During my travels, I ran across a special kind of store.  Men, if you ever see one, you need to take notice.  And if you NEVER see one, maybe you should open one. This store was a card store -- but with a twist.

 

This card store had every type of occasion card right there. Think of it!  Right here and right now I could buy my wife’s birthday card, Mother’s Day card, Christmas card, anniversary card, all of them all at

 

We watch the adults we spend time with.

 

One summer when I was about 12 years old, I lived with my grandmother on the sprawling estate farm where she was the cook.

 

At night we both went to bed at the same time in her servant’s quarters, where I slept on the sofa.

 

Every night I watched her wash her face, brush her teeth, and gargle

 

My 16-year-old daughter had a job at Fashion Bug.  At Fashion Bug, a clerk is stationed not far from the door to greet people immediately and to watch for any inventory theft.

 

I went in one night to pick up Stephanie for 9pm, the close of her shift.  I stood inside the front of the store for a few seconds, a new clerk approached me and asked if I needed help.

 

I told her I was waiting for someone.

 

When we are invited by local support groups,  we do workshops for the North Atlantic Regional High School.

 

We set up the meeting places with local families who really want direction as they consider homeschooling high schoolers.  Meetings would be arranged in their church, or a meeting room at their husband’s work place, or some other such meeting area.  And, of course all these families are homeschoolers, too.

 

I remember calling a lovely lady in Orlando.  She was willing to have us come to her church and present the high school workshop there. I asked her to call the church office to confirm the date we would be there, and she said,

 

Someone has said children learn like they eat.  They cannot keep “taking in” stimulating things without a break -- just like they can’t keep eating without a break.  They need time to digest what they eat and time to digest what they learn.

 

If not provided by the parents,  the child might take their own “break” from the stimulation --  it might show up as a tantrum, or defiance, or some other no

 

Sometimes you just need to hang around.  Linger in the kitchen, stay a little longer at the table.  Lay down on the living room floor.

 

Just be around.  You don’t have to say anything, you may not need to do anything.  Just hang around where the rest of the family is.   Be available so the children can say stuff, so your wife can remember something she’s been trying to tell you...so your children can see that you’re available.

 

In the Amish community the houses are built with huge kitchens.  Near the stove, they build a woodbox or coal bin that’s at least 6 feet wide...and about 3 feet off the floor, there’s a shelf built over the woodbox.

 

That shelf is where the father of the family lays down after he finishes eating, while the rest of the family lingers in the kitchen and cleans up -- the father stays right there with them.

 

The father’s presence has a powerful impact.

 

There was an incident when I suggested to my wife that we take the children and go on a picnic up by the lake.  She gave me some resistance, and I was taken aback -- I thought this was a valiant, honorable, caring thing to suggest -- a way to spend some family time.

 

She finally admitted that it was too much work.  She was already wasted and didn’t need to think about packing lunches, drinks, towels, and all the rest.  To he

 

Emergency problem-solving comes in handy.

 

I was preparing the evening meal for the family when Stephanie and Carol came into the house.  Stephanie’s fiance was coming to dinner, and Steph noticed I was mixing meatloaf.

 

She said, “Dad,  I am sorry, but Luke does not like meatloaf."

 

Immediately the meatloaf beca

 

It appears to me that women need alone time.

 

I was reading recently that when you work until you’re frazzled, and you’re not effective in what you’re doing, you need to rest.  And it isn’t your body that needs the rest, it’s your brain.  If you can rest your brain (say with a 20-minute nap), your body is made to keep going like the Energizer Bunny.

 

So

 

 

Perhaps it doesn’t happen in your house, but in some homes the wife and the children might disagree or have a set-to. 

Sometimes it might involve ME being forced to  take sides.  It’s okay to say something like, “You know, kids, your mom was my wife before you were my children.  So I’m going to support mom in this."

 

Or you can try one of my favorites -