It’s 3:00 in the afternoon….do you know what you’re having for dinner? If fast food restaurants are currently flashing in your mind, let me introduce to you a new way of cooking. Freeze ahead meals. The Betty Crocker or June Clever era is over, gone are the days of spending hours over cook books, planning meals, and creating gourmet suppers that you have on your nicely dressed table, with neatly dressed and quiet little kids. Instead my days are filled with the frenzy of shuffling kids from one appointment, to the next activity, while stuffing laundry into some convenient closet, …
A Tough Kind of Love
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. –Galatians 6:7 One of the most difficult facets of parenting is found in moments of having to demonstrate tough love. One such form of tough love is in allowing our children to take full responsibility for their actions, including any consequences that ensue. As a mom, it is often much easier to jump in and run interference or make excuses for our child’s behavior than it is to allow him or her to go through the pain of the consequences. It starts …
She Calls Me Friend
“Come on in and have a seat. Let me pour you a cup of this! Let’s chat.” What woman doesn’t enjoy those words; either from another woman that she just met or one that’s been a friend for a while? How many of us long for such an exchange? THAT is friendship at its best. That is what enriches our souls as women. I know that God is my ultimate source of unconditional comfort, but He also put in us a desire for companionship here on earth. It seems at times that it’s the most difficult to find and cultivate those …
Show Me Your Friends, I’ll Show You Your Future
Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV In our home, when faced with making a decision or setting rules for our children, we tend to measure them by two categories: negotiable and non-negotiable. Here is an example of a negotiable: My middle son Jake, at thirteen, was a drummer in a worship band. As a band member the only garments he wanted to wear were hideous skinny jeans, a t-shirt and an equally hideous headband. As a mom who, in some ways, took pride in how our family presented ourselves, this was a hard …
There is No One Right Way
My belly bulged and my heart swelled. Excitement tingled in my every pore. I had everything mapped out in my head. Excitedly I typed out a birth plan – full of my ideals of natural birth and no needles in my back. My husband and I took a natural child-birthing class. I read parenting books and listened to seasoned friends. I knew what I would and wouldn’t do. I thought I was a prepared mommy. Then my stubborn first-born chose not to come. A week after my due date my doctor induced my labor and my labor did not follow …
Parenting out of the Pit of Addiction
It hadn’t been long since she arrived at the shelter, this young mother of four whose face showed years of experience beyond her age. With her eyes down, we worked on a felt scarf and ate cookies. Sorting colored beads, we picked through the bowl together. She began to share pieces of her story with every bead she chose. Spousal abuse led to despondence, to single substance abuse, to more substances, to corrupt companions, to more violence, to total loss in the pit of addiction. As she whispered the names of separated children through quivering lips she said, “I’ve done …
10 Scripture Memory Tips
Have you’ve ever wanted to memorize Scripture but didn’t think you had the time? Have you ever wished you could come up with an easy way to help your kids memorize Scripture. Memorizing the Word doesn’t have to be hard. Using the ideas below, you and your family can make Scripture memory fun as hide God’s Word in your hearts together! 1. Take your weekly memory verse with you wherever you go. Review it at every stoplight. You’ll be surprised how much you retain! If the family is in the car together, take turns saying your memory verse at each …
Fostering in our Future
Over 500 children in Knox County are cared for by foster parents, but more await loving homes. One mom opened her heart and home to children in need of love and found that her own birth family received the blessing, too. With so many children worldwide in need of a home, maybe fostering will be part of God’s beautiful future for you. By Featured Guest: Tara Dovenbarger “I could never do that.” As a foster mom I hear these five words in my daily conversations. Doctors, friends and even perfect strangers are curious, and somewhat perplexed, about how I am …
No Rescue Needed: Necessary Pain and Disappointment
“But, Mom, this means I can’t go! It’s impossible!” wails Annemarie, tears coursing down her cheeks. Five minutes ago, she was all smiles as we sat at the kitchen table to “crunch numbers” for the school-sponsored 10-day trip to Italy. As we calculated the number of hours she’d have to work to earn enough money to pay for the trip, though, her face fell, her eyes reddened, and she reached for the Kleenex. Pain and disappointment can be effective teachers, I remind myself. Don’t cave. No matter how badly you want to bail her out–for your sake as well as …
Are You a Polite Parent?
By Featured Guest: Teri Lynne Underwood A couple of years ago I pondered the question … “What if submission begins with simply being polite?” I examined that idea in the context of marriage, parenting, and other relationships. As I considered how submission relates to parenting, I developed four principles of polite parenting. Maybe, as this new year begins, you could use some simple encouragement to make this a great year between you and your kids – even if they are all grown up. Principle 1: It’s not about you! We make parenting about us instead of about our kids. It’s the reason …