BIOS

My name is Connie Norris and not only will I write for this blog, but I will publish it as well.  My parents were divorced when I was seven, giving me a very different family dynamic than most.  Although my parents were divorced, they remained friends for our sake.  My father remarried when I was eight giving me a terrific step-mother.  My Mom later remarried and again I got lucky with a wonderful step-father.  Although my father past away in 1990, I remain friends with my step-mother and her new husband and my children consider them grandparents.  My step-father passed away a few years ago, he was a great example for my sons of what a real man truly is.  My Mom is still the wonderful influence that shes always been.  I also have 2 brothers one older, one younger and 1 younger sister.  So now you see what I mean by a very different family dynamic.  

I got married when I was 25 and divorced at 32.  Three wonderful things that came out of that short lived marriage are my three wonderful boys, ages 12, 12, and 16... and yes they are twins!  These three boys are my life!  Each so different from the other and each teach me new things everyday.  

I've been through a lot as a woman and a lot as a parent.  I've been through three custody battles, abusive situations, and loads of loving.  My children and I are of the mind that love is more important that material things.  This doesn't mean that we don't enjoy material goods, its just if we had to choose between having money or things and love we would choose love every time.  

I hope that the things I write about give you something to laugh at, cry about, or learn something from.

I'd like to start out by introducing myself. 

My name is George Powers and I come from a large family. I have 2 sisters, one older, one younger along with 5 brothers, 2 older and 3 younger. We were poor growing up - your typical Irish Catholic family, we fit the stereotype with a drunken father who abused us.

I was married for over 17 years and recently divorced. I have 4 children of my own who were also raised Catholic. I served in the U.S. Army for over 13 years until I was injured in Iraq. 

I am now medically retired from service.

I feel that my background is diverse enough to talk about raising children and cover many topics that can help others who may or may not know what to do. I can also, where I feel it is necessary or relevant, put in humor into the blog. Yes, times may be hard but as kids and parents we have to laugh at the times where innocence and ignorance shine the brightest.

I can look back on my life as a child and laugh at all the crazy, insane things I did - the heart attack I almost gave my mother, the fights with my siblings, punishments and rewards. As I look at my own kids, I can cry over the times I wasn’t there but remember also the wonderful things we did together as a family, our vacations, the clever comments that were made, injuries and kisses.

The family itself is a unique creature all its own, with each child adding another dynamic to the mix. I am not saying that a smaller family is better or worse but as a large family we definitely keep everyone on their toes.

So pull up a chair, read along the insane stories, ask questions, or leave a comment or two. I will be more than happy to respond the best I can in my own humble opinion.

Before I get into me, let me share this with you first:

I have held many titles in my life so far but, I am insanely proud of one major title for just over seventeen and a half years...DAD!

My name is Sean Paul Sheldon and I am a 39 year old Dad to three amazing boys. They range in ages of seventeen, nine, and six. My oldest comes from my first marriage and although the union didn't quite work, I was blessed with my very first son who has done very well growing up the child of a divorced family. Luckily for him he has been blessed with a loving step mother and step father who have given him the love of a blood parent. In my view he has had the chance to have two sets of parents who care very deeply for him and have overcome hard feelings from the past and put them aside over time to worry about him and how he lives. My two younger sons have been the other blessings of my life and I have my wife to thank for them being such good hearted, decent, loving young men. My past is one of a boy from a large family (5 boys and 2 girls). My mother had myself and my 3 older brothers in her first marriage and added my younger sisters and brother in her second marriage. I recently learned that I also have another sister and two other brothers that are products of my birth father (sperm donater in my mind...lol). I'm only just beginning to get to know them but, so far they have been very kind and respectful of who I am and where I come from. I plan to do the same for them. My parents divorced when I was a teenager and my Dad had had one more son and daughter in his new marriage. So I have just a slightly odd history which I believe has only made me a little wiser and more aware that life is a much bigger picture than we will only hope to know and understand. With that I must add that I am not a professional therapist or any other title that says you should take advice from me...I'm simply a Father with kids who hopes that my sharing with you might be of some type of help or even a smile when you may be feeling down. In that I thank the creator of this site (Connie) for having the foresight to invite other parents who are willing to give some of themselves...Thank you Connie! And good reading to you all!

Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya.....Ok It's not, but sometimes it feels like it. My real name is Jason DiDonato and I have been married for 16 years, which I think is impressive coming from my background. My parents divorced when I was 2ish and my mom remarried a year later. From that marriage I gained a sister and a brother. Unfortunately, when I was 18 that marriage fell apart and my mom remarried a few years later. In the meantime when I was 8 my dad moved to California and he remarried a couple years after arriving out west and from that marriage I gained 2 bothers. Now if you are still with me and not confused raise your hand? Ok, good.....as I was saying I have been married for 16 years and my parental world includes a daughter who at 14 is well on her way to driving me insane with these teenage years and my son who is 11 and diagnosed with autism and ADHD. My goal is to share with you many ideas and experiences that I have had to hopefully help you on your own insane parental trip.

 My name is Lee-Anne Howell, I live in South Australia.  I'm the mother of an adult son, aged 29.  I raised him practically by myself, so it has always been just him and me. We've had plenty of trials and tribulations along the way, let me tell you. I'm really amazed that both of us survived the journey. I have been working with children for about 15 years now, including private nanny work with a special needs child, and after school hours care.  Currently, I am working two jobs, both part time. One is in a childcare centre, where I work with a special needs girl, she is a total joy.  The other job, which will be taking up the rest of my summer is in Vacation Care.  This job involves caring for children between 5 and 13 in a holiday program.

We host activities for them each day, and also go on excursions to the movies and entertainment parks, animal parks, swimming pools, etc.  Probably it is a bit like summer camp in the USA.  Our job is not only to entertain and care for the children, but to foster co-operation, friendship, and respect.

In my spare time, I like to read, I love music, and am always on the hunt for new artists.  I dabble in painting when the mood strikes me, I like surfing the net, and of course, facebook and chatting. I love going out for coffee and the movies with my friends, and my very favourite thing to do, is to slouch on the couch on a cold winter day watching the best game in the world:  which is Australian Rules Football.

I'm a single parent in a single bathroom home with a 6'1" fifteen year old son whose single goal in life is to turn my red hair gray. Actually he's pretty terrific but watching him grown has been one adventure after another.  I love him more than life.. but there are times when the only way to respond to another of his "adventures" is with a laugh.  And so that is what I do.  I hope you enjoy my slightly sarcastic but always loving view from the mom's seat.