Michelle Hensman lives in Jacksonville and writes a blog about parenting called Family Views. We sat in a sea of fragmented red, green and gold wrapping paper. My husband and I were content with our coffee as we watched our children explore all the little gifts they missed as they tore through their stockings. After the adrenaline rush of the gift giving and receiving […]
I enjoy observing and learning from parents of all ages and stages. I’m fascinated as I study the unique ways they organize, educate, and inspire their families. After years of doing this, I’ve identified some distinct stages of parenting and some very clear difference between rookie and veteran moms you may […]
Every generation of children and parents have experienced some sort of grief based on generalized behavior and chosen parenting style. I imagine the Cave Dwelling Generation told their Hunting & Gathering Generation children that their Stone Age Generation children were doomed dreamers, wasting their time chiseling away, at what, a wheel? […]
From September to June, we play the part. We diligently go through another school year. We make sure the kids have shining new supplies, presentable clothes, (unless you have teenagers) and healthy snacks, (which is more for us, because we all know they prefer Oreos over homemade anything!) We plan and […]
Independent, proactive, tenacious, innovative, adventurous, courageous, energetic, creative, spontaneous, curious, confident, persistent; all essential qualities for an entrepreneur or business mogul.
Growing up, my dad had a funny way of teaching me to be both accountable and self aware; when things went awry and I proceeded to blame someone or something else, he would say, “I don’t want to be the one to mention names, but the initials of the person at fault is Michelle Elizabeth Gregg,”
I’ve been working on this article since Christmas Eve when our dog of 12 years passed away. Since then and up until the last couple weeks, we’ve been grieving and I’ve been trying to make sense of why we are all so broken-hearted over an animal?
From the time we accept responsibility for our little darlings we want nothing but the best for them. We devote our lives to making sure their experiences are both enduring and valuable. We recall our own experiences and use them as lessons to teach our children what to do and what not to do...
By mid-October family life seems to get back into the full swing of things. School schedules are in place...
I like to think of the parenting journey like a road trip across the country. There are major highways and interstates where...
At quarter past one in the morning my boys woke up shocked and dismayed to find my husband and me aiming our flash lights...
This August is the start of the third year for the Family Views column…
A couple of years back, my son tried out for an elite, exclusive athletic team. He was the star player on his previous team...
Parents, it’s a good idea to be aware of the social and political messages your children are learning from the radio or their iPod and it’s also another way for you to understand and connect with them.
Instead of having THE talk, we have several conversations about the facts of life...
“Come on in boy, sit on down and tell me about yourself. So you like my daughter do you now? Yeah, we think she’s something else. She’s her daddy’s girl, her mamma’s world, she deserves respect; that’s what she’ll get, ain’t it son? Hey y’all run along and have some fun, I’ll see you when […]
I have been waiting six months to share this column...
Ruch K-8 School is known for its parental involvement...
Our children need to understand the fallacy of entitlement...
We referred to our boys as #1 and #2, with affection towards them and as homage to our love for Star Trek...
Adolescents must rely on their underdeveloped or inexperienced instincts...
I know this is not popular, it’s totally taboo...
Family Views, July 2012
There’s no other time during the year that parents feel so underappreciated than after the Fourth of July when all the novelty of summer, the 24/7 friends, eating junk food, hanging at the park, staying up late, and sleeping in has worn off. It’s when all the […]
A night out in fabulous downtown Jacksonville! It was a kid-less and it was going to be magical!
Then everything is so clear, I need a get-away!
Spanking is a highly charged, controversial form of discipline...
Did you know the interesting history of leprechauns?
Mt. Honeymoon is the glorious peak where Cupid abandons his dazed victims...
I was quickly whisked away into a deep sleep and a most peculiar dream…
It’s time for highly-anticipated, always underestimated, never a dull moment, Holiday Family Gatherings!
Great tips and solutions for sibling rivalry (with some humor)...