The word NO, carries a lot more meaning when spoken by a parent who also knows how to say yes.

A good home must be made, not bought.

The word NO, carries a lot more meaning when spoken by a parent who also knows how to say yes.

Those who rhapsodize about the ease and joy of childhood have perhaps forgotten what it's like to be 12 years old.

To share our stories is not only a worthwhile endeavor for the storyteller, but for those who hear our stories and feel less alone because of it.

When I was 12 years old, I read Nancy Drew mysteries and biographies of Madame Curie and Florence Nightingale and books about girls who love horses or go to nursing school. I belonged to the Girl Scouts and got A's in school and rarely disobeyed my parents. I still kept a collection of Barbie dolls in my room, and I almost never spoke to boys.

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself.