Emotional manipulation can be difficult to recognize when you’re in a relationship. While it can become toxic and emotionally abusive, it often begins as an unhealthy relationship dynamic rooted in low self-esteem, poor emotional regulation, or a lack of emotional intelligence. What Is Emotional Manipulation? Emotional manipulation is “the use of deceptive, indirect, or coercive…
Friendships come in all forms from all different seasons of life. Your childhood friends, those you grew up with since elementary school, to those you played sports with during high school. Then comes college friends, roommates, friends of friends, not to mention friendships you may develop with co-workers or any other groups you belong with….
Fatherhood often comes with an unspoken expectation: be strong, provide for your family, and put everyone else’s needs before your own. But over time, constantly putting yourself last can leave you running on empty. The truth is, one of the greatest gifts you can give your children isn’t being perfect – it’s showing them what…
I have come to think a father-son relationship is built less in the big moments than in the small, repeated ones — but on the night this story begins, I knew none of that yet. It was a particular evening, many years ago. A low point — maybe the lowest — in my life as…
One of the best things in life is having a day with your girls. Although you enjoy your loved ones, it’s nice to take a day off and do something fun. Not only does it feel good to be free of responsibilities for a day, but it’s also good for your emotional and mental health….
When it comes to Father’s Day, do you find yourself devoting all of your attention to helping your kids celebrate dad? Maybe this means supervising the making of homemade cards, grocery shopping, and preparing a bacon-centric breakfast in bed, or coming up with Pinteresting gift ideas. There’s no question that we moms need to encourage…
June is officially the start of Pride Month. For many Christians, this can be a time of uneasiness. While Christians should not accept homosexuality, we should not be mean or hateful towards them. Jesus wants us to love all people as He does, and this includes homosexuals. Since this is true, we as Christians need…
Early in my marriage to my Christian alcoholic spouse, I snuck a go-bag into the trunk of my car. Twenty years later, I reflected back on that time period with a friend who’d been married to an abusive man. She had also driven with a go-bag in her car. I looked at her and said,…
There is something so special about summer that is not captured at any other time of the year; we feel renewed and energetic! At least I do, as the winter chill lifts and those hot nights settle in. I want to be out more—exploring, absorbing, enjoying — the few months of the year when the…
When I find myself on my high horse, I remind my heart that all sin deserves judgment. This means each of us is only saved because of Christ, and each of us can only make right, holy decisions because of the Spirit. This spiritual understanding applies to all sinners, no matter how minor their record….