Middle child of my middle child

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 The Middle Child
Even though you're not the oldest,
or the youngest, you see,
Being in the middle is a really neat place to be!
The middle of a sandwich
is the most important part,
And in the middle of your body,
you will find your heart.
The engine in the middle
is what runs a good machine;
And our family wouldn't be the same
without you in between.
~Unknown

middle child

I know labeling children isn't an appropriate thing for grandmothers...

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Looking back: 9 things we did right as parents

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Looking back: 9 things we did right as parents

carpenter family portrait

I didn't support my youngest when she wanted to change majors — and universities — midway through her college career.

I didn't call parents to tattle on their mean girls (and boys) who made a living hell of several academic years for my middle daughter.

I didn't demand my oldest...

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If I die tomorrow: 6 ways it would stink and 7 ways I'd live on

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If I die tomorrow: 6 ways it would stink and 7 ways I'd live on

stairway to clouds

My husband and I recently had yet another discussion on death and dying, as mid-life, long-married couples are wont to do. (It's not just us, right?) Our conversation led me to consider how it's often said that toward the end of life, many folks lament and regret not having said "I love you" often enough, if at all, to those they love the most.

I don't have that concern. I do tell...

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Changing seasons: Thoughts on giving my adult daughters their baby books

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Changing seasons: Thoughts on giving my adult daughters their baby books

baby books

"It would be good for me to know those things," my middle daughter sighed into the phone the other day. And she's right.

We were on the phone, discussing challenges she faces with her middle child, my second grandson. There is hope, I pointed out, a...

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Tough call: Sick mom or sick child?

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 sick pumpkin

Let's be honest here: Raise your hand if you ever, as the parent of a young child, looked at your dear one and thought (perhaps even said aloud), "Oh, I'd give anything for it to be me rather than my baby."

Have you thought that? Said that? Go ahead...

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