the hypnosis of my own rose-colored glasses, and I often spend time looking for anything typical that my teens may get […]

I’ve been talking with my sister-in-law about the concept of over-negotiating. My kids have been compromising and negotiating since long before they ever peed in a potty. They’ve been listened to and validated and respected and they have grown into skilled negotiators. Sometimes I think they should have shirts made that […]

I’ve been closely following the current, and historic, economic situation we find ourselves in. As a parent, I see a specific parallel that is close to my heart: Accountability vs. Abandonment.
With regard to our economy, we’re going to put an enormous amount of tax dollars towards rescuing foreclosed homeowners. We’re holding them accountable, and we […]

I’ve written before about my selectively shy son. And today my mind is once again wrapped up in his reticence. My middle child often offers us only one word answers unless we really focus on drawing him out.
Don’t get me wrong- at playtime at the Hatches my boy would give […]

Here’s how to take two recently adopted preschoolers on vacation.
Step one: Before you travel anywhere for the first time, buy matching rolling duffels for the whole family. Let the children choose their own colors, so they see that, even though they’re part of a “matched set” of people, they are still permitted free choice. Rescue […]

I moved to a new job in January. Because I work in a church, it meant that our family moved to a new church. Because the job isn’t far away, we didn’t have to move to a new house, nor did our daughter have to change schools. As a high school junior, that is a […]

I’m writing this poolside at our gym, watching swimming classes. My kids aren’t in the water right now, but I’ll have the pleasure of watching their classes in a couple of weeks.
How do you teach children to swim when you don’t know whether they’ve ever been in water before? This was the problem Peter and […]

This past weekend was a big deal to me. On previous Mother’s Days, (alright, there have only been 3 of them since my oldest is only 4), I’ve enjoyed sleeping in until roughly 10 am and having breakfast in bed. This year I was up before 6 am. By 10 am, I […]

This week I kicked off a new writing project on my personal blog. It’s another new effort to stay committed to a promise I made myself a few months ago. Inspired by x365.org, I will write 36 words about 365 people over 365 days. 36 because that’s my age. The process of developing a […]