Putting your emotions out there will help children understand them more. — I am never one who puts her heart on her sleeve. I have always prided myself on not getting emotional. When I do, I feel vulnerable and lost. It changed when I became a parent. Someone once told me not to cry in front of children as it is a…

Do you duck and run, or catch it and throw it back? — Life has thrown me quite a few curveballs in the last few months. The sleepless nights. The anxiety. The stress. They are driving me nuts. When a problem is often solved, another one comes dragging along. The cycle never ends. Life is hard. It’s excruciatingly painful to deal with one…

Middle school starts now. — Today is my son’s first day of middle school. It was a crazy morning. I had to wake him up early because middle school starts an hour earlier than grade school. After breakfast, we went downstairs to wait for the school bus. More than 45 minutes passed, and still no…

They may be gone, but their legacy remains. — My parents have been my life’s inspiration. They were both different yet the same. My mom was always a workaholic who used to come home with color-coordinated binders and worked until almost midnight. On the other hand, my dad was a househusband who loved organizing and loathed dirty dishes in…

Not another shooting! — I live in Arlington Heights, a northwest suburb in Illinois 25 miles from Chicago. It is a typical peaceful suburban community with many local eateries and parks. My son and I love walking or biking around the neighborhood or swimming at the local water park. …

Whatever follows, I AM will come looking for you. — I was listening to a podcast from a known pastor and came across one of the episodes entitled “The Power Of I Am,” which changed how I look at myself. Growing up as a middle child made me very insecure. I struggled to be a younger sister to our firstborn…

I am scared, but I will not live in fear. — May 24, 2022 11:00AM I was at my son’s school. He just finished fifth grade and is moving on to middle school. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. My son is autistic and non-verbal, and graduating from elementary was one of his milestones. …

What is a good man anyway? — I asked a good friend once why she was getting married. She told me because he was a good man. She took a sip of her coffee, and I looked at her waiting for her to tell me more — dead silence. We stared at each other for 30 seconds…

Why I am both pro-life and pro-choice. — I grew up in the Philippines, the only Asian country predominantly Catholic. We were taught that life begins at conception and having a baby is both a miracle and a gift. I believed in that. I still do. I would not be a single mother if I did not. But…