During the 40 weeks of pregnancy, a woman’s body does things she never imagined it could do. It begs for us to use the word “miracle” to describe the whole, amazing process. When our skin stretches more than it’s happy to, reddish or purplish marks develop that remind me of childhood poison ivy moments, minus the scratching. Primarily due to heredity, stretch marks may appear on your stomach, chest, or behind, anywhere the body is doing the miraculous work of growing to accommodate carrying and bearing new life. They appear gradually, so you may not even notice them at first …
Uninvited Diagnosis
She was tiny, frail and unable to meet any of her developmental milestones. I knew her biological mom had used every drug imaginable during her pregnancy. Nevertheless, the neurologist’s diagnosis cut through me. Our adopted daughter would struggle through life with brain damage. Two years later, another uninvited diagnosis forced its way into my world. It came from a high-risk pregnancy doctor that rushed into the room after a longer than normal ultrasound. He dug the ultrasound wand into my swollen belly while still chewing his half eaten lunch, “Absent bladder…hernia…heart on the wrong side. Most likely Trisomy 18. The …
Teamwork – Lessons from a Toddler
While learning to walk, Jonathon had clung happily to our fingers, leaning on us for support. We had held him safely between us. Now that he could walk on his own, however, he wanted nothing to do with either parent. If I carried him, he squirmed to get “down.” Once on terra firma, he scurried away as fast as his wobbly legs would carry him. Terrified for his safety, I dashed after him, clamping my hand around his chubby fist. Then I endured ear-splitting screams of protest as he tried to free himself from my restrictive vice grip. (Oh, and …
Of Tempers and Toothpaste
We are running late. She’s still in the bathroom. Door closed. Dawdling, I’m sure. I knock gently and turn the knob. Not. I barge in just in time to catch tongue against tip of toothpaste tube. I smile sweetly. “What are you doing?” Not! I yell. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?” I take the tube from her hands and toss it into the wastebasket. Not. I snatch it and hurl it into the bathtub. I later retrieve it and toss it into the wastebasket. “What are you doing?” I ask again. Softer. Sort of. “Getting toothpaste to brush …
40 Weeks of Growing Trust
The test stick turns pink, and suddenly your whole world changes. Within days you may start to feel your body change, and new thoughts cross your mind that you never considered before. How will life change professionally, intimately, financially, and physically? With the passing of each day on the calendar, you may feel like time is running out to get a firm hold on the coming addition to your family and the changes to your world. Forty weeks will pass faster than you think, and the urge to be in control may grow right along with the size of your …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Five Parenting Principles from The Prodigal Story
I’ve always loved reading the story of the Prodigal Son. There are so many lessons to learn from that power-packed passage of Scripture. Today, let’s look at what we can learn from the father : 1. The father loved his children equally. The one who stayed and did all the right things did not become his “favorite”. The prodigal was just as loved by the father as the one who remained by his side. Do you struggle with loving your difficult child as much as your easy child? Do your children know you love them equally? 2. The father met his boys where they …