MSI Press Blog

In her blog post this week, Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor , makes some suggestions for  When you’re unsure and asking, “What should I do?” Book Description What if labor-raw, painful, and unpredictable-wasn't something to be feared or managed, but something to be  learned from ? What if motherhood wasn't about doing everything the way the experts tell you but about growing as a person? In  Lessons of Labor , Julia invites readers into the intimate, unfiltered stories of her three births and one miscarriage, each illuminating different key turning points in her journey through motherhood. But this is not a how-to guide. It doesn't offer advice or prescriptions. Instead, it offers something more powerful: an honest exploration of how birth and motherhood, with all their chaos and intensity, can become one of life's most profound teachers. With grace and vulnerability, Julia challenges the cultural obsession with control-especially among women who strive to "...

  There’s a quiet truth many parents carry but rarely say aloud: you can love your chil dren with every fiber of your being and still, at times, not like them very much.  Especially when they’re tearing into each other like rival raccoons over a banana peel. Sibling conflict has a way of igniting something primal in us. The bickering, the tattling, the relentless one-upmanship—it can feel like living inside a reality show with no commercial breaks. And when the behavior turns mean-spirited or manipulative, it’s not just frustrating. It’s heartbreaking. Because we know who they are underneath it all. We’ve seen their tenderness, their creativity, their capacity for joy. We’ve held them through fevers and nightmares. We’ve watched them share snacks with stray cats and cry over broken toys. We know they’re good. But in those moments of cruelty or chaos, it’s hard to reconcile that goodness with the behavior in front of us. And here’s the kicker: when they treat each other poor...

Today's shared blog post comes from Franki Bagdade, author of the award-winning book,  I Love My Kids, But I Don't Always Like Them . In her post, Franki offers free resources for parents -- and a chance to win the full emotional regulation workbook, but you have to register for them today. Take a look at what she is offering HERE . For more posts by and about Franki, click  HERE . Book Description: Selected as Independent Authors' Network Book of the Year as the Outstanding Parenting Book and winner of the Literary Titan Gold Award, I Love My Kids, But I Don't Always Like Them, is the ultimate survival guide for parents living through one of the strangest times in history. This " how to guide" will support you even if you are exhausted and burnt out in improving your child(ren)'s behavior. Written by an expert with 20 years of experience in behavioral observation in the classroom, in overnight camp, and more. Franki's storyteller cadence helps the boo...

  There’s a quiet ache that lives in every parent’s heart—the not knowing. Will they thrive? Will they heal from this heartbreak? Will they remember the words I whispered when they were half-asleep and hurting? Parenthood doesn’t come with guarantees. It comes with grace for the unknown. 🌙 The Myth of Certainty We chase certainty because it offers comfort. It makes us feel like we’re doing parenting “right.” But certainty is often a mirage. Kids change. We change. What worked yesterday may falter tomorrow. And every so often, a curveball reminds us we’re not steering the entire ship—we’re helping shape someone who will chart their own course. Uncertainty isn’t the enemy. It’s evidence that your child is growing, becoming, unfolding. 🧭 Parenting as Pilgrimage Think of parenting not as a road map, but as a pilgrimage—sacred, winding, and filled with moments that ask you to walk by faith, not by sight. The detours matter. The delays teach. The unpredictability builds something withi...