With pride, there are many curses. With humility there come many blessings.”

— Oscar Wilde.

I encourage you to approach parenting (and really all of life) with the mindset of a judge instead of an attorney. A judge comes in, ironically, without judgement…hearing and weighing all things before deciding. An attorney has a job to prove/defend the client. The attorney’s perspective is focused on being right. A judge’s perspective is to seek the truth. Let’s all approach situations judiciously.

Learning (in or out of a classroom) doesn’t take place until the student has the right mindset. Learning is WAY different than memorizing. So…before we go any further, it is important to be in a mindset to learn and receive…to evaluate information and decide honestly what resonates and what doesn’t. First know that none of us have life (especially parenting!) figured out. That’s ok. We all need help. We all have blind spots that prevent us from being the best that we can be.

I have titled this blog “Thinking Beyond” because too often we get wrapped up in the moment and the wrong emotions. We parent, live, “adult,” and react quickly without seeing the bigger picture and bigger impact. I hope the overall theme of this endeavor gives us all a chance to pause, evaluate, and grow. Nobody has things figured out, and how cool is it that we can grow from our mistakes!!

For too long I have wanted to try my hand at blogging. I want to share some observations I have made over the years as a counselor and parent. I’m excited and hoping to share helpful stuff…my own words, powerful articles, videos, interviews, and whatever else comes along!

So if you are open to learning and thinking, find your Judge Wapner or Judge Judy robe and grab a gavel! Let us, together, be open to learning and weighing and discussing and slowwwing down so we can parent, teach, and lead in a strong direction!!