From the Brink of Suicide: Why Society Should Talk About Mental Illness
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When I was a teenager, I was hanging out in my room one night when my mom came home really late. She quietly knocked and entered my bedroom. Her face was tear-stained and her voice cracked as she told me where she’d been. She had been attending the f... Read full article
From Boys to Young Men
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The day will come when they really feel they’ve found their soul mate or more likely, their love of the week. Either way, you have to prepare for mending a broken heart or teaching them how not to break someone’s heart.... Read full article
Teaching Children Respect
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As a veteran teacher, I’ve been asked many questions about how to teach children over the years, and only once have I been a bit stumped. The mother asked me, “How do you teach respect?” After a moment’s thought, my response was, “Every single day.”... Read full article
Mommy, I Don’t Quit
by Kelly Carmena on
It’s been almost five years now since I jumped on the fitness train. Six weeks postpartum from a very emotional pregnancy and delivery, I took to walking daily with my newborn daughter in tow.... Read full article
My Tribe: How I Found My Motivation Again
by Kelly Carmena on
“Mommy, I need to go on a diet and I want you to go on one with me,” were the words that escaped my seven-year-old’s mouth when I realized I had fallen off the healthy wagon and re-entered the zone of “fat.” My running had tapered off, I had failed t... Read full article
Parenting Through Grief
by Kelly G. Carmena on
Like most parents, 2020 presented my family with change beyond measure. In early March, just one week before COVID hit the United States and shut the entire world down, my mother unexpectedly left our physical world... Read full article
Understanding and Coping with the Holiday Blues
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When I was a child, I was obsessed with Christmas, like I suppose most kids are. But, I knew that when the song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” came on, things would get sad very quickly. As a first generation American, all I knew were small celebratio... Read full article
Life After Suicide Loss
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First Things First… Grieving is a process. You never “get over it.” You learn to face each day as a new day in your journey of surviving a suicide loss. People grieve in many different ways, but we all grieve in our own way and on our own schedule. ... Read full article
A Life Worth Following
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I cannot hope my children will be unconditionally loving parents without loving them unconditionally. I cannot hope my children will be authentic in their relationships while pretending in my own.... Read full article