Hey Mamas!
We’re so close to finishing our exclusive Choose Hope video series!
Brooke and I have been passionately pouring ourselves into this message for over three years, and we can’t wait to finally deliver it to you in a video format you can watch from your own home! It’s coming your way early November.
This course will be entirely focused on helping weary moms find the strength they need to live victoriously right smack in the midst of messy motherhood. It will include 2-3 videos that share our best material for meeting God in the messes of life.
However, we need your help. Before we finalize everything and send it off to our editors, we need to make sure we’ve covered everything you need.
That’s where you come in! Please take a few minutes to answer this one question…just one:
Question: What are your top two questions about finding hope in messy motherhood that we absolutely MUST answer in this video series for it to be worth it to you?
Leave us your questions in the comments!
We can’t thank you enough!
Stacey & Brooke
1. Where can I find the TIME to be in God’s word everyday with such a full schedule (and I don’t actually feel like we over schedule – we have three kids and the two oldest have one activity each in addition to youth group. I work full time outside our home and have to cook, clean and make sure everyone has clean clothes. That just seems to take up every waking minute. After the little ones are in bed (my oldest can take care of herself in that respect) I try to sit down and read and just end up falling asleep! There doesn’t seem to be anything that can be cut out or eliminated to free some time up for me.
2. How can I do better at being PATIENT and PRESENT? I feel like I’m constantly hurrying everyone from one thing to the next and can’t just enjoy them.
Thanks so much – looking forward to the video series!
Beth, you hit my two questions smack dab on the mark! Ditto, ditto, ditto.
1. How do you find hope when you “feel” hopeless? or How do I talk back to my emotions?
2. How do I stop playing the compare game with my children? You know, the one where your kids must measure up to everyone else’s kids. And any shortcomings must be covered over so you can win this round of “my kid is just as great as your kid.” I often feel hopeless as a mom because my kids don’t “measure up” in the never ending series of accomplishments (including everything from grades to Christian behavior).
With your busy boys, how do you fit quality time in with your biggest boy (your hubby)? We are preganant with our 5th, and we rarely have time to high five in the hallway…
Do you have a favorite devotional you like to do with your boys, one that would be appropriate for ages 3-16?
I have trouble fitting in my time with God. My husband & I both work outside the home. We have a 24 year old daughter and 6 year old son. (Yes, our surprise blessing 18 years later.) my daughter has had medical issues, my son is in sports and the 1st grade. Seems when I find a minute to read, I end up asleep! I need to learn patience with both my children who are VERY different. How to plan my day to fit everything in without feeling so rushed and overwhelmed. Not that we are over scheduled, just tired!
How do I protect my boys from my own mess (whiny, physically tired, thinking “I quit!”)? My fear is I’m ruining them by allowing them to spend almost if not all their waking time with me especially those very trying days. =(
With budget stretch, how do I get to rest as 24×7 on duty on call mothering?
How do I exhibit a sweet countenance and extend that sweetness to my family when I feel the need to organize my house so I can think?
1. Agree with previous comment – how can I be more patient and present….
1. How do I convince myself I have enough? To stop the comparison game and wishing for for instead of being grateful for what I have. Hoping this will help with mommy guilt also.
2. How do I become the most supportive wife and mother I can be? I pray for this strength and guidance every day but feel I fall short.
Thank you!
1) How to have hope when your child makes devastating choices
2) How to have hope when treading water
1. Definitely how to have more patience and be more present when things are so busy.
2. Mommy guilt.
How do I get over the feelings of failure? The feelings that I am not enough. As I go to bed every night I rehash the day and feel like I failed everyone.
Dealing with a child who is strong willed and pushes your buttons. My 10 year old daughter seems to want to fight over everything I ask her to do, from homeschooling to just brushing her hair. I feel like I am failing at our relationship the most.
Am I teaching/training my children enough or the right way – in the way of the Lord? What if I’m not? What hope do I have to know? Worried it’s not enough that I should be doing more!
How can I share/mentor to other moms? Give hope to others without being pushy or bossy?
1. How can I get time w/God, when I can barely get the laundry done? (Working and Hubbs travels often for work).
2. How can I be the very best God made me to be when at the end of the day I know I fall short as a sinner?
What do you do when you can’t see God working in your life and the bible isn’t answer questions? How do you read the bible when you don’t understand how to read it?
How do you keep going when you just want to quit? Instead of getting better it just gets worse.
I am a homeschooling mom with 3 kids, ages 13, 9, and 2 1/2. I am also now a widow of 4 weeks after my husband’s too brief 3 month battle against esophageal cancer. Tired or weary doesn’t begin to describe what I feel. Have you covered how to find hope in motherhood when God has ripped your marriage asunder…when you are “it” when it comes to parenting your kids?
Wendy I want you to know I am praying over you right now. My dad battled esophageal cancer and passed away suddenly last March. I can’t imagine your grief and the heavy load you are carrying. I want you to know we will be talking about trials in this series and also, there are two chapters in the new book that talk about grieving and loss from 2 moms who have been there. I’m praying Col 1:17 over you. He will hold you together.
How do I cope…and hope….and re-feather my soon-to-be empty nest? My son will turn 18 in the next few months and most likely choose to go live with his dad as the rules and requirements are basically non-existent there. I battle deep grief and hopelessness as Im already missing my son before he’s even left, but know I must trust God with the gift He gave me so many years ago. Thank you!
Every comment had been what I was thinking… I too have a hard time fitting in my daily quiet time w God and end up falling asleep when I do. Also, I am a full time mom at home, I run an in home daycare and I homeschool my two children. Although I feel this is my calling in life, I am always physically, mentally exhausted by the end of the day. I need that God time to refresh my soul.
Please continue to share the truths of the Word with us all! We all need to be doers of the Word and you so encourage me in this way! My daughters are grown, but my grandchildren are growing. I love the idea of praying scripture over them because it works! Bless you both as you encourage many moms and NANA’S !
In Christ, Tammy
How can I mother with out yelling?
Being patient and fully present is something I struggle with. In addition to being a Mom, I also care for my parents, who live with me, my Father has many health issues. He has a hospital bed & he needs a wheel chair. I pretty much need to care for him 24/7. I’m basically going this alone, my husband is in the military and is living in another state the majority of the time, coming home on weekends when he is able. I feel like my tank is always empty from pouring all I have out to others. I’m in God’s word daily to try to refill my tank, but I still feel so depleted. I worry that I’m only giving my son a fraction of what he deserves. I’m always thinking of the next thing I need to do, never really being in the moment.
How do I handle the deteriorating state of my marriage while trying to keep hope in my children?
How do I help a weary mama friend that might not realize how much she needs it?
1. What scripture do you know of to guide us when picking which activity to attend? For example, our children are on a team and support it by attending events, but the high amount of events seems too busy despite their (or father’s) belief in loyalty.
2. If not all our loved ones know Jesus’ vision and love for us how do I live in the busyness and make sure I show that being a Christian makes a difference?
1. How do I keep calm and avoid shouting when my 3 year old is pushing the limit? This probably
occurs when I’m already agitated about something else.
2. Is the 30min – 1 hour per night that we get with our son enough for him? I’m a working Mum
and when I get home I have to cook, try and tidy the house up, fit in time with my boy then
all of a sudden it’s bedtime and it’s all over…
1. How do I become content with what I have rather than always wishing I could do/have more, and how do I teach my children this same contentment and have them (and me) recognize that they really are blessed?
2. How do I teach my children to obey and pick up after themselves without constantly nagging them to do so?
I agree with all of patient and present comments. The biggest questions I have, however, are 1) How do I protect my boys from my negative qualities? I’m constantly whining at them about their whining, giving in out of weariness instead of standing firm and consistent, etc.
Also, I grew up not learning what to do with my emotions, we just yelled. This is one of my greatest motherhood struggles that I’m daily on my knees over. My 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 yr olds both yell and, as boys will, are getting physical now too. How do I teach them to deal with their emotions (especially anger) when I’m still not completely sure what to do with my own? 2) How do I create the peaceful home environment I desire when I’m part of the mess?
Sorry for the book! Thank you so much!! I look forward to seeing the video. 🙂
Finding hope in the midst of the breakdowns and the Unknown. My son is adopted. When he has a breakdown he becomes violent to himself – head butting things, biting himself, hitting himself – is it a normal 3 thing amongst kids or is it the unknowns of birthmom? How much drugs and alchohl were involved? Is it my parenting technique? Do I expect too much from him? Or too much from me?
Encourage us that it will all be worth it in the end. That we are raising souls for the Kingdom. Remind us what we are to focus on. Not the weariness. But the battle. We are weary because we are Mom Warriors. Our children are worth the fight!!!!!
The thing I most struggle with as a mom is to make myself a priority–everyone else gets the best care to ensure they get all they need to fulfill their lives and then I just don’t have the time. energy, self worth maybe, or discipline to create the boundaries needed for me to get taken care of as well.
I have two picky eaters, 1 being the husband, and a 4 year old girl, and my son who is usually pretty good age 6. Myself I have gluten, dairy, grain, sensitivities that seem to just go by the wayside after taking care of everyone else. I am a 42 y ear old mom that is overweight, trying to run an at home business that needs me to run–I create hand made items–and then of course the rest of the duties that entails.
I appreciate anything you can assist me with on this matter.
Second question, I think more important is, my husband is a non-believer. He supports me 100% in the sense of me and the kids getting to church, my bible-study groups I host, etc but do not feel comfortable with praying at the dinner table, doing kids devotions, etc in his presence. I also struggle with making him the head of the household as he is very passive and I am a take charge kind of person. I want to honour the scriptures, how do I walk out the Word of God without dishonouring my husband ?
Blessings
Nicole Potter
From The Heart
1) how to be reflect hope/inspiring when you just want to give up…especially when your circumstances are blantely obvious to your children (finances, grief, etc).
2) like a dedication to homeschool moms; balancing spirual life against constant demands of children with a life of no “breaks”…no sitters, etc
How do I manage working and being a mom and wife? I’m having a very stressful time at work and feel like a failure as a mom that I only get to see my son a few hours in the day.
My situation: My bucket is full all the time. I seek God for help. He answers and pours out certain amounts from my bucket, but it quickly fills up. I don’t have many friends that I can confide in but I call them to vent. I read Jesus Calling today Oct. 9th I have a tendency to complain. We can ventilate safely to HIM. Complaining to others opens the door to deadly sins such as self pity and/or rage. As we seek God he will put my thoughts in our minds and HIS song in our heart.
So maybe illustrate that to us who are weary all the time. Maybe a visual of this would stick in our heads, hearts to seek HIM. HE knows us better than anyone.
I love that you’re asking us for what we need.
I’d love to know how you have made time for yourselves while you’re in the mess? How do you find time for you to be yourself, allowing yourself to be human and a woman of God while so overwhelmed by motherhood? I know some of us don’t have the luxury of family or babysitters so that would be a great help to know more about.
Also, how do you find time to spend with each child? Or how do you make sure each child knows they’re important?
Can’t wait to read the new version.
1. How do you make time for God and husband when you’re already tired and worn out with little kids (and very little outside activities so nowhere to cut there).
2. How can you keep a healthy balance for things being clean/organized when you know you can’t do it all, but your husband doesn’t understand you can’t keep up on everything with little kids.
What do you do when your child is in constant anxiety? I can’t fix it and can only point him to the one who can. But what do I tell him to do while he’s waiting to see God move?
What do I during the “wait” when my child is becoming an adult, doesn’t need the family anymore, and has stopped attending church? I don’t know how to deal with the lack of communication and avoidance of family when we used to be so close and have so many amazing memories. The relationship isn’t just changing it feels like it is disappearing altogether.
how do you get on with mothering in the way you know is best for your family when all the onlookers in your life question every move you make and it makes you feel insecure about your decisions. how to stick at it and not be distracted by ‘well meaning advice’ givers, when you simply cant please everyone and your main goal is to please God. how to filter ‘good’ advice and deflect unhelpful advice so you can stay on track without loosing relationships with people.
1. In order to make sure our household flows and everyone gets where they need to be when they need to be, I need to do a lot of pre-planning (cooking meals ahead, ironing, etc.). I then find myself living in the future and not enjoying the present. How do I continue to prep for the busyness of the next day/week/month, but enjoy right now?
2. With all the obligations and commitments that befall me, I feel wiped out by the end of each week. Often, Sunday church service is one of the things that falls off my overly-full plate, which makes me feel awfully guilty. Help me find some ways to continue to incorporate His word into my busy week (for example, my boys and I pray every morning in the car on the way to school) and dispell some of the guilt.
Thank you!
Balance! How do I find balance? I feel stretched so thin some days. I am in a really hard season where my husband started a new job in another state (2 1/2 hours away). He’s only home on the weekends. I work 3 days a week and we have 2 boys ages 9 and 6. When I’m not at work, I am working on our house getting it ready to sell. I’m spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally EXHAUSTED! I have no time for me, or God. We attend church each Sunday and I attend Bible study and I listen to Klove in the car-but that’s it and it’s showing. I can tell I am so irritable right now! When we move I will be looking for a full time job.
How do I best prepare my boys for take the lead as men, but yet still show their softer side? I love that my boys are cuddly little boys. I hate to see them lose that as they grow up. I pray that the girls they date do not break that inside them.
How do I convince myself that I Have enough and not covet the bigger house better car cute clothes etc.? How do I find contentment in the day to day things of being a stay at home mom? And know that God is using those day to day things to draw my husband, children and people I come in contact with closer to him
1. How to balance my time as Christian,wife, mother, homeschool-mom, homemaker,and friend. Overcoming guilt when you just can’t get it ALL done(even when feel you’ve simplified to the basics).
2. How to handle unhealthy in-law interference in a healthy,godly manner-maintaining healthy protective boundaries for your family while maintaining honor for your parents.
How do I get that quality time for me with God that I ensure my son has each night when we read and pray?
What can I do daily to remember to give it to him? I start off good in the morning and by afternoon, I seem to not be able to remember to give it up to him.
How do I display patience, love & empathy towards my children & husband in the midst of my exhaustion? Physical exhaustion & mental exhaustion… I don’t like going to bed with regrets from being exhausted & “taking it out on” my 3 boys & husband.
How do I realize that I am right where Hos wants me to be with the family His blessed me with. It’s hard not to constantly play the if game or the comparison game… What am I doing wrong? Why don’t my boys behave like theirs? Why is my house not perfect? Why don’t I have enough time?
How do you find the time to just separate so you can rejuvenate without feeling guilty?
What are some easy and quick tips you have for stopping in the chaos, even if just for five minutes – what do you focus on or how do you stop your mind so you can focus directly on God’s hope?
Please address how to be a great Mom while working full time. Often so much mom stuff is focused on at home moms which I know is also difficult. But there are many of us who God has called to be in the workforce full time to support their families and we are constantly pulled in all directions and weary!
How do I stay deeply connected with my kids as they grow up, now teenagers?
How do I continue to give them enough, give them enough kindness and security for their futures and let them go freely?
Thanks for all the time, prayer and energy you’re investing into ministering to us exhausted and overwhelmed moms.
My two questions would relate to the two most challenging circumstances I’m living with right now.
1. How do you choose hope when you’re living with a chronic illness and pain (I have Fibromyalgia) and trying to still be and do as much as possible to be a godly and faithful wife and mom?
2. How to choose hope when you are parenting children with special needs? I have 4 sons. My oldest has Aspergers(a former of autism) and my youngest is showing signs of it as well.
I know not all mom’s struggle with these circumstances. But living with such strenuous conditions you cannot change is very overwhelming for those of us that are in them.
Thank you!
I feel like I’m always buying new devotionals and books trying to have a more intimate relationship with God. Then I never put them to use. As terrible as this sounds I feel like I’m to exhausted. My question: How can I make it absolutely necessary to have quite time with God? Thank you, Amy
Kids 7,5,3,1,and 4 months
#1: How do I stay sane when I’ve been sleep deprived for the past I-don’t-remember-how-long?
#2: Related to #1, when I’m so sleep deprived, how can I display the fruits of the Spirit when I barely have the energy to function, let alone deal with inspiring my children to be Christ followers?
How do I control my temper from their actions and not worry so much about how others portray my children.
How do we find time for our own interests without feeling guilty about all that we have to do?
How do you get your boys to clean up after themselves – I know, age old question!!
I am in my later years of motherhood with a grown daughter, a teenage son and 2 grandchildren. I would like to see you share where and how to find hope when you are just too tired and weak to see it any longer. I think the “hope” of a mom is tested in many areas of her life. I have found that God provides my ultimate source, but has blessed me with girlfriends who prayed I would see the hope they saw for me when I was too tired, weak or broken to see it myself. Thanks for your work in helping moms in all stages of life. I have enjoyed Brooke’s writings in the past and look forward to seeing what comes next.
1. How do I deal with overwhelming feelings of failure as a mother?
2. How can I combat my legalistic, law-bondage, do-gooder mentality and embrace grace on a daily basis?
Thank you.
1. How do I find hope in parenting and give it to my children when I see that they don’t even seem to like each other? There is just too much dislike between my boys, and they seem to have it in for each other (preteen and early teen age.)
2. How do I find hope and give it to my teen when she can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel in relationship goals/struggles with friends and members of the opposite sex. My teens doesn’t seem to believe that we adults can relate to her intense emotions about needing to fit in, wanting to be valued by others. I need help conveying that any level of relationship beyond trusted friendship is not necessarily a healthy goal for such a young age. High school years seem to be fraught with kids thinking that committed intimate relationships are a must, and I don’t see it that way. I feel I need help directing their hope for great relationships and commitment toward a more mature time.
I loved your last book…. my question is how do you deal with fighting? I have a son who will be 13 this month and seems to fight with everybody in the house. Is this just puberty in boys? This is my firstborn son. I have 7 kids total. girl 18, boy 12, boy 10, girl 6, boy 5, boy 4 and boy 2…. I know he gets bullied at school and I am trying not to be that helicopter mom and dos his battling for him but I feel he reflects what’s going on at school to his siblings. I have contacted the school and so far things are not better for him but he loves his teachers. so this is my question and I would be very appreciative with help…. thanks
I am a working Mom and run my own business. Husband is a pilot, so I am a part time single parent and exhausted. I can’t think straight, no time with God and formulate a plan. I am surviving. There is very little time for things other then the basics of life – school, work, eating, cleaning, laundry etc. No sports for kids, ministries through church, building friendships. It is just straight up survival.
1. How do I work though the exhaustion and the noise of life to make a plan to be present and to be intentional? I’m tired of waking up and just focusing on how I’m going to make it through the day. We were made to more than just survive – but I’m not sure how that plays out in my life.
2. I echo Tricia’s comment of ‘How do I stay sane when I’ve been sleep deprived for the past I-don’t-remember-how-long?’
Thanks for asking our opinions and for developing this video series!
How do I give hope to my children when I am so pressed for time with working full time, being a student, trying to manage the household and being active in a new church plant? (And my husband is also working full time, in seminary, and active in the new church plant.)
How do I show the hope I have in Christ to others in the workplace where the ability to talk about religion is very limited?
How can you first choose to listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance when you, as a weary mom, are on survival mode?
How do you deal with the hopeless feeling as failing as a mother of many children? I want to be able to instil the values I did for the first couple children, but it’s exhausting to give it to the last three. I think to myself what I am going to do, then time slips away and they seem to miss out on my time spent with them.
Sibling rivalry…sometimes the picking & arguing drives me up that wall & breaks my heart at the same time. How to help teenage kids get along & support one another better; develop better relationships with one another.
1. How do I deal with overconfident child – we have only 1 boy. He thinks he knows it all at times that he has a hard time to listen to “wisdom and corrections” from us, the parents.
2. How can I help to nurture my son’s spiritual walk at home when he goes to charter school. He has a heart for Jesus (and want his closest friends to accept Jesus). I feel like running out of time all the time and squeeze devotional time only in a ‘flash’ before bed time – would that be enough?
Thank you.
Hi,
My main question, the one I’m so much struggling with, is how do I let the past die. I’ve been ‘raised’ in a very abusive family, and even though I’m trying not to reproduce the same old parental behaviors, I often find myself unkind, rude and violent toward my kids, without any reason. I’m re-enacting my mother’s model, I deeply know it’s bad, but I cannot help. May be because I have no idea how to deal normally with normal kids.
Thanks.
Finding hope in all the chaos of having boys. I still can’t get used to all the noise, running, playing rough, burping, potty talk , etc. I always naively dreamed my boys would play quietly with toys, color, etc. How in the world to you get used to being around people 24/7 who are the complete opposite of you? Lastly how does a “girly girl” like myself survive in a house full of boys?
How do I practically choose Hope in the Mess when I can’t even find 2 minutes to have a quiet time; in other words, how do I do it “on the fly”? (I’ve learned some ways to do that as I mothered and dealt with my husband’s 2 major/life threatening health crises at the same time but often wonder if there are better ways out there)
How do I know when enough is enough; when it is clean enough, taught enough, neat enough, done enough, spiritual enough? I still, with teens 16 and 18, struggle with feeling I have never quite done enough as a wife, mom, teacher, leader, cleaner, cooker, etc. so I easily run from one thing to another trying to make it “enough” especially as I see our boys becoming men and feeling I haven’t done “enough” to prepare them.
I have a chronic illness and I am not always as consistent as I should be. How do I stay consistent? What if you and your spouse are not on the same parenting page ?
just one: How do I make sure I’m not just encouraging right behaviour (this is right but this is wrong) and actually develop right & Godly attitudes. This is a daily battle that must be fought but some days I find myself out of ideas on how to address the attitudes behind the behaviour.
After a long day of doing EVERYTHING moms do-mostly alone, how do you keep it together at bed time, so you don’t loose it?
Another question,
How do you deal with intentional harsh, means words from your H2H older brother to his sister?
The fighting needs to stop also!!! Help!!!!!
How do you find hope when your husband is not helping to raise your children? I am not talking about cleaning or running errands. I am talking about not being there emotionally for either you or your children and not setting a good example of what it means to be a young adult man.
Well, all in all, my biggest question and concern is that I feel like I’m not making a positive influence on my son. I try to teach him all the right things and ways to behave, but he never seems to listen. I try to live a life that will be a godly, good example, but yet, I don’t see it in him. I feel, for the most part, that I’m banging my head against a wall, or speaking to the wall that my head is stuck in. No amount of nice talk, love, lecturing, bible references, God-speak, yelling, or spanking seems to work. I’ve tried everything, and I still feel so defeated that sometimes I don’t even care to try anymore. I’m SO weary and tired with the same issues, day in and day out, and feeling I’m making no headway. I’m in my late 40’s. I have two sons; my eldest is 29. So this is quite literally my last chance at “making it right”, and all I feel like I’m doing is making it worse. I seemed to have done a better job with my other son when I wasn’t so concerned about doing the right thing (I was very young, naive, and incredibly UNsaved!). I had hoped for an opportunity to do it right this time, and do things better, and offer my son a better life than my eldest had. But I feel as if I’m no better at this “mommy” thing than I was before, and that has been so depressing and heartbreaking for me, knowing I’ll never have this chance again… I just can’t seem to get through to my son. It tears me apart.
How do I help my son to keep his faith and love for God, when his father (who is an amazing father) does not lead in a Biblical/spiritual manner? He doesn’t discourage it but be doesn’t lead. How as a mother do I help my son grow to be the leader of his family? Remember his dad is s great dad he just isn’t a strong Christian leader (but he is a Christian)
1. How do I reconcile the fact that I have to work full time and can’t afford private school with the fact that my kids and I would spiritually and emotionally best benefit from most of our time being spent together, learning and growing together? What if the 2rushed hours at night and 2 rushed hours in the morning, 5 days a week, is really all three will be for us? Can I really be the spiritual, teaching, nurturing mom I want to be? Right now I’m just trying not to be Cruella, because the hope I had for being at home with them the majority of the time is becoming only a dream, and it hurts, yet this us my life. Gosh that sounds whiney! :-/
2. How can I balance the fear of the evil in our world getting into my kids and wanting to shield them with letting them experience life for its beauty and utter ugliness and praying like crazy that God will keep good of them?
Thx, mom of 5yr and 3yr
What is true joy in the Lord and how do i find it??
How can i best handle fighting and disagreements between my children who are all under 10?
Addressing faith and trust God in whatever situation/challenge that might arise so that you can teach your children these attributes.
What is one thing that I can do to find hope every time I think I’m going to mess my kids up? What is one thing I can do to remain hopeful when our kids make bad decisions?
I am a mum passionate for God relying on Him purely. How do I instill this love and need for God into my son as He enters his teens without him becoming frustrated that, is what I offer as a solution for everything. I am worried that he will get a ” roll his eyes attitude ” when I suggest prayer and looking to God for help in daily problems he faces. At that age they think they know it all!
How do you stop participating in the behaviors that you know are detrimental? Even as a christian, my mistakes as a mom, anger/frustration in weak moments, have lead to my children expressing themselves in the same manner. How can I break the cycle? I know God can do anything – but how to I reverse the damage that has been done?
How do I instill a love for God into my kids when their other role model, their dad, is a non-believer? How do I fight against the secular world my kids live in, when they decide–at age 16– that “church is not for me”?
How do I regian control when my 3 sons (and usually some friends) are disrespectful and disobedient? I want to be able to regain control of situations like that without yelling/screaming. That tactic only makes matters worse and makes me tired. I want to be the mom that is honored, obeyed and respected without being a drill sergeant.
I am the mother of two girls (16, 20) and one son (23). I have raised my children catholic and they all went to catholic grade and high schools. My son has been living with his girlfriend for two years now. They are both going to college, she is getting her masters. She is a very nice girl but I am so torn with them living together. My son is loving and respectful and yet does not see how his situation hurts me deeply. I would love for you to address how a mom can continue to love and support her son during times of pain and unrest. I pray all the time for my son and I tell him I love him after every phone call. I see him living his life for his girlfriend and not developing himself as a person. It saddens me so much. Thanks for listening.
How do I find hope in the weary moments during a divorce/child custody/visitation schedule? When my 3-year-old son returns from a weekend away, he is aggressive, non-compliant, and well, just different. The weariness and worry that results from this could easily turn into bitterness or resentment.