Well-Read Mom
Reading and the Receptive Capacity of a Woman’s Soul Written by Carolyn Seida “Why do you read novels? Do they change the way you live?” My husband’s question caught me off guard. I don’t remember the answer I gave, but I kept coming back to his question. I was deep into Wuthering Heights, and this…
In June 2025, my dad, a 56-year-old healthy father of eight kids, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. At the time, I was six months pregnant with our fourth child. My husband had lost his job, gotten a new job, and started a business all within two weeks of my dad’s diagnosis. I was feeling lost and very alone.
After six fast-paced, exciting, and chaotic years of getting married, landing my first teaching job, welcoming two babies, completing my graduate degree, moving to a new town, and beginning a new job, a quietness settled over my life. As I looked around, I realized I had everything I once believed would fill my heart and bring me happiness: a beautiful family, a supportive community, and a job I loved….
When I was a little girl, my favorite summer pastime was to sit underneath the tree that my Grandpa Harry had planted in our backyard and read a book that had been carefully selected from the children’s section of the Bexley Public Library. The sunshine illuminated…
Re-Reading Christy as an adult makes me feel as though I’ve known two Christys, or two versions of the same story.
During the Year of the Teacher, I found that reading with my kids taught me even more than reading with my friends did.
To cap off our Year of the Teacher, we feature a conversation between Marcie Stokman, Colleen Hutt, and Dale Ahlquist, president of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton.
When I watched Janel, Marcie, and Nicole reveal the theme for the 2025-2026 reading year of Well-Read Mom on social media, I cried. The reaction surprised me; it felt almost overly dramatic. But as I sat and reflected on what teachers have meant to me, the deeply emotional response made sense.
Reflection on The Chosen (1981) Movie Night Written by Kathryn Skillett We gathered in the family room, with a huge bowl of popcorn on the table between us, my friends and I. What elements, we asked together before the movie began, were absolutely essential for the movie if we were to call it a successful…
My family loves taking road trips. My boys have grown up accustomed to the 700-mile drive from Kansas City (where we live) to Austin, Texas (where my husband is from) and so have become excellent travelers.