When my children were very small I had this nasty habit of withdrawing into myself when things really got tough. I was convinced I was alone in my struggles – my inner voice telling me just what a terrible mom I was (a.k.a. my “inner ‘You Stink’ voice.” I am alone when my almost-four-year-old is wetting his pants. On purpose. I am alone as I daily carry a screaming child across the preschool parking lot in front of hundreds of other calm, well-behaved and quiet children and their parents. I am alone when my kids are prancing around the …
My Child Wants a Tattoo
One day, your child asks for a new toy, next its pierced ears. Then as she gets older, she wants streaks of color in her precious hair. Before you know it, she is asking about a tattoo. Pierced ears seem like a walk in the park compared to the “thou shalt not mar thy body” conversation. I remember sitting in church as a little girl, looking at a beautifully and intricately detailed unicorn on the woman’s shoulder in front of me. When I asked my mom, she replied, “Ladies don’t get tattoos. If you get a tattoo, you can’t go to heaven.” Strangely enough I believed …
Her Scars and Tattoos
One day your child asks for pierced ears and then she’s on to tattoos. Body Art can be a tense subject in your household and we want to take the time to help YOU as a mom understand why your teen wants one. This subject has been divided into two posts. Today, we bring you the story behind my scars and tattoos. The Story Behind Her Scars I gritted my teeth as droplets of blood rose to the surface mixing with royal purple ink. This would be my reminder. I sat back and admired Scott’s handiwork. A purple butterfly on my ankle, something visible …
Roma Downey’s New Book ~ Little Angels Bible Story Book
The M.O.M. Initiative loves to let you sweet moms know when resources come out that can help you as a mom. Today, we’d like to introduce you to Roma Downey’s new book, Little Angels Bible Story Book with stories by Carolyn Larsen. We LOVE it! With 100 well-written adaptions of Bible stories, this book gives parents a wonderful tool to help instill a love for the Word of God in their children. Each story is just the right length and contains a summary and three segments that compliment a foundation of biblical knowledge, application, scripture memory and prayer while also adding …
How to Brag on Your Kids According to Their Personality
by Kathi Lipp (with Cheri Gregory) My son Justen is an excellent writer. I love reading his stories. I have to stifle the impulse to call my friend at the bookstore and warn her that a bestseller is on the way. He’s that good. I could go on and on about how great he is… but I just can’t tell him. Why? Because he hates it. A few weeks ago, I said to him, “I love what a creative writer you are!” He looked at me like I was crazy and said, “I don’t even know why you’re telling me …
5 Simple Ways To Approach Home Organization
While every parent has different levels of comfort in regards to home organization, when the house is in continual disarray, hearts tend to experience the same. Prov. 28:2b “…a man of understanding and knowledge will obtain order.” Recently, a pastor friend described to me the homes that he visits, where the lack of organization affects the family heavily. They can’t find the items they need for daily functioning and this causes punctuality problems. The tardiness then causes extra phone calls for parents to answer or return. The cycle continues resulting in additional work. Many times the family wants to change, …
Letting Dad be Dad
“Daa, da da da daaa, da da daaa. Das, da da da daaa, da da da,” my husband sang the Superman theme as he lifted our one-month-old baby over his face as if she were flying. “Don’t do that,” I shook my head and scowled. “She’s going to. . .” SPLAT. White curdled milk slid down my husband’s cheek. “. . . spit-up,” I sighed in disgust. My heart burned inside me, and my frustration mounted. Why won’t he listen to me? Why won’t he do things my way? As our children grew, my husband continued to handle situations differently …
Misunderstood Momma
* A flask of gunpowder and a bag of bullets were absent from this quick-draw-duel with my four-year-old son. One child stood alongside me in the elevator nice and happy. The other stood determined on the outside not about to get in. His glare along with his high-pitched voice screamed his defiance as he stood his ground. He had been testing my authority all morning and saw this as yet another opportunity. Time stopped as the showdown began. Who would win this battle of the wills? As my mouth told him to get in, my brain cried out a prayer that this time he …
Dealing with Your Pregnant Teen?
“I thought I raised you better than this,” my mother said before walking out of the living room. I cried and still couldn’t believe this was happening. Was I the same girl the doctor told two years prior that I would never have kids on my own? Was I the same girl who was on the varsity cheer-leading team and the big sis to her siblings? I was. But now I would become a mother in high school. That was 13 years ago, I am now a mom to three, married to my high school sweetheart with a college degree under my …
Good mom, good wife?
Is being a good mom the same as being a good wife? From the time a child enters into a family, they can’t help but try to take over and secure their spot at the center of our world. At first, they seem so innocent and helpless, but their power to dominate slumbers like a morning nap under a mobile with a nursery rhyme. It may be years before a mom realizes that her precious children can unseat her husband’s unique place in her heart. If we aren’t careful, children can take the place of our mate. They are a …