In our family we try to avoid dumb rules. Drools, we call them. I love making up silly rules. Kubla loves breaking them. I tickle Kubla. He dissolves into giggles. He starts to tickle me
Small Children
The problem with screens
And the smaller the screen, the bigger the problem
Kubla usually doesn’t have trouble turning off the TV. It’s a challenge to peel him away from YouTube videos. God help the poor soul who tries to take a smartphone out of his hands. With
Kubla and I love Japanese monster movies. Ultraman, Godzilla, and Mothra all have pride of place in his imagination. We’ve whiled away many an afternoon battling monsters—he’s always the hero, saving the bad guy role
When Kubla was a toddler, letters and numbers didn’t told his attention. But did he ever love real tools and toy cars. I couldn’t get him to stop playing with my screwdriver set. Sharp steel
Family Dance Time!
Nip your little couch potato in the bud
Kubla had been watching TV for too long. “Kubla, will you play with me?” “I want to watch TV.” “Don’t you want to play with toys?” “No, I just want to watch something.” His show
That kid is never coming to our house again
Act like you want to be invited back
Kubla invites a friend to our home after school. They have a great time. I don’t. His friend is disrespectful. He doesn’t listen. He’s loud. He makes a mess. His mom comes to pick him
The Little Prince
Just adult enough
Kubla and I finish watching the movie, The Little Prince. We had recently read the book together, too. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s a new story that takes place when the narrator is
Secret of the no bad dreams
No more nightmares—helping kids feel safe at night
Kubla used to have bad dreams a couple times a month. One night he dreamed he was all alone and couldn’t find me or Liping. The next night he was afraid to go to sleep.
Family kiss
Touch makes your family feel extra close
Our family invented our own special kiss. For bedtime. After a fight. Any time we want to feel extra close. Kubla and Liping both kiss my face at the same time. Then Kubla and I
Guitar Is My Destiny
Fostering Passion with Loving Connection
Kubla loves music. We always have music playing in our home. He loves to find ways to make music with his toys. For awhile, we have a family piano lesson, but it doesn’t stick. When