“I want that!” My daughter’s eyes widened as she grabbed a colorful stuffed animal at the toy store. At that moment, a wave of frustration came over me. After I just bought her a toy the day before, I could hardly believe my ears when she wanted something else. Doesn’t she have enough? I thought to myself. Surely she can’t be that consumeristic, could she? As her face changed from jubilation to disappointment at my refusal to buy the toy, a startling reality came over me: I caused her selfish attitude. I didn’t do it intentionally. My husband and I …
Sleep-Overs the Pros and Cons
I’m just going to put it out there. I pretty much hated sleep-overs and slumber parties. I pretty much hated sleep-overs and slumber parties. Click To Tweet And not just because of tired cranky kids the next day. Mostly I hated sleep-overs because I preferred to tuck my kids into their own bed at night. And..to be honest, I liked the element of control, knowing what they were watching and what activities they were involved in. If I could choose, I preferred to have kids come to our home to spend the night rather than my kids go to …
How to Conquer Your Child’s Fear of the Dark
BEFORE WE GET STARTED, WE WANT TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF DR. GARY CHAPMAN’S AND ARLENE PELLICANE’S NEW BOOK, GROWING UP SOCIAL! DRUM ROLL PLEASE…. AND THE WINNER IS – Arianne de la Torre! Arianne de la Torre, you’ll be receiving an email from The M.O.M. Initiative today! CONGRATULATIONS! ———————————————————— S Supposedly a family of bears lives in my daughter’s closet. People-eating bears, I’m told. And when the bears take the night off, a monster steps in. Sometimes an alligator. Funny, but none of these critters show up when the sun is shining. (Silly Mom, bears are nocturnal. So are alligators. Sometimes I …
Connecting or Disconnecting Because of Technology & a GIVEAWAY?
Today, we have a treat for you! A giveaway of GARY CHAPMAN’s and ARLENE PELLICANE’s new book, GROWING UP SOCIAL! Arlene is a guest who has shared here at The M.O.M. Initiative several times and I love her heart to minister to women! Today’s post is an adaptation from Growing Up Social and Arlene has graciously offered to give away a copy! SOOOOO… be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win. Winner will be announced in Sunday’s post. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – …
5 Ways to Teach Your Children to Behave Themselves in Public
It’s almost inevitable. Kids behaving badly in public and moms wanting to hide under a rock. It happens to the best of moms! So what’s a mom to do when her child begins to behave badly in public? How can a mom teach her children to behave themselves? 1. Begin setting very clear expectations at a young age. Even when your children are only about two, you can convey your expectations to them and when you have defined the ‘code of conduct’ for your household, your children will begin internalizing those expectations and make them their own. Remember, clear expectations …
10 Ways to Make Your Child’s Lunchbox a Healthy One
You’ve heard it said before, “You are what you eat.” So are our children. Recently, statistics have unveiled a startling truth about our children’s eating habits. It seems as though the number one food that children eat is chicken nuggets. Some chicken nuggets aren’t so bad, but I think because we think they are eating chicken, we forget that most of them are deep friend in hydrogenated oil. In The Making of a Mom, I wrote about how loving our children well includes making sure they eat well. But healthy doesn’t always come easily in a world full of drive thru’s …
Hire a professional potty trainer?
Some parenting tasks should really be left to the professionals, right? After all, kids don’t come with a manual. It’s no wonder, then, that people have made a business out of the business of raising kids. In fact, for $925 you can hire a Potty Trainer to teach your child how to “do their business” and take the mess … off your hands! In June New York City’s first professional potty-training service launched, and the phone has been ringing ever since. One honest mom-customer admitted to being “frustrated” and “not having a lot of patience” as her motivation for calling …
Empowering Kids to Make Wise Decisions
As my kids grow bigger, I’m learning to let them make their own choices. Even when I disagree. Like last Saturday, for example, at the grocery store. “Mom, can we get a watermelon? Please? Please? I love watermelon!” My seven-year-old spied a crate of enormous melons in the center of the produce aisle. She clasped her hands in front of her chest and pleaded. “Sure, we can get a watermelon,” I nodded. “If you promise me you’re going to eat it.” “I will, I will! Can I pick one?” “Uhhhh . . . okay.” Now, you need to understand—I’m really …
31 Ways to Keep Your Kids Cool
The 4th of July is just around the corner, not only will your kiddos be turning on the heat to their favorite fireworks, but the heat will be tough to beat for the rest of the summer. Here is a quick and handy list to pin for 31 Ways to Keep Your Kids Cool! 1. Redneck Water Sprinkler: Grab an old pop bottle, poke dozens of holes and thread onto hose. I’ve seen others attach it with duck tape. 2. Water Balloon Teamwork: Divide children into two teams. Have the children pair up within their team with a partner, back to …
Why Your Teen Needs Peer Pressure
Dr. David Stoop is a Christian psychologist and family counselor and ordained minister. His doctorate is from the University of Southern California and he is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (also my Alma Mater). Dr. Stoop is an adjunct professor at Fuller where he teaches courses associated with family therapy. I was privileged to have Dr. Stoop as one of my professors at Fuller and have always admired his work. Dr. Stoop has authored over 30 book, and was the co-editor of the Life Recovery Bible. You can learn more about Dr. Stoop at his website. I follow Dr. …