MSI Press Blog

  Many morning prayers ask God for protection, guidance, or strength. The prayer “Take my shame away from me” touches something deeper. Shame can be one of the heaviest burdens we carry because it affects not only what we think we have done, but who we believe we are. What Is Shame? Shame is the painful feeling that something is wrong with us. Unlike guilt, which says, “I did something bad,” shame says, “I am bad.” Guilt focuses on an action. Shame attacks identity. A person may feel guilt after speaking harshly to a friend. A person feels shame when they conclude that because they spoke harshly, they are unworthy of friendship, forgiveness, or love. This distinction matters because guilt can motivate change. Shame often paralyzes it. Is There More Than One Kind of Shame? Not all shame is the same. Healthy Shame Some traditions speak of a healthy form of shame. This is really a form of moral awareness. It is the inner discomfort that tells us we have strayed from our values and n...

  Responsibility isn’t taught through humiliation. It’s learned through connection, observation, and cause and effect. Shame-based discipline — the kind that says “You’re careless,” or “You always mess up” — doesn’t build responsibility. It builds fear. Children who are shamed learn to hide mistakes, lie to avoid punishment, and disconnect from their own sense of agency. They don’t learn to do better; they learn to disappear. Natural consequences, on the other hand, teach accountability without humiliation. They link action to outcome in a way that feels fair and human. What Natural Consequences Look Like “The milk spilled, so let’s clean it together.” → Teaches cooperation and problem-solving. “You forgot your homework, so you’ll need to explain that to your teacher.” → Teaches ownership and communication. “You left your bike in the rain, and now the chain is rusty.” → Teaches care and foresight. Each of these moments connects behavior to reality, not to shame. The chil...

  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 . This week, Franki discusses  The Shame Inside The ADHD Brain . 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 book to read as if it's a casual conversation and pep talk between two parents over coffee. Franki is raw, authentic, and honest about ...

  There comes a time in every emotionally avoidant person’s life when they stand up, metaphorically or literally, and say: “I am feeling this.” Not “I’m fine,” not “It’s nothing,” not “Let’s move on.” Just: “I feel this.” That’s the Spartacus Moment. Named after the iconic scene where enslaved men rise one by one to declare “I am Spartacus,” this moment in emotional development is less about rebellion and more about reclamation. It’s when we stop outsourcing our emotional truth to silence, sarcasm, or stoicism—and instead, own it. Publicly. Unequivocally. 🗣️ From Shame to Solidarity For many of us, emotions were something to manage, mask, or minimize. Vulnerability felt like weakness. Expressing pain felt like burdening others. But the Spartacus Moment flips the script. It says: “If I name my feeling, maybe someone else will recognize theirs too.” This isn’t just personal growth—it’s communal healing. When one person dares to say, “I’m grieving,” others feel permission to say...