September 24
Talking to Kids About a Grandparent Who Is Slowing Down
Kids notice a slowing grandparent before any adult says so. What to tell them, how to shorten the Sunday call, and the small jobs they can do.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
Autumn · October
Every essay, every home note.
The complete archive of Melissa Whitaker's essays and reflections on LDS Family Life, organized around family discipleship, honest motherhood, marriage, faith at home, and the home rhythms that shape a family over time. Showing older posts, page 3.
Family discipleship
Practical essays on prayer, scripture study, Sabbath patterns, and building a faithful home culture in ordinary life.
Motherhood & marriage
First-person reflections on parenting, emotional honesty, family fatigue, closeness, and raising children without performance.
Home rhythms
Home notes on homemaking, hospitality, steadiness, and the spiritual texture of ordinary family routines.
Essays
September 23
I Don't Buy That Whispering a Testimony Is Just Practice
Feeding a child her lines at the pulpit gets you a nice moment and a borrowed sentence. Here's what I do now when mine want to stand up.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 22
A Principal Asked Me at Smith's If I'd Come Back and Sub
I haven't been in a classroom as the teacher in over a decade, and Ben is two. Here's how I'm weighing a question asked over the bagged apples.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 21
The Barcelona Temple Ceremony Was Livestreamed in Catalan
Ground was broken for the Barcelona Spain Temple on Saturday. What Caleb and Lily asked about the photos, and a neighbor I once had from Barcelona.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 20
Emma's Little Sister Asked About the Horse, Not the Baptisms
My oldest came home from Brazil and her younger brother and sister ask her things they'd never ask me. I'm trying to stay out of the way.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 19
A Hungry Eight-Year-Old at Noon on Fast Sunday
Three of you asked when to start a child fasting and what to do when she's cross by noon. Here's what I've settled on, and what I haven't.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 18
Caleb Asked If He Has to Wear a White Shirt Every Week
Caleb turns twelve in February and the questions have started. Here's what I've been telling him, and what I've decided to leave out.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 17
Ben Is Six Weeks From Three and the Crib Has to Go
Ben is almost three, and the move out of the crib is coming. What I'm doing first, what I'm skipping, and what Biscuit has to say about it.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 16
I Don't Buy That a Stomach Bug Shows You What Matters
Everyone says a sick week shows you what counts. I think it only shrinks the list. What I keep on hand, and what I remember of my mother's week.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 15
She Asked If Her Baptism Still Counted After a Small Lie
My eight-year-old confessed a fudged reading log, then asked the question underneath it. What Isaiah 1:18 says about shame, and what I'd say again.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa