Motherhood as vocation

Stay-at-home moms, that's what they call us.  Came across this article about women who make motherhood their full-time profession.  Enjoy!

Motherhood as vocation

The power of forgiveness

We all have those days.  Someone has been irritating you all day, whether it be a spouse, a coworker, or a relative.  Perhaps you have a teen who knows exactly how to push your buttons, and perhaps you have a way of getting on your child's nerves as well.  What happens when the button pushed leads to a nuclear explosion?  

Author and media expert Al Menconi shares an encouraging story from his own parenting experiences:  

"One day Annie and I were having a rough time communicating.  It seemed like we were pushing each other’s buttons all day. I’ve forgotten the circumstances but the last straw happened when I was putting her to bed.  She was rude and disrespectful and said something snotty. I lost my cool and slapped her face. 

Of course she started crying loudly.  My wife came into the room and started closing the windows so the neighbors wouldn’t think we were beating our kids. My younger daughter, Allison, thought she was being funny by yelling, “Child abuse, child abuse!”  Looking back now, it all seems like a scene from a bad sitcom.  I wasn’t laughing.

I was angry; a ten-year-old shouldn’t talk to her father like that! Annie continued to sob.  Jan wondered out loud if we should send Annie to school the next day because her cheek was red from my slap.  What would they think?  I was devastated at my lack of control.

There was only one thing to do.  After I calmed down, I went into Annie’s room and apologized.  I told her what she did was wrong but my response was worse.  Much worse.  I asked her if she would forgive me.  She stopped crying, forgave me, and we hugged as she went to bed. 

Recently, I talked with my adult daughters about various illustrations from their childhood for an upcoming book on parenting.  When I brought up the slapping incident, Annie couldn’t remember if it was she or Allison who was slapped. 

Can you believe it?  Here was a situation that devastated me for years and the victim of my slap didn’t even remember it happening.  I really believe humbly asking for her forgiveness erased it from her memory.  In case you are thinking she forgot because it happened so many years ago, let me share another incident that tells you about her memory. 

When Annie was in first grade, she aced all her spelling words as I quizzed her the night before her test.  The next day, she missed the word “brought” on the test by spelling it “bought.” She forgot the “R.” She blamed me for teaching her the wrong word. I good-naturedly told her she was responsible for her misspelling, but she insisted it was my fault. I never apologized because I thought it was funny.  Neither of us got angry, but neither of us would admit being wrong either.

You would think she would forget a little misspelled word from twenty-five years before.  Wrong!  If you asked her today which word Dad got wrong in her first grade spelling test, she will tell you “brought.”

There is nothing wrong with her memory.  The only difference between the two incidents is I apologized after I slapping her and didn’t after her spelling error."

What a great reminder of Proverbs 11:2:  "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."   

The wait is almost over

"Wait on the Lord:  be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:  wait, I say, on the Lord."  Psalm 27:14

Do you remember the days of waiting for your child to be born?  You made all the necessary preparations to welcome a precious loved one into your home.  The house was cleaned from top to bottom, gifts were pouring in from friends and family, and the air was ripe with excitement over the impending birth.  As you waited, the days stretched out longer and longer, and you just couldn't wait for that baby to arrive!  

My prayer for you and your family is that your home is filled with the same excitement this week as you prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord, and that the anticipation is indeed focused on His arrival.  Not just His coming over 2000 years ago, but His eventual return!  

Many blessings to all of you at this holy time of year,

Lisa

"We expect too much at Christmas.  It's got to be magical.  It's got to go right.  Feasting.  Fun  The perfect present.  All that anticipation.  Take it easy.  Love's the thing.  The rest is tinsel."  -- Pam Brown 

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude with teens

I know I've posted this link before in the newsletter, but it's worth giving again.  Some really great ideas to reach out to others and most of them are "unlame."  :)

30 Days of Thanksgiving:  Cultivating a Thankful Heart

Evangelical teens and sex

Yikes.  I am not even going to comment on this article.  You read, you decide, YOU comment!  

Red Sex, Blue Sex

A Potpourri of Parenting Possibilities

"Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 6:23-24 (NLT)

A number of things have been piling up in my "to blog" file lately, and I wanted to get them out to you before they become stale or irrelevant.  I am in the midst of planning a huge event for Christian teens in our area, so I won't have time to comment on any of this, but please do the reading.  It's all great!  

The Top 10 Musical Artists That Capture Our Kids' Attention

Are You Winning the Battle and Losing the War For Your Kids?

Pastor Appreciation is an Attitude, Not an Event  (October is Clergy Appreciation Month)

"My mouth will speak words of wisdom; 
       the utterance from my heart will give understanding."  Psalm 49:3 (NIV)

Most people do not like to be considered an extremist; we envision ourselves as quite balanced in our thoughts and actions.  When it comes to teenagers, however, communication often becomes an issue of extremity for many parents.  There even seems to be a line drawn between Christians and nonbelievers on this issue.  

From my observation, Christian parents tend to be naggers (see article below).  We love to correct our children, don't we?  We see it as our God-directed obligation, and rightly so, but often how we go about it is the furthest thing from the heart of God.  

Nonbelievers, in general, have decided they would rather be friends with their children than parent them. They excuse away misbehavior and use their teens as an excuse to act like children themselves.  

I believe there is a middle ground which pleases the Lord.  I believe we can be both parent and friend to our children. It's all in the way we communicate.  

The following article has some very practical, thought-provoking ways to improve communication with our teenagers.  The article asks this tough question:  "Are your kids drawn to talk to you, or do your children spend a lot of time away from the family, either on the phone, texting, listening to music in their room, or playing video games?" It's normal for teens to detach themselves to a certain extent, but the question is, where is the majority of their time being spent?  

Please take the time to read this article and take it to heart, even if it stings a little.  Pray that Psalm 49:3 will become a reality in your parenting.  

Are You Nagging or Communicating?