What Really Matters, According to Me

Although dandelion greens and roots are good for food, (my sister and her ex-husband used to 'harvest' them), I don't like for them to grow in my yard. Something about dandelions, they are relatively easy to pull. They do have those spiky leaves, but if you get underneath the whole of the leaves, the thorns point slightly upward and you can mostly avoid the prickles and pull the whole thing, simple root system and all. There is one main root that grows downward and a bunch of little root off-shoots, but it's a pretty easy weed to rid yourself of... unless... Sometimes we're tempted to just mow down the dandelions when we cut the grass early in the season. This is a mistake. Although the weeds aren't noticeable for a time, the root remains. The root grows while the top of the weed regenerates. When you finally get around to really 'weeding' and pull the weed from the ground, you find shorter, more prickly leaves, with sharper thorns, and a deeper, thicke...

A sweet friend of mine has asked how I teach my children to share. Well... I had to think about that one. Here are a few positions my husband and I agree upon, which positions our children accept as the way it is. It was comforting to me when Gordon B. Hinckley said something to the effect that we are stewards over our wealth. We do not own it. It belongs to the Lord. And one of these days we will have to answer to the Lord for the way in which we exercised our stewardship over our riches. So-- here are some basic principles accepted by the Windham Family: 1. This is the house the Lord allowed Dad and me to provide for the use of our family. It is not your house. 2. This is a bedroom in the house the Lord has allowed Dad and me to provide. It is not your bedroom. It is my bedroom, or Dad's, if it belongs to anyone here. 3. These are clothes purchased with money I earned/Dad earned. They are for your use. They are not yours. If to anyone, they belong to Dad and me. 4. These are not ...

Disclaimer: the statements contained in this article are the views of the writer developed over a 27 year period in childcare, early childhood education and by way of living life as a mother of 9 children. No offense is intended. Every child and parent is different and it is the view of the writer that God specifically matches each child to his parents. He will and does provide guidance to each parent as to how to best rear his or her own children by the power and direction of the Holy Ghost, if parents will seek His guidance. No counsel nor philosophy should take the place of this divine guidance. Having said that: There are many philosophies relative to children and their 'things'. One school of thought is that children feel comforted and gain a sense of security in possessions. When a child says: that's mine! and is able to claim physical possession of an item from another child, some believe it is a manifestation of self-affirmation and is related to the growth of conf...