LIFE'S LESSONS ON THE ICEparenting // February 17, 2021After what felt like a lifetime, there a 9-year-old boy stood at the center of the ice facing what was probably another 9-year-old boy standing in the goal, both with the weight of the outcome of the game for their entire team, resting solely on their shoulders. Pressure. The feeling you get when you don't want to disappoint the people who are depending on you. Trust. The feeling every other boy and coach standing on both benches put in those two boys. It turns out, in that moment, Nolan's teammate adapted and adjusted to the demands of the competition just a little bit quicker than the boy standing in the goal. Victory; and the sweetest kind. The kind that was hard fought. The kind that was found in the face of adversity. The kind that our boys will never forget. Nolan told me that night that it felt like his team won the Stanley Cup. It might as well have been.
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ABOUT MEMy name is Alissa Anderson. I am the School Psychologist for the Esko Public School District in Esko, MN. I am also a mother of three and was certified as a Love and Logic Parent Educator in 2009.
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RECONSIDERING MY RESPONSE
Parenting // May 2, 2020
About a week before our lives changed drastically (you know pre-pandemic when you could pop by someone's house for a visit) I was over at my younger brother's hanging out. Full disclosure, there may have been some casual day drinking going on while the kids ran wild in his back yard. My brother has twin 2-year-old boys and two step daughters (8 and 10). I am six years older than he and at times have struggled to find the balance between big-sister caretaker and big-sister friend. It's hard to describe the warmth I feel when I observe the caring, patient, and playful nature my brother exudes when he is with his four children.