Parenting Reimagined

Ruth Clayton is an ordained Presbyterian pastor and a hospital chaplain. Her professional life is spent providing comfort, wisdom, and spiritual support to those experiencing the failure of their bodies, those who are dying. For the past two years, Ruth and her husband, David, have been longing to become parents. In the midst of joyful […]

All summer I have been talking about the book Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity. It has been part of my conversations at picnics, over coffee, during meetings, in lectures, and in a few therapy sessions. I have yet to come across a book that so vividly portrays the experience of […]

This week’s interview is with writer and photographer, Lisa Howard. Lisa is the mother of 12-year-old Chase and seven-year-old Jordan. It is quite possible that Lisa is one of the busiest gift-givers I know. She and her wife, Cayne, mark the beginning of their relationship 19 years ago, their decision to become domestic partners […]

K.C. Simba-Torres is a professional musician and a Suzuki teacher. She is also a Suzuki parent. She and her husband, Juan, have two children ages 10 and 6. In our conversation, we talk about the value of learning music early and the role that music plays in helping kids develop character. K.C. also talks about […]

Last summer, Todd and Carrie Minturn took their two young sons on the road trip of a lifetime. They visited twelve National Parks and National Monuments, camped, hiked, collected ranger badges, and logged thousands of miles of adventures. On this trip, Todd retraced the path of a trip that he took with his parents when […]

Melinda Bey is an artsy, blogging, stay-home mum from Melbourne, Australia.  I recently came across her lovely blog, stupendousjoy.  Her artistic eye and open, reflective writing drew me in immediately. Melinda, her husband, Shef, and their five-year-old son are in the midst of a three month international adventure that has taken them throughout Western Europe. […]

Juli McGowen Boit is a nurse practitioner who has been living in a rural part of eastern Kenya for the past nine years. She founded The Living Room, a center that provides hospice and palliative care to those affected by HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life threatening illnesses. She cares for men, women, and children in […]

Nadia Elrashidi Ahlsten  is a stay-at-home mom with four kids under the age of five. Yep, she is hardcore. Thankfully she comes to the job with excellent credentials: the Peace Corps in El Salvador, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, the World Bank, the West Bank, and Kenya. She used her experience with complex systems to navigate […]

A few days ago I posted a link to Andrew Solomon’s TED talk about parents with children who are “far from the tree”; children who are very different from their parents on key aspects of identity (intelligence, criminality, deafness, disability). Understanding, accepting and coming to love a child’s “otherness” is a central part of parenting […]

Mona Lisa Harding is the homeschooling mother of ten children. Six of her children, began college by the age 12. She is the mother of the country’s youngest female physician and the youngest architect in the American Institute of Architecture.  When I interviewed her, she was helping her 10-year-old prepare to take the ACT. Despite […]

Audry Adams is the mother of the kid throwing the tantrum in front of all the other guests at the birthday party. Yes, many of us have been there. But, Audry has those difficult parenting moments more often than most. Her oldest son has Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder that can make it difficult […]

Katrina Kenison is the mother of two young adult sons and the author of three books:  Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry, The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir , and Magical Journey: An Apprenticeship in Contentment. She writes about motherhood and the moments that she has savored during the ups and downs […]

Abbey and Dane Daniels are the parents of a 9-month-old son. He came into their family when he was 4-months old, via the state of Texas. They are foster parents. They don’t know how long this little one will be in their home. They do know that they love him wholeheartedly. Abbey’s interview is stunning. She […]

Brenna is the mom behind the hit blog, Suburban Snapshots. She is also an emerging Facebook star who predictably produces a daily dose of witty parenting anecdotes. She and her husband, Steve, left city life and moved to a small town in New England. They became parents of Anna by surprise, but after 5-years of parenting, they have grown used to life […]

Penny Simkin has spent her lifetime observing and supporting the emergence of parents. Since 1968, she has been a childbirth educator and advocate for women. She has prepared over 12,000 women and their families for childbirth and she has assisted hundreds of women as a doula. She produces films and writes books for both parents […]

Adam Walker Cleaveland is the husband of Sarah and the father of 15-month-old, Caleb.  In his interview, he recounts joyful father-son adventures and heshares about the grief that he and Sarah faced after losing a set of twins at 20 weeks gestation. Adam is  an Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Ashland, Oregon. He is involved […]

Beverly Griffith Herndon jumped in the deep end and learned to swim. In her mid-forties, she became the mother of two recently bereaved, pre-adolescent boys. She and her new husband faced the daunting task of forming  a family, midstream. In her interview, Bev speaks openly about the challenges of being a step-parent: the Disney-inspired stereotypes,  the questionable […]

Major Ryan Scott is a combat engineer in the United States Marine Corp.  He is also the husband of Ginny and the father of two daughters, ages 5 and 10.  In his interview, Ryan talks about how he and his family have managed multiple deployments, several cross-country moves, and the risks and benefits of military life.  He […]

Andrea Sward is the mother of two children. One who died. One who is eating, sleeping, singing, laughing, and exploring like any other 10-month-old. In her interview, Andrea talks about the tragic car accident that altered her family, her body, and her life forever. She also talks about her road to physical recovery and the […]

Jason Roberts is an entrepreneur, web developer and podcaster living in Pasadena, CA. He has co-founded six companies and is the cohost of the popular techzing podcast. For more about Jason and his work, check out www.codusoperandi.com Jason and his wife Sandy have three children. In his interview, Jason talks about raising his children “outside […]

Dr. Rebekah Hall is a licensed clinical psychologist in Idaho. She and her husband, Jeff (also a psychologist), have three children. Their youngest child, Kiera is just 5 months old and was born with cytomegalovirus (CMV). Kiera’s development has been significantly altered by the virus. Rebekah and her family are quickly reworking their lives to […]

Kurt Willems is an anabaptist thinker, author, teacher, and  soon-to-be church-planter  in Seattle. He and his wife, Lauren, are expecting their first child in April. He joins me for the very difficult task of reflecting forward- trying to guess how this new life will reshape  him. Kurt writes regularly at […]

Trasi is a marketing professional and the single  mother of 9-year-old, Joey. In her interview, she talks about the unexpected events that made her a single parent and the ways that she has had to rethink her expectations of family life. She reflects on the struggles of […]

Angela Sipe is a home-schooling, music-writing, amazing super-mom. She and her husband, Brian, are the parents of 13 children ranging in age from 5 months to 16 years. Their large home is filled with music, laughter, and the sounds of  rambunctious imaginative play. Angela talked with me about the gifts and challenges of mothering a […]

The Rev. Dr. Chris Neufeld-Erdman is the senior pastor of University Presbyterian Church in Fresno,CA. He is the father of two young adult sons, and three adult step-daughters. In this interview, Chris talks about his overlapping roles as pastor and father. He also shares about the pain of divorce, the joy of a new marriage, […]

Christy Macias is a biologist turned owner of a boutique home-based day care center. She is married and the mother of two daughters. She talks with me about the dramatic changes that she made in response to the needs of her family. She also shares about the demands of parenting two very different children, the […]

Brooke Denni is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Orange County, California. She and her husband, Paul, are expecting their first child this summer. You can follow Brooke on twitter: @findtruebeauty. In her Parenting Reimagined interview, Brooke talks about her hopes, expectations, and fears as she anticipates entering into motherhood. She also shares candidly […]

Tyler Watson is the adoptive father of 10-month old Elijah, and the husband of Dr. Carey Watson. He is a  writer, speaker, theologian, and served as an associate pastor of a large church in the San Francisco Bay Area before decided to stay home with his son. Tyler blogs at www.spacebetweenmyears.com Tyler talks with […]

My journey as a parent began in the typical way. It began with my mother. The first episode of Parenting Reimagined is an interview with my own mother, Marcia Muterspaugh. In our conversation, she reflects on 35 years of motherhood and 35 years of living with Multiple Sclerosis. She bravely shares about the struggles of […]