"Kids need fewer critics and more models." —Thomas S. Monson "Nobody can do for little children what a loving father can do. ...

Micah, Josh, Amy and Heidi, 1978 I was an intentional mother—I knew what I wanted to have happen and I thought of ways to make it happen. ...

"Twelve year old kids can drive boats," Josh informed me when he was almost twelve. "Can we buy one?" "Sure," ...

Our 8' x 35' home, and our VW Bug, 1969 As newlyweds we never noticed how cold it got in our trailer at night. Christmas morning we ...

Some folks are just naturally merry. Take St. Nicholas, for instance. Can you imagine him complaining about the cold? Or feeling sorry for h...

Glancing at each other with sucked in grins, we tried not to giggle out loud. Our feet didn't touch the floor as we left the doctor'...

Let me tell you a story . . . Eve was the first working mother. She looked around at her perfect garden and her perfect life and realized sh...

And now, may I present an old favorite: It Takes Discipline Who are all these kids and why are they calling me mom? I used to be this woman...

The Blue Bengal was our inheritance. It had a giant steering wheel with the gear shift on the column, no power steering, and driving it disl...

Somebody's Dad "Football was my sport," he said. "I could feel it. Mom was worried I'd break my nose or crush my kn...

Strengthen the Family "If you want your children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders." —A...

Art by Mary Engelbreit On New Year's Eve, 1993 Dee and I sat in a restaurant day-dreaming about the New Year. "Let's go to Euro...

How did you find out? I was barely ten, chatting in my pink striped bedroom with Karen and Linda. Karen and I were the oldest kids in our ...