Tonilyn Hornung

2 months ago | buzzfeed.com | Tonilyn Hornung

Parents·Posted 1 minute agoThis parenting style helped my little one during big emotional moments — until its soothing magic vanished. Morsa Images / Getty Images “He’s very hard on himself,” my 11-year-old’s teacher said during our first-semester conference, “and often this frustration brings him to tears.” We sat in a weird quiet as my son’s teacher filled the space with an apologetic smile — a small consolation for what felt like my big parenting fail.

2 months ago | huffingtonpost.co.uk | Tonilyn Hornung

"He's very hard on himself," my 11-year-old's teacher said during our first-semester conference, "and often this frustration brings him to tears." We sat in a weird quiet as my son's teacher filled the space with an apologetic smile - a small consolation for what felt like my big parenting fail. I sank further down into my kid-sized seat as my brain scrambled to give a valid reason for my son's stress. Instead of words coming out of my mouth, I managed a nod and more silence.

2 months ago | huffpost.com | Tonilyn Hornung

“He’s very hard on himself,” my 11-year-old’s teacher said during our first-semester conference, “and often this frustration brings him to tears.” We sat in a weird quiet as my son’s teacher filled the space with an apologetic smile — a small consolation for what felt like my big parenting fail. I sank further down into my kid-sized seat as my brain scrambled to give a valid reason for my son’s stress. Instead of words coming out of my mouth, I managed a nod and more silence.

Mar 17, 2025 | buzzfeed.com | Tonilyn Hornung

Parents·Posted 1 minute agoAfter a decade, I’m still not prepared for the grief motherhood brings. Mrs / Getty Images “I love you!” I shouted out the car window as my son walked into his first day of middle school. Maybe he didn’t hear me, or maybe it was an early case of “tween embarrassment,” but his usual huge smile back was replaced by the tiniest of smirks. Wow. That was different.

Mar 17, 2025 | yahoo.com | Tonilyn Hornung

“I love you!” I shouted out the car window as my son walked into his first day of middle school. Maybe he didn’t hear me, or maybe it was an early case of “tween embarrassment,” but his usual huge smile back was replaced by the tiniest of smirks. Wow. That was different. My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, and I couldn’t escape the truth: My not-so-little guy was one step closer to high school and too many steps away from the toddler who wouldn’t let me out of his sight.