Is your child a text-aholic?

Are you fed up with your teen's texting habits and worried they will never be able to carry on a real-live, face-to-face conversation? Do you wonder if they will be able to make it through a job interview without checking their phone midway through? Do you worry that the habit will affect their writing abilities and that they'll lapse into text speak on the essay portion of the SAT? More importantly, do you worry that their score will be so low that they won't get into college and will in turn, live with you forever? If you have a texting tween or teen, chances are you have expressed (or mumbled to your child) one or more of the concerns above. If you think your teen is an excessive texter, consider an article I recently read about a Florida teen who will no doubt, make you feel better about your own teen's texting habits:

Brad Cox of Clermont was surfing the Internet this week when he saw a story about a California girl who had sent and received 14,528 text messages on her cell phone in one month.

"I laughed and thought, 'That's nothing,' " Cox said Tuesday.

Cox's 14-year-old daughter, Emilee, hit 35,000 messages a month twice in the past year. Thank goodness for unlimited plans.

Her peak month was June, when she tallied 35,463 messages, or about 1,182 a day. Assuming she slept eight hours a day, that's about 74 messages an hour, or roughly one coming or going each minute.

"I think there are much worse habits for her to have," said Cox, who clocked 656 text messages of his own in June. "It keeps her from being bored, and it keeps her out of trouble." Click here to read the entire story or watch the interview with Emilee and her father, above.

Um, okay. Never mind that in the interview above, she mumbles her answers to the reporter in monosyllables that are barely recognizable. And tell me, what's wrong with being bored every now and then? Isn't there something to be said for having idle time to think about life, process your thoughts, and dream about the future? Or how about some uninterrupted time to do your homework, talk (gasp!) to your family members, or walk the dog without (double gasp!) your cell phone? Pops isn't doing his daughter any favors by shrugging off this unhealthy habit. Will she ever be able to give anyone her undivided attention? A teacher, parent, boss, husband, child, or helloooo, several children tugging on her shirt tail all at once demanding her full attention? Will they have to text her and then wait patiently for her reply?

While most of us don't have teens who are logging 35,000 text messages a month (the average is 1742/month among teens 13-17), we would still be wise to have some boundaries in place to ensure that our tweens and teens don't become so focused on texting that they miss out on life. One concern that I have regarding texting is the need or compulsion to immediately read an incoming message and reply. After observing my daughter's texting habits over the holidays, I began to notice that when the phone chimed or vibrated, it seemed to produce an involuntary reflex to check the message no matter what she was doing. Think Pavlov's dogs, here. I discussed my observation with my daughter and she assured me that she has it under control and is able to take a break from her phone and enjoy life.

When it comes to helping our teens establish a healthy texting balance, a good question to ask is "Who is in control?" In other words, does your teen control the phone or does the phone control your teen? Many of our texting teens have been conditioned to sending a text and immediately receiving a reply, but we need to encourage them to put their phones on silent at times and learn to enjoy the moment at hand. Here are a few suggestions that might help them learn some self-restraint when it comes to texting:

1. Consider having no-phone-zones. Set some firm rules on the front end where texting is not permitted. Examples: the dinner table, church grounds, family room when the family is spending time together, etc...

2. Consider employing a texting curfew. I highly recommend this boundary if you have tweens and young teens. Examples: Have a basket or a spot where your child has to turn in his/her phone at bedtime; during homework time, family time, etc...

3. Suggest that your child establish a daily "time-out" from their phone. Example: Pick a block of time each day that is devoted to relax, read, watch television, etc... without their phone in hand.

In addition to helping them learn self-restraint (which can come in handy in other areas of life!), I want my kids to know that it's okay to not be available sometimes...except when I call or text, of course! And of course, you can bore them with stories about your own teenage, pre-cell phone years and how you managed to survive those moments when you dialed a friend's number and horror of horrors, got that dreaded busy signal. By resisting the urge to immediately return a message, they will slowly begin to condition their friends that it's not always a guarantee that they will receive an immediate response. Again, they gain control of their phones and decide when or if they want to be distracted while they are in the midst of enjoying something else. Just for fun, I thought I would try a little experiment with my daughter to see how long it would take her to reply to one of my text messages. Check it out:



I think I'm going to go check our bill and see how many texts this kid is racking up in a month! If you have any additional tips that have worked in your home, please comment and share them. Texting, and especially unlimited texting plans are a privilege that must be earned. They are not a right. If you feel that your child's texting is excessive, you have the right to pull back on the privilege and limit it as you see fit. I know one mother who canceled texting all together when it got out of hand and began to impact her daughter's grades. Check the monthly statement and compare the number of text messages sent and received with the monthly average for teens. Teens who know their parents are mindful of their texting habits are less likely to abuse the privilege.

I don't recall this being part of my job description

Enjoy yet another clip from Vicki's Vintage Video Vault. Try that for alliteration overkill. I thought it might be fun to come up with an official category title for these charming clips that I post from time to time.

And seriously, what was I thinking? Did I really just say, "Try again"? You gotta love how I put both kids on the outside in the danger zone! What was that all about?

Have a wonderful weekend!

What? Another give-away?!

UPDATE: WE HAVE WINNERS! Congratulations to: Anne S.; email: scatk213@windstream.net and Anonymous; email: rcm4j@yahoo.com


If you have, are related to, or know a tween girl (or younger) and she has a Nintendo DS, boy, do I have a treat for you! The nice folks over at Ubisoft Entertainment have sent me two Nintendo DS Ener-G Gym Rockets games (geared to girls, 6-12 years) to offer as a give-away to my Virtue Alert audience.

Here's what you need to do to enter the drawing: Just leave your name and let's see...how about your favorite mid-day snack? We'll draw two winners one week from today and announce them on this post! Remember, if you don't have a blogger profile where we can contact you, you must leave an email address. Here is a description of the game from Amazon.com:

Live the life of an up-and-coming female gymnast bound for the Olympic games in Ener-G Gym Rockets. A realistic and fun representation of all the aspects of actual gymnastics, Gym Rockets features training for and competition in five gymnastic events such as uneven bars, balance beam, vault and floor exercise. In addition, it also contains extensive character customization options reflecting the fun, feminine side of gymnastics including variations in outfits, hairstyles, hair ribbons and performance music.

Perform as a gymnast, flipping and twirling through a series of gymnastics training and performances. Create individual routines by combining moves from more than 100 different options. Customizable gear, outfits, and accessories. Learn new moves and compete in five different events: Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercises, Vault, Free-Style Performance. In story mode, players can watch as their gymnast goes from the local gym all the way to the World Championships. Fun and unique mini-games with unlockable items such as new moves, accessories, and outfits.
Amazon price: $24.49 (discounted from $29.99)

Good luck!

Maybe it's the parents that need to make a pledge...to start talking

You may have heard the buzz in the media a few weeks ago regarding a study that concluded that virginity pledges don't produce an outcome of saving sex for marriage for the majority of teens who make them. While that is certainly unfortunate, I want to point out some positive findings from the study that the media failed to highlight (surprise, surprise). I stumbled upon an excellent article on USNews.com by Bernadine Healy M.D. entitled, "7 Factors That Foster Teen Virginity, Pledge or No Pledge." You can read the entire article on USNews.com by clicking here. Here is a short excerpt:

In the study, it was only when researchers closely matched the virginity-pledging young people with a subset of nonpledging teens of similar social and attitudinal backgrounds that the two groups' sexual behaviors were similar—and both those groups were more conservative than teens overall. This matchup was important in that it showed that the greater sexual restraint of the pledging teens, demonstrated here and in most other studies, was not due to the pledge per se but rather other virginity-promoting factors in their backgrounds. In fact, most of the pledgers forgot that they had ever made such a promise about sex before marriage.

Approximately three quarters of both pledging teens and the matched group of teens who didn't pledge had had sexual intercourse before marriage, but both groups reported less premarital vaginal sex, as well as less oral and anal sex, and fewer of them had had multiple sex partners when compared with the general population of young people.

The more sexually conservative teens, pledge or not, held more negative views toward condoms and birth control, though half or more used both regularly. Nevertheless, these more conservative teens had less risky sex (for example, more had had only one partner in the prior year). Perhaps most notably, they reported losing their virginity at, on average, 21 years of age. Among most youths today, sexual activity begins closer to age 17.

Waiting until age 21 to have sex may not be waiting until marriage, but it certainly does point to a grand public-health direction that would make teens healthier and parents happier. Although the study shows there is little value to a 15- or 16-year-old's no-sex pledge, the matched group of more sexually restrained young people had certain traits worth noting, including:

1. A greater level of religious beliefs and involvement with religious activities by both teens and their families

2. Greater participation in weekly youth groups

3. Less sexual experience by age 15

4. Old-country values, in that sexually restrained adolescents tended to be foreign born, with a high percentage of Asian births

5. Fewer friends who drank or used illegal drugs

6. More negative feelings about having sex or using birth control

7. Strong sense of guilt about having sex, with a bit of worry about upsetting mom.

While Dr. Healy's article left me nodding my head in agreement, the following statement merited a hearty "Amen!" She says this: There's an important message here for parents: The focus should be on cultivating the teenager's ongoing home and social environment, rather than on eliciting a one-time, easily-forgotten promise.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am certainly not saying that virginity pledges and purity rings are useless. Rather, as Dr. Healy states in the article, I agree that our emphasis should be on "cultivating the teenager's ongoing home and social environment." A one-time promise cannot never replace the long-term value of parents monitoring their child's peer group, engaging in ongoing conversations about the fallout that can occur from sex outside of marriage, and involving their children in organizations and activities (like church youth groups, events, and camps) where conservative values will be taught and they will in turn, be surrounded by others with like-minded values and beliefs.

In my book, 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter, I discuss the need for a new and upgraded sex talk. Gone are the days when parents could get by with a one-time "sex talk" and breathe a sigh of relief if their teen made a virginity pledge. We must be vigilant when it comes to presenting our teenagers with the whole truth regarding the fallout that can occur (emotional, physical, and spiritual) when they have sex outside of marriage. The Truth (God created sex as a beautiful act to be enjoyed in marriage), combined with the facts, and of course, prayer, will be our best defenses against this decadent culture. Even so, we cannot guarantee the outcome. In spite of our best efforts, our children may ultimately decide to deny God's design for sex and give into the ways of the world. We can do our part, but we must trust God for the results.

Oh, ye mothers of little ones: This too shall pass.

...and believe it or not, someday you will laugh about it and perhaps, even miss it (a tad). This little potty-talking, tantrum-throwing toddler gets his driver's license exactly two months from today. Mercy, where did the time go?

Just the dose of Esther-gen I need

As part of a new initiative to work less and rest more (in Him, and in general), I signed up last week for the Esther Bible study that meets on Wednesday mornings at my church. Believe it or not, I have only done one Beth Moore Bible study in my entire life and it was "A Woman's Heart." Let's just say it was long enough ago that I probably showed up in stirrup pants tucked into my brown ankle books and a nifty sweater with shoulder pads. Shortly after completing the study, I began writing my first LifeWay Bible study for women (The Virtuous Woman) and speaking at women's events. Between writing, parenting little ones, and traveling to speak, something had to go. So, for a good ten years, I have been subjected to everyone else's ooh's and ahh's over Beth's fabulous Bible studies.

Today was our first meeting (introduction session) and I have to tell you, it was kind of weird watching the video session after having just finished the DVD taping for 5 Conversations last fall. I had to rein in some of my wandering thoughts like: "I wonder if she's using an earpiece for her outtakes and following her own pre-taped voice?" (which adds a whole new meaning to 'hearing voices inside your head'.) Or what about, "Wow, her stylist did a great job matching her darling gray, belted pant suit to the Oriental rug she is standing on to teach." Or even wondering if the audio guy grumped at her (like he did me) for choosing tops and blouses that were not mic-friendly. (Men! Don't they know that "fashionable" always trumps "functional"?)

All joking aside though, I NEED this study. I have been on an amazing, yet at times, exhausting ministry ride for quite sometime and this is an opportunity for me to sit and soak rather than scurry and serve. About a year ago, I had a little come to Jesus meeting with well, Jesus. He convicted my heart that I was at risk of an ailment that is all too common among those who serve in ministry. It's called "GWDG." (Growing Weary Doing Good) I know, I know, corny huh? Can you tell I made that up?

Here is a rundown of my last five years and what put me at risk of GWDG:

*I wrote 10 books
*I wrote 2 Bible studies
*I participated in 2 DVD Bible study tapings
*I had over 170 newspaper, TV, and radio interviews
*I traveled over 70 times to speak
*I initiated a redesign of VirtuousReality.com (for teen girls)
*I launched and maintained VirtueAlert.com for parents

Please know that I am not trying to be a show-off by listing my "accomplishments." If anything, I am embarrassed by the pace of the past five years. Clearly, it indicates a cry for help. Can you say, "Haul this lady off to the nearest nut farm?" Oh, and let's not forget that I have a darling husband and three amazing kids that occasionally needed my attention in that five year period. Fortunately, I was fiercely protective of my family time (and my time with the Lord), but in an effort to get it all done, I sacrificed my social life and fellowship with friends. As a result, I have worked very hard over this past year to sloooooooow dooooooown. Take a deep breath. Relax more. Pray more. Read God's Word more. Basically, I am spending more time sitting at the feet of Jesus before rushing out to serve in His name.

Meeting my new R&R goal (regroup and refocus) required taking fewer speaking engagements and staggering my book deadlines further apart. I am pickier about which interviews I accept and when I'll do them. I have learned to say "no" and frankly, I've gotten quite good at it. The most painful adjustment was handing over the management of my mother/daughter events to LifeWay which required me to cut 50% of my staff. As much as I miss my old event team, LifeWay has done an amazing job with the You & Your Girl events and in turn, it has taken a huge responsibility off of my shoulders.

My efforts (with God's help, of course) have paid off and as a result of my new, slower pace, I am able to hear more clearly from God when preparing my messages for speaking engagements or working on a writing project. My energy is back and my passion to serve Him has returned along with it. He provided just the Rx I needed for a bout of GWDG and signing up to take part in this study is part of that remedy. Let me also mention that this blog and getting to know many of you has also been part of that remedy. You will never know what your words of encouragement have meant to me. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

I didn't mean for this post to be so long and in fact, my original intent was to do just a quick post about joining the Esther study and share my excitement over having some much-needed fellowship time. Walking into the sanctuary this morning kind of felt like walking into class on the first day of school, minus the new backpack. It was new and different. I was off the clock. My cell phone was on silent. My deadlines would wait. So yeah, I guess a Bible study with a subtitle of "It's tough being a woman" is probably a good match for me right now. And on that note, I better run. I have homework to do...and I'm actually pretty excited about that!

We are long overdue for a give-away!

(UPDATE): WE HAVE A WINNER! Congrats to Kathleen Gray from Dalhart, TX! Thanks to everyone who entered!

After four years of back-to-back writing deadlines, I experienced a welcome lull in my schedule over the holidays. I celebrated the much-needed break by diving into a pile of fiction books that have either been sent to me or recommended to me over the past year. I enjoyed most all of the books, but there were a couple of titles that just knocked my socks off. I contacted the authors to sing my high praises and let them know that their books had thoroughly wowed me. Both authors were kind enough to send me a couple of complimentary copies to offer as a give-away on this blog.

This week I want to offer two Mary DeMuth titles (from the Maranatha series). Oh my goodness, Mary writes beautiful fiction. On the downside, by the time I turned the last page, I was completely intimidated by the idea of ever attempting to write fiction in the future. Thanks, Mary! ☺ You can find out more about Mary DeMuth by clicking here.

Since both books are part of a series, I am offering them as one prize to one winner. Here's what you have to do to qualify for the drawing. Just comment below with the title of a book that is among your favorites (preferably, one that you have recently read). As always, if you don't have a blogger profile, please leave your email address so we can contact you if you win.

Good luck!

Heart-ache prevention

A new study by the British Medical Journal has found that people who displayed behavioral problems as teenagers were likely to develop mental or personal problems in adulthood. While the results may not come as a surprise, brace yourself for this finding: The study also found that even adolescents with milder behavioral problems had poor outcomes in adulthood. (Click here to read the entire article from CNN.)

Here are some highlights from the article:

The study looked at more than 3,500 people , beginning in the teen years and following them for 40 years. The data came from a national survey of health and development from the Medical Research Council, an organization in the United Kingdom.

Teachers assessed these individuals at age 13 and 15, comparing them with their peers with respect to a number of behaviors. Problematic behaviors included disobedience, lying, lack of punctuality, restlessness, truancy, daydreaming in class and poor response to discipline.

"This research suggests that adolescent conduct problems are indicative of more serious problems in creating and maintaining positive social relationships, and this has a long-term effect on the young adult's ability to maintain good mental health, stable employment, and a happy family life," said Ian Colman, assistant professor at the University of Alberta's School of Public Health and lead author of the study.

The authors were surprised that even adolescents with milder behavioral problems had poor outcomes in adulthood, Colman said.

More than 1,000 adolescents in this study who had moderate, but not severe, conduct problems were more likely to leave school early or be involved in teenage pregnancy, and later in life had increased likelihood of divorce, alcohol abuse, and overall life adversity, he said. These people would probably not get a diagnosis of conduct disorder according to modern criteria, he said.

One statement in the article that really impacted me was this: "Certainly there is a relationship between how you behave in adolescence, and as it's left uncorrected and unchecked by your environment, you're going to continue to engage in those behaviors because those behaviors get reinforced." (Vaughn Rickert, professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health)

The study also begs the question of what exactly would constitute "problematic behaviors" among today's youth. In this lackadaisical culture where teachers and school administrators are over-burdened with "problematic behaviors" and limited when it comes to discipline, I imagine the list of students-at-risk today would be even longer. Add to the mix the parents who often shrug off their child's antics with a trite, "Kids will be kids," and we have a recipe for a whole slew of teens who may well be on their way to living unhappily-ever-after.

As parents, we must take any warning signs we may see regarding problematic behaviors in our children very seriously. It's up to us to make sure these behaviors are not left "uncorrected and unchecked" and we must intervene and do everything in our power to nip it in the bud. Our child's future happiness may very well be at stake.

Just recently, a parent tipped me off to a scandal at her child's local high school that involved a group of teens (sophomores) drinking at a party. They brazenly posted pictures on Facebook of the whole crew playing Beer Pong and participating in a keg stand. A concerned parent who diligently checks her child's Facebook account (bravo!), noticed the pictures when they popped up in her child's "Newsfeed."

Fortunately, her child was not at the party, but she felt she had a duty to alert the parents of the guilty teens to some obvious "problematic behaviors" before they caused harm to themselves or others. She copied off the pictures and mailed them anonymously to the parents of the teens with no note or return address. You can only guess what happened next. The guilty teens, upon being notified of the pictures by their parents, reported the results on Facebook in the hopes that the person sending the pictures would see their comments. (This also begs the question as to WHY they were allowed to be on Facebook?!)

One girl, who I'm told was falling-down drunk in the pictures (a 15 year-old, mind you), claimed her mother told her that she wished she knew the name of the parent who sent the pictures so she could send her a thank you note because she needed some new pictures of her daughter and these were "so cute." Other guilty students reported that their parents made fun of the "nark" and basically shrugged off their teen's behavior with, yep, you guessed it, a trite "kids will be kids." Can you imagine what these kids' lives may look like 40 years from now?

For the life of me, I do not understand parents who refuse to parent. Oh, I know it's rooted in low self-esteem and a need to be their child's buddy, blah, blah, blah, but c'mon! Don't they realize that they will likely be the ones forced to pick up the pieces on down the road for their permissive parenting? Are they setting money aside for rehab or even worse, bail or a costly trial? Are they prepared to take their child in when they lose their job or their marriage fails as a result of problematic behaviors that were never addressed at their core?

It's exhausting to be a caring, engaged parent, but ironically, it's even more exhausting in the long-run to turn a blind eye to problematic behaviors and fail to take action. It boils down to this: You practice engaged parenting now or you become engaged in their messes later.

If you work with children or youth, or you are a parent that has dealt with this issue, I invite you to comment below and offer your wisdom based on firsthand observations of teens who display "problematic behaviors." What behaviors should be a warning flag for parents? What course of action do you recommend?

5 Conversations in 5 weeks: Week 2!

The video clip for Conversation #2 for the 5 Conversations online book club has been posted over here. It's not too late to join if you just got the book!

Roller Coaster of love

If the Courtney family had to choose a favorite home movie clip, this one definitely ranks in the Top Ten. And for the record, my sister-in-law claims that seeing this clip years ago influenced her decision to stop at two kids. I think she felt just a bit overwhelmed after getting just a glimpse of the chaos and noise level that can be expected when you have three kids within a five year window.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Hayden, now 15, loves roller coasters. However, after seeing this clip, he is thinking about starting a support group for "babies" of the family who were constantly tormented by their older siblings.

Have a great weekend!

A New Year's resolution that keeps on giving

Ten years ago on January 1st, 1999, I made a resolution to read through the entire Bible by the end of the year. I purchased the One Year Bible above and began my journey. At the end of the year, I scribbled a note on the final page (shown above) and put the Bible up on my bookshelf. I bought another One Year Bible and started all over again in 2000. Before I knew it, my one year resolution had become a two year resolution, a three year resolution, and so on. It became a part of my morning routine and even though I have had some lapses here and there in my daily readings, I have continued the pursuit over the years. Ten years and ten Bibles later, I can assuredly tell you that I would not be where I am today in my ministry calling had it not been for that commitment or "resolution" made ten years ago.

I have another Bible that I use for in depth Bible study in addition to a Bible software program to aid me in writing books and Bible study resources. I use the One Year Bible as a sort of daily devotion. I don't beat myself up if I miss a day or two, but I often take it with me so I can catch up when time allows. I scribble in the margins, dog-ear the pages and note the days when a direct prayer is answered with the assigned daily reading. I cannot begin to tell you how many times the assigned reading contains just the word or answer I'm in need of for that day. By the end of the year, the Bible is weathered, worn, and in much need of replacement.

The last week in December, I buy another one for the next year and put the old one on my bookshelf on the morning of January 1st. But this year, I somehow forgot to buy a new one and made a note to get one on January 2nd. In the meantime, I went to put last year's Bible on the shelf and it was then that I realized that it was the ten year anniversary of that New Year's resolution made in 1999. I took my first One Year Bible off the shelf and began to thumb through it and look at some of my notes scribbled in the margins. My kids where 10, 8, and 5 at the time and for the first time, they were all in school and I was left with extra time in my day. Up until that point, I had never read through the Bible from cover to cover, so at the prompting of a friend (Jackie Kendall), I picked up a copy of the One Year Bible to help me in the pursuit.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that 1999 marks the year that Virtuous Reality Ministries (which began the year before) began to take-off. It marked the year that I held an event for college women and in spite of the fact that I only knew two college women at the time (who babysat my children), nearly 1000 college women came from over 40 different colleges. It marked the year that my first-ever Bible study (for college women) was written and published in 1999. And it marked the year that I developed the idea for a website (virtuousreality.com) for young women, which launched the following year. As the vision for the ministry unfolded throughout 1999, I remember how overwhelmed I felt when I weighed the call God had put on my life up against my own inadequacies. And for the record, I still feel that way. Apart from Him, I am inadequate.

I can't help but think that God placed that resolution on my heart in 1999 knowing that I needed a simple system that would keep me accountable to reading through His Word on a yearly basis. As I reflected on the amazing spiritual journey I have experienced over this last decade, I decided not to get a new One Year Bible for 2009, but instead to start over again and use the original one from 1999 this year. What began as a resolution in 1999 has now become a way of life. It's probably the only resolution that I've ever kept and it just keeps on giving.

Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. (Psalm 119:111)

Are you looking for the 5 Conversations book club?

If so, hop over here to the 5 Conversations blog and let's get started!

The shiz-sor showdown, vintage 1993

In a previous post, I mentioned that I have begun the process of converting our old analog home videos to digital and burning them to DVD's. Over the holidays, I have been working on the tapes that date from 1990-1995 when my kids ranged in age from in utero to age seven. Oh boy, do I ever have a renewed appreciation for you mamas with little ones. It was one of the most rewarding seasons of life, but at the same time, it was one of the most exhausting. This is especially true if you have a ring-tailed tooter in the mix like my daughter, Paige was in her toddler years.

In the clip above, Paige was almost three and Ryan was 4 1/2. I was pregnant with Hayden and due in a couple of weeks. I caught her little snit-fit on tape one morning when she discovered Ryan using a pair of craft scissors I had bought for her. Clearly, my parent-child negotiation skills were in much need of improvement. This must have been before I picked up a copy of Dr. James Dobson's, "The Strong-willed Child!" Fortunately, Paige's stubborn streak and snit-fits died down before the teen years, but that same focused determination and flair for drama are still very much a part of her personality today.

I am so thankful to have these memories recorded on tape. If you have little ones, allow me to encourage you to persevere. Trust me, the years will pass all too quickly. Get your kids talking to the camera while they're willing and take footage that will offer glimpses into their unique personalities. Take it from me, ten or more years from now your kids won't want to see a seven minute clip of the walrus show at Sea World or twelve minutes from the Grandparent's Day ceremony at their school (guilty!).

My kids are now 20, 18, and 15 and it has been a real treat to watch some of the tapes together and see their reaction to what they were like in their younger years. They fast-forward through vacation scenery, the never-ending footage of opening gifts on birthdays and Christmas, swim lessons, school performances, and sporting events that ran way too long. They get the biggest kick out of watching the random, candid moments that were caught on camera like the one above. They love seeing (as did I) a typical slice of their day at various ages: Trips to the park, playing in forts made out of cardboard boxes, riding their big wheels around on the driveway in the rain. We didn't edit out the footage of sibling rivalry, tantrums, and other realistic moments that come with the territory of raising pre-schoolers and it's left us with plenty of laughable moments on tape.

So, keep your camcorders within close reach throughout your day. These days will pass with the blink of an eye. Trust me, by the time they reach middle school, they'll be waving you away when you point the camera or camcorder in their general direction!