There was a day when I imagined that when our children could drive, apply for college, and deposit a pay check, they would help with Spring Cleaning without even being asked. I was deluded. There will never come a time when the woman of the house doesn’t have to get her hands dirty in guiding her family in the care and cooperation of her home. If you want to get your kids to help with Spring Cleaning, you have to throw out your rotten habits and bring in some fresh ones. Kids of every age need moms to encourage, equip, …
You Might Have a Strong Willed Child IF…
Do you have a strong willed child? When I was writing, The Plan A MOM in a Plan B World, I asked moms to share some of their experiences with their “strong willed” children. Can you “feel their pain”? You Might Have A Strong Willed Child IF: It’s not your child but you who’s crying when your husband comes home from work. You threaten to throw away all his toys, and he tells you he doesn’t want them anyway. Your child insists on having the last word, even after being warned not to say another word. She weighs the consequences …
What Peter Rabbit’s Momma Can Teach Us About Parenting
My twin two year old girls love The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I’m sure they can relate to mischievous Peter, who doesn’t listen to his mother and goes to Mr. McGregor’s garden anyway to eat carrots. Our version has the pull tabs and it is almost torn to pieces we’ve read it so much. They love finding Peter’s lost shoes and pulling the gooseberry net up and down trying to release him. They explore the tool shed looking for Peter but only finding a ladybug, butterfly and bubble bee instead. Finally, Peter makes it out of Mr. McGregor’s garden and …
A New Year’s Resolution Tool for Kids
When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, most of us can show our kids how to start well and fizzle out. Thankfully, we’ve seen how important it is to start this year by Remembering What Went Right. If we look ahead and aim for nothing, we’ll hit it every time. Goal setting is a skill to be learned. January invites moms to teach their children how to reflect on the past year and smile at the future with some thoughtful planning. You can use a simple pattern to guide your child through basic reflection and goal setting for their new …
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 …
To Count or Not to Count
It was hard not to notice her struggle, since she and her husband sat across from us while we all waited to board our flight. Her little princess was Pottery Barn catalog pretty, but she had an attitude that shouted “Diva!” With a patient voice and bottomless bag of tricks, the mom was trying to work her magic (emphasis on “work”) before we ever approached the plane. Nothing worked. Just then, she found hope in the form of another “traveling mommy.” Different kinds of moms Traveling mommy #2 took a different approach. She was streamlined. She was in charge. She …
Transform Discipline with Debriefing
I sighed and prayed as I walked to her bedroom. She wailed, fearful of her punishment. Earlier she spoke out of anger and frustration. Her disrespectful words hit their mark. Anger flashed in my eyes, my tone betrayed my wrath, but by God’s grace I did not yell – a sign of His fruit in my life. I opened the door and encouraged her to calm down. She took heaving breaths as tears soaked her bed. When she quieted we talked. It was a humbling time for both of us. We admitted our faults and failures. Then talked about how …
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 …
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