While in college, Michele Kus walked out of a jazz band audition vowing never to play music publicly again. Burnout had pushed her over the edge. 20 years later, after seven years as a full-time mom and the birth of her third child, she was exhausted from parenting and in need of a territory to call her own. Unexpectedly, she found herself being drawn into playing keyboard at her church. This time, music became a lifeline.
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Many of us struggle with the mom martyr complex: It’s my job to be selfless and put my children first. It’s my responsibility to think of my family at all times. It’s my role as a mom to put my needs secondary, third or fourth after the needs of my family.
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Creating more peace at home is hard work. Even my most valiant attempts at discipline - teaching my children to obey the rules and exhibit self-control - reveal I am sorely lacking it myself. These discipline strategies offer straight talk to help us become more effective at discipline.
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In many communities, the children have gone inside. The adults have gone inside as well. Even so, there are many situations (online and off) in which adults observe children misbehaving and say nothing.
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