Motherhood Challenges Need a Grit and Grace Life

Celebrating All of the Real Mother’s Days

I know we’ve all been convinced that Mother’s Day occurs each year on some Sunday in May—the day to be celebrated if you’re a mother…if not, to celebrate the one that you call mom. I sometimes wonder if it’s a restaurant and retail conspiracy. But I’m here to tell you that this day is not the Mother’s Day that I love. Yes, it’s on the calendar, and all children, spouses, and various family members are required to give gifts or send flowers. They feel like they must take you to a restaurant to wait in line for an hour, along with every other mother in the city where you live, and crowd around the table with over-worked servers trying to accommodate the big families […]

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Why It’s Important to Share the Woman You Used to Be

By Ashby Duval / Motherhood

Over the years, I have been a part of several groups of women: organizations, study groups, gatherings of friends, etc. Recently, I was sitting in the audience of one such group when a mom of two stood up to share a bit about herself and her family. She mentioned she used to be a softball catcher and a trombone player and received her master’s at UF. And here she was, a stay-at-home mom with two small children whom she is currently homeschooling. That, plus her quiet disposition and love of motherhood, had pegged her in my mind as someone who must have grown up thinking that’s what she aspired to be. She was the second woman that week who surprised me with her unlikely

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High-School-Graduation-A-Mom's-Rite-of-Passage

High School Graduation: Things Are Changing, but for the Good

By Darlene Brock / Motherhood

My eldest daughter’s high school graduation had befallen. I’m not sure how we got here. Yes, seems like only yesterday… On the other hand, I had the wrinkles to prove it wasn’t! Created not only by the passage of time but also probably gained by potty training failures, elementary school multiplication tables, middle school emotional swings, high school auto accidents, and a revolving door of boyfriends. We had to shop for a little white dress to go under the white graduation robe. We couldn’t have a bright red dress showing through, now could we? This was just one of the activities, plans, and expenses as we prepared for the day we had all worked so very hard for. We had an entire list.

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Is Your Teen Phubbing You? 4 Fixes to Try Now

By Brianna Barrett / Motherhood

When I was growing up, the family joke was that my parents would be able to identify me by my palm (because as a teen I would ask for money with my hand open). Now, we can say we can identify our children by the tops of their heads bent over their phones. Have you ever been talking to someone and noticed they are only half paying attention to you and are staring intently at their phones? If you have a teenager, I’m sure you’ve experienced it. The person is focused on their device while ignoring you—a person in close contact with them. Welcome to the season of phubbing. Phubbing is defined as “the act of ignoring someone you are with and

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The Most Devastating Words You Can Say as Mom

By Darlene Brock / Motherhood

I was listening to the radio a while back, and the three grown men who were hosting began a dialogue about punishments they were given as a child. The list was vast. They laughed through their comparisons of infractions they accomplished and the penalties they were awarded: grounding, car keys taken away, dad’s belt was among them. Then one of these gentlemen paused and said, “I’ll tell you the worst—it’s when my mom said, ‘I’m disappointed in you.’ That one was horrible.” The moaning and commiserating began. “That’s the truth; there’s nothing worse. It makes you feel awful,” one said. “Yeah, my mom said that and I remembered it for days. There is nothing worse than disappointing your mom,” replied another. Now, these

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A Kid in Last Place Can Make a Mom Proud

By Michelle Hurst / Motherhood

No one would ever mistake me for a dance mom. I can barely tell the difference between a leotard and a swimsuit. My girl has been in dance for over four years and I’d still rather vacuum than help her put wiggle into tights – which is really saying a lot. Her debut was a Junior League Christmas shopping event where they had squeezed a stage in the corner and invited local dance studios to perform while women shopped for all things Santa and rhinestones. My daughter was barely out of pull ups. I realize this is awfully young for organized classes of any kind but after much pressure from anyone who watched her shake and twirl anywhere music was playing, I

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To the Woman Who Cleaned up After My Autistic Son

By Laura Hurd / Motherhood

We never know when a meltdown will happen. We know that certain environments don’t sit well with my five-year-old autistic son. Open spaces cause him extreme anxiety. New places make him want to flee. But we can’t stay cooped up in our home forever—especially for a trip to speech therapy. Yes, we have become quite familiar with the waiting room of our son’s speech therapist. I must say that she has a well-equipped one. There is every type of busy toy you could think of: coloring books, train sets, magnets, a framed metal board, and all kinds of sensory playthings. Even so, my son has bad days. To look at him, you would never assume he has extra special needs. There is

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You Need to Talk to Your Teen Girl About Sex, Here’s How to Do It

By Dr. Zoe / Motherhood

Are you that mom who would rather stick an icepick through your eye than talk to your teen girl about sex (seriously, it doesn’t have to be that bad!)? Or maybe the idea of sex conversations makes you squirm a little. We need to talk, girlfriend! First, let’s talk about why you need to have the conversations. Notice I said conversations. This really should be an ongoing conversation that starts in preschool. But if you are behind the 8 ball, and even if you fear that your daughter may have already had sex, take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. It’s time to talk. The reason why research has demonstrated that abstinence programs have not been successful (teens who participate in

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The Everyday Mom Moments That Will Make You Laugh

By Darlene Brock / Motherhood

So you’re on the mom road. The one that is filled with every emotion—fear, joy, frustration, laughter, angst, and frenzy all colliding within the same 30-minute window of your day. You want to teach your child what they need to live; you want to be great at this job, but some days you just shake your head at the places you find yourself. Just to give every mom a pass, I want to share a few of those everyday mom moments that we all live through: 1. Since your first child was a girl, you quickly learn that face first when changing your newborn son is a dangerous place to be. 2. You mumble “good job” in your sleep because it appears to be the only

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Dear Stay At Home Mom: I Want You to Know These 8 Things

By Ashby Duval / Motherhood

Dear Stay-at-Home Mom, If you had told me 10 years ago that I would end up being a stay at home mom who home-schooled her children, I would have straight up punched you in the throat—then laughed. Then probably punched you again. I’m only telling you this to give you a better idea of your author. I didn’t plan on this role, but I didn’t plan on marriage or children either, and I had no idea how much they would turn my life and my heart upside down—for the better! Maybe this was always your dream, or maybe you fell into this role as I did. Regardless, if you’re a SAHM, you probably need some encouragement and, most likely, some sanity today.

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8 Children’s Books That Will Make You Laugh and Cry

By Tess Lopez / Motherhood

During my one-year reign as an elementary school library assistant, I learned a lot about children. And books. And, of course, children’s books. I was always charmed when they tittered up to check their books out, bouncing with excitement as they mustered up all their strength to heave the books onto the counter with gusto. As I entered their information into the computer, they gleefully tapped their hands on the covers of the books and earnestly explained why they were excited about these particular choices. “My sister read this one, and it was sooo cute!” “This dog looks just like my dog at home. He’s brown with black spots, too.” “Ms. Bolen read this one on the morning news, and it was

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5 Ways to Make Parenting Your Strong-Willed Child Easier

By Meaghan Dawson / Motherhood

Friends, I like to think that I have a black belt in strong-willed child parenting. My oldest child is one for the record books. He’s loving, he’s kind, and he’s a joy to be around. Unless he’s ready to lock horns, at which point all bets are off and it’s game on. Parenting him has been a joy and a challenge. And after doing life with him for the past 10 years, I feel like I know at least a thing or two about how to handle him and maintain a relative amount of peace in our household. I have even managed to keep my own sanity, which as you may know is no small feat when you have a headstrong child.

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How to Raise Strong, Confident Daughters With Darlene Brock

By Tess Lopez / Motherhood

In episode 63, These Strategies Will Help You Raise Great Kids, of our podcast, This Grit and Grace Life, Darlene Brock, co-founder and president of The Grit and Grace Project, shares some of her own parenting experiences and snippets of wisdom from her new book, Raising Great Girls. Having raised two caring and successful daughters of her own, Darlene penned her book in the hopes of encouraging other moms to push past the difficulties that often come with cultivating young ladies (or young men!). In Raising Great Girls, Darlene outlines various job descriptions, like Creative Counselor and Coach, that a parent must assume in order to mold a balanced daughter. She breaks down three of these job titles within the podcast and

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5 Things to Do If You’re Struggling With Breastfeeding

By Chelsea McClusky / Motherhood

Engorgement and cluster feeding and sore nipples, oh my! Plugged ducts and milk blebs and bad latches, double oh my! I’ll take the lions and tigers and bears any day, thank you! Breastfeeding is the hardest job nobody told you about. It’s one of the most natural things our female bodies can do, yet it definitely does not come naturally. I’ve heard on more than one occasion from moms who would rather repeat the pains of childbirth to never have to breastfeed again. Yep, sounds like this nursing gig is no walk in the park. When I gave birth to my daughter, I struggled with getting a proper latch, which made breastfeeding very painful for the first few weeks. I also dealt

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10 Secrets Every Mother of the Bride or Groom Should Know

By Mary Hines / Motherhood

Your son or daughter just got engaged, and you’ve officially become a MOG or MOB (Mother of the Groom or Mother of the Bride.) Congratulations! Are you excited or freaking out? First things first, take a deep breath and remember that you’ve raised them to be responsible, caring adults—even if they don’t always act like it. Before my son’s wedding, his fiancée was struggling with whether or not to wear a veil, and he looked at her and said, “Whatever it’s going to take to make you feel beautiful on our wedding day.” I was pleasantly surprised at his response and realized I wasn’t a total failure as a mother! Second, it’s easy to get distracted by details, so don’t forget that

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Old School Parenting Makes Happier Kids—and Moms

By Ashby Duval / Motherhood

Recently, our neighbor across the street recounted a conversation he had with a friend about our four boys. At first, my eyes got wide imagining what he said as images of my naked 4-year-old on a skateboard speeding down our driveway last week flashed through my mind. He quickly put me out of my angst, however, by sharing with me that he tells people it’s like 1969 at our house. I laughed in relief but then said, “Wait, what do you mean?” He smiled and responded, “Your boys are always outside, always laughing and dirty and don’t even know what a video game is! I love it! Reminds me of my childhood.” Such kind words. I wish my kids didn’t know what

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How to Teach Your Child Not to Hold Prejudices

By Dr. Zoe / Life & Culture, Motherhood

Why does it feel so uncomfortable to talk about race and racism in this country? Deep down in our gut, we know something just isn’t right and that makes us squirm. Humans strive for internal consistency, and when it’s not there we become uncomfortable. A part of our mind knows that we are all one family: the human race. The other part knows that we harbor some racism, stereotypes, prejudice, or discriminatory thoughts. Yes, we do. This makes us uncomfortable. When we become uncomfortable, we actively avoid situations and information likely to increase it. So, it’s normal to feel that way. I invite you to feel it now and keep reading anyway. There is something called multigenerational transmission process, which just means

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