3 steps to foster a love of books starting from birth! “What can I do now to prepare my children to succeed in school?” I’m often asked when I speak to MOPS groups. In this age of computerized everything, my low-tech answer raises eyebrows. “Books and reading…followed by more books and more reading…and after that, even more books and even more reading!” is my standard reply. Thanks to Jim Trelease’s Read Aloud Handbook (http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/), Daniel and I became fanatical about Family Reading Time when our kids were just 2 and 4. We quit watching TV and spent 1-2 hours per …
When parenting means… having a gentle answer
Some days, parenting is hard. That was my exhausted thought as I drove my daughter home from swim team one night. The whole day had been a battle. I can’t even remember as I write this what the issues were, but it just seemed like everything was a challenge that day. Maybe it was because we had a busy schedule and I was being impatient. Or maybe it was because she’s a pre-teen and she’s becoming more independent. Whatever the reason, I was frustrated. She was mad. And it was one of those days. There we were, driving along on …
10 Reasons Why I Can’t Be a Mentor
“Where are all the Titus 2 women?” my 28 year-old self asked. I remember it like it was yesterday but that was 21 years ago and now my boys are men. Yesterday, I had a conversation with a mother who asked the same thing. And while there seems to be a resurgence of women who are ready and willing to take on the Titus 2 mantle, many of them still wait in the wings wondering if it’s it is realistic to think they can be a mentor. You see, while we know it’s what we are called to, we also …
Why Having “The Talk” Is Not Enough
There is no question the culture in most developed nations is sexually charged. Sex sells everything from shampoo and deodorant to lawn mowers. According to a report by Harris Interactive in 2007 68% of TV shows have explicit sexual content. The “wardrobe malfunction” of the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show reminds us that even sporting events are not safe. In a world where our young girls are being sexualized (see Toddlers and Tiaras), is it reasonable to think that one sex talk is enough to combat what our culture throws at our kids daily? Instead I challenge you to begin …
10 Questions To Help You Parent With A Plan And A Purpose
“Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (Amplified) What would your life look like if you had a vision for your life and for your family? Most of us tend to let life happen and respond to each day as it comes. And at times, we get so caught up in the dailies that it’s hard to do anything else. But what if we looked at parenting our children through the lens of who we long …
Choices
That afternoon changed everything. Our happy, church-going family was suddenly thrown into unimaginable pain. Like so many of my sweet sisters in Christ, this was the afternoon I stumbled upon porn on our computer, and the pornography ended up to be just the tip of the iceberg. It seemed each day brought new, unimaginable confessions from my husband. I was plunged into pain so deep and heavy I could hardly breathe. The shock that this could have come from my husband, practiced in my own home, was incomprehensible. Where was God in this? Why didn’t He protect me? And what …
The Eyes of a Child
She’s covered in Spanish moss. So’s the carpet. I move a couple chairs in front of the silk ficus and brush off and pick up what I can. I direct her attention to the stacking rings. I stack them. She dismantles them. I stack again. She dismantles again. The cat distracts her. She squawks and grabs. Tries to suck tail. Cat scurries away, and she crawls after. But the laundry basket snags her attention. She pulls herself up on her knees and leans over the edge. She flings a white washcloth and a lavender glove and a blue sock and …
Stop. Breathe.
A misty drizzle spritzes the window while I relax in the recliner and listen to my children’s laughter. When what to my wandering eye should appear, but a miniature sleigh and…Oops! I guess I got too relaxed for a moment. It’s a rare occurrence these days to have time to daydream. I’m a freelance writer and editor, but I also homeschool my children. School’s in full session, as is all the busy-ness that accompanies this season of life. We have classes, gymnastics, Taekwondo, baseball games, church events and sleepovers. Not to mention deadlines, doctor appointments, Bible studies and holidays. Complicate …
Packing a Young Person’s Heart
Last Friday we took our daughter on a college visit. Serene lawns and still hallways echoed the time year: Spring Break. As we toured the campus, thoughts about our sweet girl’s future exploded in my mind like kernels in an air popper. I longed to see some students as evidence that when kids grow up they’re okay. But they were on Spring Break. Inside the dorms, our guide was kind (bold? crazy?) enough to show us several rooms where it looked like the Rapture had taken place. Books, guitars, clothes, pizza pans, and shoes littered the floors and beds. There …
Are You A Frazzled Mom?
By Featured Guest: Amanda Beth Sometimes I feel like I’m running a hundred miles an hour in fifty different directions, but not getting anywhere. Do you ever feel that way? Since having my fourth child two years ago, I’ve been worn down. It’s almost impossible to do anything without having to constantly stop and take care of something. Even when I started typing this post, I had to stop and break up two fights, put one kid in time out TWICE, fix a broken toy, and clean up not one spill, but THREE spills (not joking!). A five minute …