1. It’s the kids, not the costumes that make the night special. We lost Minnie’s ears two weeks ago. (A bow worked even better.)
Author: Lauren Fortenberry
Mother. Writer. Teacher. Hokie.
A Solution to #WhiteLivesMatter
Lately, #WhiteLivesMatter has interrupted the headlines. Maybe it’s because Charlottesville is close to my childhood home or because I have little ones, but this moment in history has convicted me deeply.
You’ve got to show love to everyone, Lauren.
The Mud of Childhood
I warn my students every semester, “One day you will question every part of your childhood.”
They, of course, don’t believe me. But it happens to us all.
My Motherhood, My New Self
When I was growing up, I was ridiculed for being too thin – too imperfect by the world’s standards. But, in college, I came into my own (even if my tank top choices were questionable). And, for the first time, I loved the skin I was in.
No, I don’t want your products. Yes, I still want to be friends.
To be fair, I’m a blogger. I get it. Marketing is an essential piece to any business or brand.
And every so often, I get that same awkward eye contact that you do by a friend. They worry that somehow they’ve disappointed you by not supporting your efforts, your passion.
But, for myself, I have nothing tangible to offer – only words of encouragement voiced from the trenches of early parenthood.
So I know it’s different. But I want to share a secret that I’ve learned to overcome the psychological distress of rejection.
People who love you don’t always say “yes”.
Continue reading “No, I don’t want your products. Yes, I still want to be friends.”
Working Parent Reality: Kids in the Workplace
When you are a parent who works outside of the home, you have to accept an uncomfortable truth: your children will come to intimately know your workplace.
Continue reading “Working Parent Reality: Kids in the Workplace”
The Years We Stop Talking
It’s the reason marriages fall apart. And it has everything to do with children.
The Day We Discussed Politics in the Classroom
The elephant in the room has gotten too real. Yesterday morning I rewrote my ENGL 1101 lesson plans. The last 20-25 minutes in each of my three classes would be left open for discussion – REAL discussion, you know, the kind that involves messy politics and the things that are actually on our minds.
So I sat in front of the class and jumped right in, “What’s going on in our country?”
Continue reading “The Day We Discussed Politics in the Classroom”
Finding Forgiveness in the Tragic
My son almost drowned last week…in a pool full of lifeguards…during a swim lesson. And, truthfully, the experience still haunts me.
The First Jesus Questions
My son is four years, one month, and 20 days old. And he is starting to ask questions about Jesus.
Unlearning 