August 17
The Back-to-School Total, and the Shoes Caleb Wanted
We spent $301.37 on school things for two kids on Saturday, and one pair of gray sneakers took more of my thinking than the other $210.
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 7.
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
August 16
My Eight-Year-Old Asked What a Temple Dedication Is For
Elder Bednar dedicated the Cleveland Ohio Temple today. Here's how I'd explain a dedication, a cornerstone and a dedicatory prayer to a child.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
August 15
What to Say When Your Child Falls Apart Over a Tiny Mistake
Kids who melt down over a smudge or a wrong answer don't need a speech. Here's what I do in the moment and the sentences I've quit using.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
August 14
What I Say When My Child Lies to My Face
A lie at home lands differently than one in a classroom. Here's what I've learned to do so the next truth is easier for my kids to tell.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
August 13
Caleb Asked Whether Job's Children Did Something Wrong
This week's Come, Follow Me reading is Job. Bildad's answer to a grieving father is the one a child reaches for first, and it's worth knowing why it fails.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
August 12
When Mom Says No and Dad Says Yes
A woman at a baby shower said parents should never disagree in front of the kids. I think that's half wrong, and here's what David and I do about the rest.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
August 11
David Said None of the New Sunday Schedule Touches the Kids
We watched the new Sunday schedule videos on Monday night, and the people getting a shorter class in my house turned out to be the grown-ups.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
August 10
A Combination Lock Is the Best Sixth-Grade Prep I Know
The nine days before school are enough to practice the locker, line up one friend and plan a quiet first evening for a nervous sixth grader.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
August 9
Making a Friend in a Ward Takes More Than One Invitation
Telling new mothers to put themselves out there gives them a job with no handle on it. Here's what I'd try instead, and why I'd try it twice.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
August 8
Our Ministering Assignment Went Nowhere for a Year
We had two sisters on our ministering list and no evenings to give them. Here's what finally worked, and what I'd tell anyone stuck in the same spot.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa