Note: This post has been updated and was first published on October 4, 2017. I once looked after a friend’s two boys for a day. We headed out to the garden to throw out the compost and cover it up with a spade. I gave them a small spade because they were only 3 and 6 at the time. They handled the spade like pro’s and said, “We use a bigger spade than this at home.” I was impressed… The Bible says, “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth…
Note: this post first appeared in 2020, but has been updated. Do you keep losing it with your kids? Are your frustration and irritation levels through the roof? Are you horribly impatient? If you answered yes to any of these, welcome to my party! Feeling irritated, frustrated, and impatient with my kids was the story of my life until I figured out that the problem wasn’t so much my children as it was *me*. What I didn’t realise was that most of the time my kids were reacting to my mood, attitude, and treatment of them. When I…
Do you struggle with being an angry mom? We all get angry and yell at our kids at times, but if this is a consistent problem for you, then it’s time to examine why you’re an angry mom, and learn how to stop being one. How do you get out of the negative cycle of being angry, yelling at your kids, feeling guilty, apologising – rinse and repeat? Reasons you’re an angry mom Before we talk about how to stop being an angry mom, let’s look at the reasons why you’re getting angry. Frustration because…
As a parent it’s easy to get caught up in just getting the basics done for your kids, and overlooking their need for connection with you. It’s important to do more than provide food, shelter, education, and clothing. Your kids need a healthy emotional connection with you in order to develop into a balanced person who is able to build solid relationships with others. Benefits of connection with your kids There are multiple reasons to build connection with your kids: How to bond with your child Now that you’re convinced you need connection with your child, let…
I’ve noticed that society is opposed to obedience. Our culture does not like or respect authority. Current parenting styles encourage compliance rather than obedience. Or they suggest that expecting obedience is not fair to your child or that it’s unkind and even abusive because you, the parent, are being a tyrant by expecting, or even wanting, obedience. It’s time to turn back to the Bible and find out what it says: “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for…
Who’s in charge at your house? You or your kids? Have you surrendered your authority and put your children in charge? In this post we’ll look at how to recognise a child-run home and the dangers of child-centered parenting. We’ll also look at how to avoid this kind of parenting. What is child-centered parenting? Child-centered parenting makes the children more important than the adults. It puts the child’s needs, wants, and preferences above those of the parents. All decisions are made or influenced by the…
Note: This post was first published in 2017 but has been updated. Woah. Overnight your child mutated from a cute toddler into a fit-throwing stranger, as volatile as the Middle East. You’re bewildered, frustrated, embarrassed, weary, and don’t know what to do. Where did your sweet child go? How do you calm a tantrum? I’m going to share my unpopular opinion about tantrums: You don’t have to tolerate tantrums. I repeat: You don’t have to tolerate tantrums. In fact, you shouldn’t tolerate them. Not even once.  …
Being a mom can suck the life out of you – you get so involved with caring for your kids and doing daily routines that you forget who you are. You forget you used to enjoy music. You don’t know what you like anymore. You feel out of touch with the rest of the world. You’re a shell of your former self, unable to think or talk about anything other than earache, diaper rashes, and how to get your kids to stop arguing. But underneath your mom hat lies a head full of dormant ideas, dreams, hopes, interests, and…
Do you ever feel tired of being a mom, and wish you could just “check out” and have a break? Do you feel guilty feeling that you want some alone time, away from your kids, without responsibilities? Let’s face it, “Momming” is a demanding job. It’s 24/7/365. There are no weekends. No public holidays. Even when your husband takes over for a bit, your mind is still engaged with your kids. You may be in another room, but you’re still wondering, why is he allowing them to make so much noise? or why isn’t…
