It all started with the Boy Wonder. In the fall of 2005, my mom made Batman and Robin costumes for my boys. The two-year-old became smitten with Robin. I remember the morning I was awakened
Read moreTag: parenting
A Mama’s Measure of Success
I recently read the following quote about successful parenting. A mother’s job is to teach her children not to need her anymore. The hardest part of that job is accepting success. Maybe it’s my fear
Read moreLong Hair and Answered Prayer
I was eight months pregnant with my first child when we met on a hot July day. Sitting beside Marti at a company outing, my beach ball belly eliminating all chances of finding a comfortable
Read moreBut I Taught Them To Love You, God
Our children will love God even more and better than we. That was our plan, right? We’d teach them well, and they’d believe. Even better than we. But what if that plan failed? What if
Read moreAsk, Unless You Never Want to Know
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, my son asked, “Mom, did you draw this card?” “No,” I replied, setting down the syrup next to his stack of fourteen pancakes. Examining the card, Andrew asked, “So
Read moreCheerleading on Paper
As a young mother, I heard author and speaker Ann Ortlund talk about cheerleading on paper. She said that when you want to compliment someone, you should write it, contending that we may easily forget
Read moreWhen “no” means “I love you.”
As a parent, I flopped at saying “no.” Having grown up with an unreasonable step-dad, I preferred the kind and friendly “Maybe,” or “We’ll see,” which usually translated to
Read more10 Things I Hope for My Boys as They Enter High School
Every time I drive past the high school building looming by the cornfields on the outskirts of town, my palms start sweating. Maybe because my high school friends scarred me for life by making me watch Children of
Read moreThe Wrath of Momma
I slammed the bedroom door, plopped down on the couch and covered my tear-stained face with my hands. I had just yelled at my two boys, ages three and four, and now my heart felt
Read moreParenting Isn’t Only for Parents
Parenting isn’t only for parents; it’s for the kids. I’m the oldest of three boys. The next arrived nine years later, and the third two years later. As the oldest, I learned from the starts
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