“Men are from Mars and Woman are from Venus.” They hit the nail on the head with that one.

“Carolyn and Sean , your book is the most beautiful love story I have ever read,” said a mom and reader who came up to us at a event we attended this past weekend.  These words were indeed humbling and caused me to reflect more deeply on the dynamic between me and Carolyn on this journey.  Our book is a real-life Mars and Venus story and by reading it, women can get a guy’s perspective on a pregnancy and its challenges, while men will receive important insight into a mother’s journey through a pregnancy and through a crisis. I have an entirely new understanding of Carolyn as a woman.   I gained more understanding and respect for her as a mother, a woman and a spouse in the last two years than I did the entire fifteen years of our marriage up to that point.    I can take little credit for my personal revelations as they were thrust upon me by that bombshell. However, our experience can surely turn into a learning experience for other couples as relationship challenges are navigated and each individual is seeking greater insight into the other’s viewpoint. (more…)

I believe in imparting financial lessons on children starting at a very young age.  Saving is a habit that can be taught young and one that will prove essential in ones financial development as an adult.  Carolyn and I are following the old and time-tested rules that we learned from our parents with our own children. And opportunities to learn can happen with just a few pennies. Sometimes with a little more.

Savage home confession: we’re hoarders.

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I’ve learned that there are pros and cons to inserting myself in the details of our children’s lives.  “Helicopter parents” hover over their children and protect them from developing their independence and decision-making skills.  I understand the desire to watch over our children closely, I just do not know if this is the best approach for their long term development. As Khalil Gibran writes in The Prophet, “your children are not your children.”  I believe us parents owe it to our children to give them independence and freedom.  They need to learn how to fly on their own.   But I just had a moment in which I abandoned the hands off approach and fired up the helicopter  myself. (more…)