I will never forget the day I went into the party store.
It is not a store that I frequently visit, but I was looking for a particular item.
It was late fall and Halloween decorations were everywhere.
I happened to walk into the store with a mother and her little boy in front of me.

I have often heard it said that people do not look up.
We look around, we look back, but up is not a direction we turn very often.
This little boy looked up.
All he saw was a ghoulish figure hovering above him.

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It is always during the first month of the year I remember.
I remember that night twenty-seven years ago.
A cold winter night that was supposed to be like any other.
Except it wasn’t.

I had two little girls, active toddlers who were tired of being cooped up inside.
There were books to read and blanket forts to make.
There were endless, imaginary kitchen concoctions to feast on.
There was an air of playfulness that was expected but not felt.

Something was wrong.

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Talk to any mother and she will have her own discipline stories.
She will tell you what works for her children and what is not effective at all.
If you put the various methods together, they would make a very interesting book.
However, not necessarily an effective one, since every child and every family is different.

It is good for mothers to share stories.
It is good to hear you are not alone as you raise the next generation.
It is good to sift through the stories you hear, incorporating some into your own life.
Tossing away others that would simply not work for your child.

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I started my Christmas shopping.
I am one of those people who begin shopping in the fall.
My husband always appreciated that since it spaced out the purchases a bit.
I enjoy the everything about the whole gift giving process.

I love choosing the right gift for the person.
I imagine their face when they open it.
I love hiding the presents, even now.
The only thing I do not like is the wrapping.

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