And learned a deep truth in the process — I am a meditator . . . of sorts. I’m not the Buddhist monk meditator or the hippie guru meditator. I’m the middle-aged mom meditator. I usually use an app when I meditate. And I don’t sit in lotus pose because it makes my ankles hurt. The only nod I…

I’m Not a Real Parenting Expert, I Just Play One on Medium. — It happened again yesterday. I was having coffee with a mom friend, just chatting about the various trials and tribulations of motherhood. My friend said, “Well, this is what you do for a living. So you know how to handle it.” …

So, here’s what I’m doing wrong now. — My son turned 18 last week. It’s a huge milestone. He's still a teenager. He hasn’t finished high school yet. But in many aspects, he could be considered a fully formed adult. He can vote. He has to register for the draft. And as he turned 18, my husband and…

Someday By Mariah Carey — This selection may be even more embarrassing than MMMBop, but it’s on the playlist and I made a commitment so here we go. My name is Tonya and I have an embarrassing Mariah Carey song on my running playlist. If you’re just joining in, I’m sharing the deep message that…

I just wish I had known to save some patience to myself. — Ever been convinced you knew how something worked only to realize you had it wrong? Yeah, me neither. Okay … it has happened to me once or twice or 600 times. Here’s just the latest example. I stumbled across something I wrote a few years ago, and literally cringed as…

Sometimes a lack of anxiety can be a problem — I talk about anxiety a lot. Like really a lot. Especially about kids who struggle with anxiety. It’s not just my job, I’m also pretty passionate about the topic. I often find myself sharing with anyone who will listen that anxiety is normal. That everyone feels anxious at times. That…

But not for the reason you think — As we enter week 7,034 of the pandemic, I find myself thinking about resilience. re·sil·ience /rəˈzilyəns/ noun. The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Right now, resilience is something I need more than ever. …

The Middle by Jimmy Eat World — Welcome to the fourth installment in my quest to find the deep manifesto-worthy life lesson in every song in my playlist. I’ve talked about MMMBop and You Can Call Me Al. Today, it’s this peppy tune from Jimmy Eat World, The Middle. I originally pulled up this song on Apple…

It was in an empty box in the freezer. — I assume all parents have a few pet peeves. Things that send them into orbit. Things kids feel like they’ve heard their parents rant about for their entire lives. I certainly do. Mine are wet towels on the floor, clean clothes in the dirty laundry basket, and empty containers in…