I have a photo of my great grandmother on my bookshelf. She looks over the living room with my great grandfather by her side and I wonder what she was really like. I’ve heard many stories, and I know she was strong-minded and strong-willed. I know she was a circuit school teacher on the prairies of Kansas at the end of the 19th century and she rode from school to school with a rifle over the saddle. And I know she raised three daughters who later poured into my life–my grandmother and great aunts. These women are part of our family lore, and we tell their stories to my nieces, and to my nephews, too. This week I seemed to find many pieces on women and girls, but the articles below are not just for those of you with daughters.

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It’s Okay Not to Bloom Where You’re Planted

Lore Ferguson Wilbert reflects on Christie Purifoy’s book, Placemaker.

I am an unashamed re-reader. I’ve read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle no fewer than five times, The Supper of the Lamb about three times. Annie’ Dillard’s American Childhood several times over and pick any of L’Engles and I’ve read them all multiple times. Eugene Peterson will never grow old for me, neither will Lewis, Robinson, Updike, O’Connor, or Norris.
It’s rare that I find a contemporary book I’ll read a few times over, but this past week I picked up Christie Purifoy’s Placemaker again.
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My Child Is A Theoflect: Six Things You Need To Know

Joshua Gibbs explores raising a child with this unique personality type.

ou’ve probably met people with theoflective personalities before, but maybe only once or twice in your whole life. This is because people with theoflective personalities, also known as theoflects, are some of the most rare and important people in the world today. Fewer than one in five thousand people manifest theoflective personalities, although they may be even more uncommon than that. However, my daughter is one of them. My daughter is a theoflect.
Because theoflects are so rare, they are often misunderstood.
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Two Truths and a Lie About Feelings

Courtney Reissig feels her way through transition.

In the stress of the move, I felt out of control. The noise in the house rose (because I have four small children), so the noise in my head rose too. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. The tension boiled to the surface until it spilled over into guttural screams of frustration. I looked over at the four little people staring at me in terror, tears forming in their eyes, and I was crushed. I knew that I had responded in anger and frustration. I knew I had hurt them. I knew I had grieved God. But I had no idea how I could have responded any differently. In those moments, the constant refrain echoes in my head:
“It’s just the way I am. I can’t help the way I feel.”
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Picture Books about Women in History

There have been quite a few remarkable women in the course of history, and these picture books highlight a good number of them.

Want to read some good picture book biographies of women in history? You’ve come to the right place. This book list of books about famous women (and some not-famous-but-should be) are the perfect way to inspire your children: both girls and boys!
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Be More Human

Zach Franzen reminds us of our humanity.

There is a thought I hear quite often. It’s presented with such confidence that those who say it seem to think the matter settled. This is how it goes: humans are most human when they surrender to their appetites and abandon all to instinct. To resist one’s impulse is to deny one’s self. Remarkably, this sounds similar to the way we understand animals to be.
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Let There Be Owls Everywhere: A Review

Glen McCarty reviews Ken Priebe’s new book of poetry.

When is a collection of poetry more than words and rhymes? When it’s a book from illustrator and poet Ken Priebe, it’s likely there are also going to be unforgettable characters, puns and wit galore, and a lot of great memories being made by young people and families as they turn the pages together.
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Something to Do with Your Kids

February is Black History Month and gives us a reminder to look at all the ways so many remarkable individuals have made an impact on our culture and society. If you’re looking for ways to get more out of it, check out these activities.