I was changing Marilee's diaper today and I remembered that I had meant to try cloth diapers this time around. I had the same lofty thoughts when William was born. I did some research and talked with my friend Michelle who uses cloth diapers and thought about all the economic ...

Is it possible to have sex without having a relationship?

Dannah Gresh, writing for CNN's belief blog, says no. I recommend reading her entire essay, "There's Nothing Brief About a Hookup." To quote her at length:

[Oxytocin] is released during sexual expression. A tiny dose is ...

We were sitting around the dinner table and Peter reached over and rubbed Penny's arm.

"Why you do that, Dad?" she asked.

"It's a way of saying I love you," he said.

She nodded. A moment later, she reached over to Marilee and rubbed Marilee's arm. "I love you, Marilee."

The same ...

When I was little, my big sister Katey carried, snuggled, cooed at, tickled, and pushed me on the swing. She bickered with me over food, toys, attention, and pets. As a toddler, I looked up to Katey, fifteen years my senior. I wanted to wear her retainer and her big purple dress ...

Theoretically, I'm a big believer in "observing the Sabbath." I've read books about it, written articles about it ("No Shopping on Sundays") and tried to implement various practices such as not using our household appliances on Sundays. I believe the Sabbath is a gift and a ...

For most of my life, I attended private schools. I grew up taking a bus to a cinder block building 30 minutes away from our 5,000 person town. The bus stopped at a trailer park to pick up students along the way. Not exactly elitism, but still a school where tuition was required. ...

Is she ready?

Penny is five years old. She is starting to sound out simple words. She can identify all her letters and numbers. She can write her name and a few words. She loves school. And she has Down syndrome.

Is she ready?

I am planning to register her for kindergarten today. ...

"Sex Trafficking of Americans: The Girls Next Door" is a disturbing article in Vanity Fair about the young (very young) girls who are bought and sold for sex. And this isn't just happening overseas. The article focuses on two girls in Connecticut who found themselves trapped ...

As you may have noticed, the title of this blog is Thin Places, and the subtitle reads, "Amy Julia Becker on faith, family, and disability." You could use the Venn diagram to place most of my posts in at least one of those categories– every week I try to make sure that at least ...

If you had walked into our bedroom this morning, you would have found me sitting in the middle of our bed. My eyes were closed, my legs crossed in what yoga practitioners call "half-lotus" (and what my children call "criss-cross applesauce"). I was using "ujjayi" breathing, ...

I have a new article on Christianity Today's website, "A Christian Response to Overpopulation." I'm particularly interested in your response to the readers' comments. For instance, is any talk about overpopulation racist in nature? What responsibility do humans have in "controlling" ...

"Mary Frances, what is wrong with your hair today? It looks so weird, you really need to do something about it."

Ah, nothing like going to work and getting beauty advice from a seven-year old. Is this why I suffered through graduate school?

In my work with countless children as ...

My husband Peter is a runner. Five miles is a short run. He runs half marathons. He's training for some ungodly number of miles on sand later in the summer. He does a grueling track workout once a week. He loves running. And he generally runs at a pace of 7 minutes per mile ...

I'm not really losing my religion. Just seemed like a catchy title. In fact, I'm in far greater danger of losing my faith than my religion.

When I use the word "religion," I mean the theology behind Christianity as well as the external cultural practices associated with it. Theologically, ...

Five years ago, I sat in a theater watching little girls in tutus with tears streaming down my face. My response emerged in part from pride—my sister was the director of the dance studio and the girls were doing a beautiful job. But sadness lingered underneath those tears. Our ...