July's books

* The Best of Friends, by Sara James & Ginger Mauney
* Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling (yes, again!)
* The Middle Place, by Kelly Corrigan
* Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray

When a child despairs - it looks like misbehavior

When a child behaves in a way that is inappropriate, we need to ask ourselves, “Where did that come from?” Often the child just doesn't realize it's not appropriate. Sometimes they're just revealing behaviors they've seen at home or elsewhere. Sometimes they are deliberately doing the wrong thing just to see what you'll do about it, a little psychological experiment. No matter, it's us adults that are being tested. When we think we see a child failing, we need to remember. Children don't fail. It's us adults who are failing the children.

I've recently failed some children. I am "shoulding" myself, thinking of all the things I should have done better. Better, I am also thinking of how I'll manage next time.

Next time I'm going to make room for prayerful meditation. I need to create space and time to remember who I want to be, how I want to be. I need to focus on their unique worth and integrity. I want to help them focus on that too. I need to remember that they hurt others because they've been hurt. I need to remember that children need love first. And second. And last. I need to remember that when their cups are full, they won't knock over other's cups so often. I need to remember that children are resilient, my own included. I want to remember that I have enough love for all the children under my roof even, no, especially, for the ones who challenge me the most.

June's Books

• Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray
• The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch
• The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth
• A Sense of Where You Are, by John McPhee
• House of Testosterone, by Sharon O'Donnell