July 2014

Are 90 Percent of Babies Diagnosed with Down Syndrome Really Aborted?Dispelling the myths about Down syndrome, and telling the good story.
Are 90 Percent of Babies Diagnosed with Down Syndrome Really Aborted?

My husband Peter and I were walking on the beach the other day. Even though she was far away, with her back to us and her body halfway submerged in water, we knew. She turned around and her face assured us. She had Down syndrome, just like our daughter Penny. We were away ...

The New Catholic Novelist You Need to ReadAn interview with Christopher Beha about his latest novel.
The New Catholic Novelist You Need to Read

I've been aware of Christopher Beha's writing for a few years now. I still sometimes find myself thinking about his coming-of-age novel What Happened to Sophie Wilder, and just this summer I raced through his memoir about reading the Harvard Classics, The Whole Five ...

Scientists Agree: Sex, Money, and Power Don't Make Us HappyJesus told us this a long time ago.
Scientists Agree: Sex, Money, and Power Don't Make Us Happy
Image: Dustin Quasar/Flickr

For anyone who lives in New England, the weather this summer has been lovely. The app on my phone keeps predicting relatively low humidity, sunshine, a slight breeze and a chance of a thunderstorm overnight to keep the grass growing and the temperatures lower than usual.

On ...

Thirteen Books For Kids With African American CharactersRecommendations from parents, teachers, and librarians for kids ages 3 through 12.
Thirteen Books For Kids With African American Characters
Image: EmyAugustus/Flickr

Yesterday I wrote about my ongoing search for chapter books for my kids with African American protagonists. I have only just begun to look, so I cannot personally recommend all the books on this list. But from asking other parents, librarians, and teachers, here are a few books ...

Searching for African American ProtagonistsWhy I want my kids to read about lives that seem different from theirs.
Searching for African American Protagonists
Image: Mike Mantin/Flickr

We've been reading chapter books with our two older kids—Penny, now 8, and William, nearly 6—for a few years now. We generally stick to the classics: Winnie the Pooh, Charlotte's Web, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Little House on the Prairie, ...

Don't Worry, Be Happy—According to JesusRemembering the reason and way to let go of our worries.
Don't Worry, Be Happy—According to Jesus
Image: Alon/flickr

Recently, I was reading the Bible and thinking about Bob Marley. In the parable of the four soils, Jesus describes worry as one of the things that thwarts our spiritual growth (the other thing he cites as a problem is pleasure, which is a post for another day). A few chapters ...

Four Questions I Have About Transgender IdentityStruggling to love my neighbors in grace and truth.
Four Questions I Have About Transgender Identity
Image: wikicommons

Last week I wrote a post called "Let Kids Be Kids Instead of Sexualized Little Adults," in response to a YouTube video about a "transgender" girl whose parents helped her "transition" into a boy at age 6. I cautioned against the idea that children's ...

Let Kids Be Kids Instead of Sexualized Little AdultsWhat both conservative and liberals miss about children’s gender identity.
Let Kids Be Kids Instead of Sexualized Little Adults

For a long time, my little sister Elly was a boy. It started on her second birthday, when she received her gift from Kate, another of my sisters (I'm the oldest of four girls). Elly opened the box—a blue corduroy dress Kate and my mother had stitched themselves—and ...

Three Articles on Family Worth Reading This WeekWeekly Roundup 7.10.14
Three Articles on Family Worth Reading This Week
Image: stopherjones/flickr

I've included a brief description and the opening paragraphs of four articles that caught my attention this past week. I'd love to know what you think too:

Coming to U.S. for Baby, and Womb to Carry It - Tamar Lewin, The New York Times

Foreign citizens now make up ...

Sorrow Needs a HistoryWriting About the Death of My Son. A guest post from Aaron Cobb.
Sorrow Needs a History

I first met Aaron Cobb online when he shared his eulogy for his son Samuel. Since then, we have corresponded every so often, and I was very glad when he told me he had decided to put his reflections about Samuel into a book. When I finished reading the manuscript of Loving Samuel, ...

How Children Change the Immigration DebateDale Hanson Bourke offers a primer on the recent news of tens of thousands of children attempting to cross the US/Mexico border
How Children Change the Immigration Debate
Image: Brian Auer/Flickr

Many of us have a cursory understanding that illegal immigration is a problem in the United States. But it's also an issue that few of us—whether as citizens or as Christians—have taken the time to understand comprehensively in all its complexity. My attention ...

What I'm Teaching My Kids About the Fourth of JulyWhy we celebrate, even in the midst of a complicated history.
What I'm Teaching My Kids About the Fourth of July
Image: Kevin Dooley/Flickr

Our dinner conversation goes something like this:

"Momma, how many days until the fireworks?" three-year old Marilee asks, her eyes big and earnest.

"Two more days, sweetie."

"Yay!" She raises her hands in the air with a huge smile.

I ...

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