Motherhood

moth·er·hood

/muh·thr·hud/

The nurturing of children from the deepest places of your heart, rooting for them to be their best selves while allowing grace when they (or you) fall short; tired, proud, overwhelmed, joyful, amused and busy—often simultaneously 

Less is More in Your Child's Schedule

Less is More in Your Child’s Schedule

It doesn’t take long after a new school year begins for our family to realize we need to dial back our activities. With the start of a new grade comes the introduction of new opportunities and an abundance of activities that fight for our children’s attention. While many, if not all, provide great avenues for our kids to discover and develop their talents and interests, our family has come to the conclusion that less can often be more. It’s easy to fall into the temptation of signing our children up for every possible activity, but is it really the best? Certainly, as parents we hold a part of the responsibility in helping to develop our children’s character and gift sets with the goal to […]

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Simple Guidelines for Traveling With Kids and How to Enjoy It

Simple Guidelines for Traveling With Kids and How to Enjoy It

Let’s just get this out in the open: vacationing with children is a daunting affair to think about. There’s planning and packing and food and travel and lodging and food (because they always eat). Should you plan a lot of activities? Should you keep it simple? What is on the menu (because they always eat)? The stress of the process can make even the most seasoned travel mom want to fold and plan a staycation instead. The getaway becomes more like a chore you have to do rather than an enjoyable experience for everyone. But no matter if it’s your first trip or your fiftieth, I’ve got a few tried and true tips that will leave you anticipating your next vacation, not

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Raising Great Girls—Are You Up to the Task?

Raising Great Girls—Are You Up to the Task?

In the introduction to Raising Great Girls, author Darlene Brock makes an eye-opening observation about motherhood: experience isn’t necessary. It’s a truth that can chill your spine if you’ve never thought about it before. In a world where entry-level job positions still somehow require three to five years of experience, the most challenging—yet rewarding—job a woman will ever encounter calls for none. Just a heart that’s full of love and ready to grow. After raising two happy, strong and successful girls of her own, Darlene decided to share her hard-earned parenting secrets. She offers a candid look at the struggles every mom will face, but not without practical advice to handle them. Each chapter in the book is named for the roles

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If Your Kid is Being Bad, Does That Make You a Bad Mom 2

Your Bad Kid Doesn’t Make You a Bad Mom

You have just received your first phone call, the one every mother dreads and hopes to never receive. The preschool wants you to know that your child is hitting or biting or kicking. That little guy or girl, who has never shown this behavior before, has apparently turned into the class tyrant. It was in kindergarten when my daughter demonstrated her prowess in tormenting others. I dropped this sweet, little dressed up diva at her elementary school and all was going relatively well for the first few months. Then I received my first phone call. She had kicked a little boy. This led to discussion, punishment, and resolution. A week went by and then I got the next call; she had hit another student.

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Sending-Your-Kids-to-College—Separation-Anxiety-or-Blissful-Freedom-

Sending Your Kids to College—Separation Anxiety or Blissful Freedom?

So you’ve just spent hours in the Target dorm room aisles… Shopping for color-coordinated linens and accessories for your daughter’s new dorm room. Or, if it’s your son, you were probably trying to convince him that he actually needs a bedspread to go along with his trunk full of technology (that will absolutely make it into his new “college student man cave”). Now you’ve delivered them, set up their new world, and driven or flown away. You feel the anxiety of their absence. Can they get along without you making sure the laundry is done, the curfew is adhered to, and the insurance is paid? Well, you’ve spent the last 18 years getting them to this point, so the assumption is that

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Childhood Trauma—How to Spot it, How to Heal it

Childhood Trauma—How to Spot it, How to Heal it

I sat down at my desk after running off school campus to grab a coffee. A message “sent with high importance” sat blinking on my computer. My heart sank. Another message letting me know that my son was having a hard time in class and to come see him when I could. Right away, I thought, “WHEN will this end? What am I doing wrong?” and off I ran to his classroom. I peeked around the corner to his class, trying hard not to let any of his classmates see me. The last thing I needed for him to get embarrassed because mommy had to show up again. I motioned for him to come into the hallway and saw the look on

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50+ Activities for Kids That Are Free or Really Cheap

50+ Activities for Kids That Are Free or Really Cheap

Does anyone else feel like they are spinning in circles in place this summer? Mamas, you feel me? This season is bringing out the grit and grace in me more than ever. As a mom of a 5-year-old boy, we have done coloring, LEGOs, and screen time. We’ve read books, run in literal circles, and I’ve found myself needing more ideas. So, I set out on a mission to search the inter-web, rack my brain, and ask friends for some assistance. To save you all this research, below are 50-plus ideas to keep the kiddos entertained (they might also learn a thing or two!). Good for most any age (very little assembly required!): 1. Make photo books online and look out for

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Talking to Your Teens About the Grey Area

Talking to Your Teens About the Grey Area

The Grey Area. It’s not black and white. It’s blurry. It’s the place in dating relationships that nobody talks about. While they may not act like it, our teenagers find safety in boundaries, and they want direction in defining them. As you know, it’s all too common that a variety of media platforms inform and shape our teenagers’ perspectives of what dating and marriage should look like. How do we step into this? Teenagers Want to Talk About the Grey Areas This past fall, a good friend of mine and I asked a group of high school girls if they would be interested in discussing these tricky topics. The group of girls consisted of about 12 high school juniors and seniors. We were delighted and

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You Need to Know This Before Having a Baby

You Need to Know This Before Having a Baby

Over the last year and a half, the number of family members and friends who have been expecting is crazy! Love has definitely been in the air, or in the water, or whatever they say. With that has come lots of opportunities to share my life experiences and trials. That’s why I was so inspired to write this article. The first time I gave birth was a long time ago. 16 years, to be exact, and if you’ve read my other posts then you’re probably trying to do the math. I’ll save you the trouble. I got pregnant at 16. We can talk more about that later though. Since then I have had three more kids. Most recently, seven months ago, and

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It Feels Like My Teen Is Rejecting Me, But I Know It’s Something Else

It Feels Like My Teen Is Rejecting Me, But I Know It’s Something Else

When my daughter hit puberty she moved straight into her room. It seemed dramatic and overnight, not a gradual release. One day I can’t get a minute alone and the next I hardly know she lives here—except for all the half-filled cups she leaves all over the house. One day she drones on and on about horses, YouTubers, recess, and pizza in the cafeteria, and the next she answers with as few syllables as possible. I do my best to lure her out from her room with the promise of her favorite foods or movies, but mostly she retreats. Some days I hear music, and other days I hear power tools from behind her closed door. She rearranges. She paints her nails.

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Another School Shooting, We Must Prepare Our Kids

In the Wake of Another School Shooting, How to Prepare Our Kids

Another school shooting and our hearts clench. The image of another mother clinging to a photo of the child instantly taken from her while doing nothing more than attending school rips the hearts and strikes fear into every other parent. While the debate will continue on gun control, that’s not the discussion I want to have because I think there is something much more pressing that every mother needs to do. Prepare your kids. In every part of their lives, it is our job to prepare them. The thought of having this be a conversation required to raise children today seems almost outrageous. But we have to face our current reality, so it is one we unquestionably need to have. It’s time

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Happy Mother’s Day! Raising Great Girls, Free Now!

Moms, it’s almost Mother’s Day! As an act of solidarity with my fellow girl moms, I want to give you a gift. I didn’t have boys, so if you’re a boy mom, I can’t help you as much there. But from May 5-9, my Raising Great Girls Kindle eBook is absolutely free. If you’re anything like I was in my motherhood journey, you probably have times of feeling every insecurity, a bit of a failure, with a boatload of mom guilt mixed in. I’m sure you also have seasons you think “I’ve got this!” and you do! But no matter the season you find yourself in, I want to give you some of what hindsight taught me: hard-earned wisdom that I share

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A Note to Women Grieving on Mother's Day

A Note to Women Grieving on Mother’s Day

I won’t pretend to know or even understand all the situations that could make a woman grieve around the celebrations of Mother’s Day. I also won’t pretend to understand the unimaginable pain of losing a child. For Those Grieving on Mother’s Day What I can tell you is that I have grieved. Sometimes I still grieve, and not just on Mother’s Day—but maybe on a random Tuesday too. Like many of you, I’ve been on both sides of Mother’s Day being difficult to celebrate. I lost my mom; actually buried my mom four days before Mother’s Day 20 years ago. I’ve also grieved because I longed to be a mother so badly. Grief would rear its ugly head at pregnancy announcements for

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To Moms of Boys in Middle School

To Moms of Boys in Middle School

Sometimes I really hate being a parent. As I got off the phone with my son’s school, I was furious. Before now, he’s never really been one to get in trouble at school. He was well-behaved, had good grades, and a good group of friends. But this year he was thrust into middle school and into all the challenges that middle school brings. He has been through a lot, but he has come out the other side with a heart bigger than most his age. He feels deeply and strives to be a good friend and do his best. Challenges of Having Boys In Middle School So yes, this little boy turning adolescent threw me for a loop today when I got

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Ask Dr. Zoe Image for posts

Ask Dr. Zoe – I Don’t Feel a Bond with My Newborn; Is this Normal?

‘First-time Mom’ asked: As a new mom, I sometimes feel guilty not having that initial bond with my newborn and miss my before-mom self. Is this normal and how or what is the best way to get rid of these thoughts? I love my little one a lot. Dr. Zoe answered: Dear Momma, Somehow society has created this often unspoken consensus that a good mother is all sacrificing and perfectly content to lose herself in motherhood. I don’t believe this, nor have I seen that it is healthy or creates a better outcome for children. I really despise the word “normal” and prefer to use “healthy” instead. There are many behaviors that are “normal” in our society that are not healthy and

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5 Quotes That Will Encourage You, Working (Super) Mom

5 Quotes That Will Encourage You, Working (Super) Mom

Working moms do it all—but it’s hard! The struggle to find work and life balance is real, but in the end, what really matters is that you tried your best. At least, that’s what I’ve been told from the women who’ve seen it through. One thing I know that all of us working moms could use is a little encouragement. Just a quick note that says, “Hey, I see you. I see all of the obstacles you overcome every day. It’s not always flawless, but you put your heart and soul into it. You are a strong woman, and you’re a good mom.” So, working mom, these 5 quotes that will encourage you: “I think every working mom probably feels the same thing:

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This Grit and Grace Life Podcast

How Can I Connect and Communicate with My Teenager Better? with Jerusha Clark – 182

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreAre your teenagers driving you crazy? Are there days when you wonder who replaced your sweet, small child with a taller, sarcastic stranger?  Handling the attitudes and emotions—and, sometimes, the whereabouts—of teens can be a daunting task, and one that a lot of first-time parents of teens aren’t prepared for. While seeing your child blossom into a young adult can be insightful and rewarding, it can also be painful to witness the more difficult changes and crises that can often accompany this stage of life. Bestselling author and speaker Jerusha Clark sits down with Darlene Brock and Julie Bender to chat about how parents can navigate this

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