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crave connection
Parenting

I was Craving a Connection to My Kids

Do your conversations with your daughter ever seem like a litany of corrections and instructions? Perhaps they sound like this: “Did you brush your teeth?” Please don’t provoke your brother!” “Your softball uniform is on the dryer.” With school, sports, recitals, holidays, and church programs- in our case, for five children- life can easily spin out of control. Survival became our goal because everyone in the family was moving so fast. Communication became utilitarian, and relationships were sometimes strained.…

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from me to you
Parenting

From Me to You

We arrived at school, the kids got out the car, and I drove away, marveling that Megan had put into practice what we had discussed. I so badly wanted to encourage her to continue being patient with her siblings.  Then my joy turned pensive. I began to worry that I would forget to praise her after school. I knew I would be distracted getting all the kids where they needed to be, finishing homework, preparing dinner...you know the drill. But I was…

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Parenting

4 Ways to Get Your Kids to Turn to You, Instead of the Internet

When your children have questions about life, where do they turn for answers? Google? Alexa? Friends? Or you? Our kids have more access to information than ever before. They’ve grown up with the Internet, social media, and now Alexa and they have access all day. And they may be more comfortable or trust online advice more than they do talking to you! This realization became a reality for me when an 11-year-old girl emailed us here at iMOM. She was concerned about her…

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Parenting

iMOM’s Most Popular Web Page Ever

This past Sunday in church my pastor shared a quote that made everyone laugh, but it’s actually really, really sad. He told us that Prince Edward of England was quoted as saying, “The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children.” Ugh! Is this true? Possibly, I meet moms every day who are frustrated that they can’t get their kids to behave. Perhaps kids don’t behave because we just don’t have the time anymore to…

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Parenting

The Lawnmower Mom

I’m leading a small group on Genesis, so I’ve been reading a lot about the Patriarchs and, in particular, Jacob. At the end of his life, Jacob blessed each of his 12 sons, but some of the blessings weren’t what we would normally consider a blessing. He laid out things they’d done in their past, good or bad, and how the tendency to commit the same sin might make them struggle in the future. It impressed me how direct Jacob…

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Parenting

Why You Really Don’t Want to Be a Controlling Mother

I sure hope I’m not a controlling mother, but sometimes I fear that I am. I’m certainly more hands-on with my children than my mom was, and I do tend to give a lot of direction and instruction to my children. Sadly, even good, caring moms can veer into the controlling zone (think helicopter/lawnmower parent), and it’s a place that’s not healthy for us or our children. In fact, a new study found that controlling mothers are viewed more negatively by…

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Parenting

3 Risky Choices Your Child May Learn From You

The secret to loving your children well is showing them how to live well through the choices you make.  One of my girls is pregnant. It was surprising to me how many foods and medicines she has been told to avoid for the health of her baby. One of them is lunch meat. I think that is all I ate with my third pregnancy just 23 years ago! Much new research has improved what we know about protecting the health…

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