As Christian parents we often live in the tension between protecting our children from secular influences, yet not wanting to shelter them so much that they can't live out in the "real world". We either end up parenting out of fear and legalism, or going to the opposite extreme of allowing our children to be submerged in a worldly culture before their faith has fully matured. It's true that children who have accepted Jesus as their Savior are salt and light, just like adults. Because of their nature though, kids are extremely vulnerable to ruination when they are exposed repeatedly to anti-biblical influences. Matthew 5:13-16 says that in order to maintain a witness, we must be set apart and distinct, like that city or light on a ... Read More...
How I Broke Up With Mom Guilt
It was approaching 2:00pm, and not much had gotten done in the way of housework after a morning of playing, reading, and lessons. There were toys all over the living room, dirty laundry still in piles waiting to be washed, and dishes stacked in the sink. Growing anxious about the messes and the shrinking amount of hours left in my afternoon to tackle them, I freaked a little a lot. I told the kids to start cleaning up, and got major attitude from my son. I forget the exact words he said, but they felt like a punch in the gut. I sent him to his room and went back to sorting clothes. And the tears began to sting my eyes. "I give, and I give, and I give, Lord! Everything I teach and instill and pour into them. The sacrifices I make ... Read More...
Why Our Kids Need Us To Treasure Their Dad
While this blog is titled "Called To Mothering", I couldn't do what I do as a mother without my children's dad. He works hard every day so I can stay at home with our kids, and wholeheartedly supports me homeschooling and writing about it. He's the man behind the blog. :) I can't imagine our lives without our son and daughter, but I'll be honest, I do miss those child-free days. When our schedule didn't revolve around children's activities and we could just decide to get away somewhere on a whim, without having to find a babysitter. When we weren't practically shouting over the competing voices of young kids have a conversation. I turned 23 the summer we met, and he was 25. Those ages seem so young to me now, 14 years later. Back ... Read More...
Being Your Child’s Playmate Instead of Entertainer
Today I am teaming up again with some other mom bloggers on a series called Ask Away Thursday. Anonymous submissions are thoughtfully answered by a panel of mothers who can offer different perspectives based on their experience. If you have a parenting question be sure to send it our way (momstribeadvice@gmail.com), and it may be featured in a future installment! This edition’s question: "How much time should I spend playing with my kids? Sometimes it's really hard for me to because I'm just not interested in playing." I used to think I was a bad mother if I didn't spend hours playing with my children every day. I felt consumed with guilt for "leaving them to their own devices" more often than not. While I certainly did not neglect my ... Read More...
Real Moms Real Challenges: Raising My Child Abroad
This month in honor of Mother's Day, I am hosting a guest post series called Real Moms Real Challenges that features a different mom each Wednesday. Today I'm excited to have Diana Longoria of Diana Elle Blog share the challenges she's faced as a mother in a foreign country. I got to know her over the last two months, when we were paired up together during the March/April Solidarity Sisters Challenge. Diana writes about her family's travel adventures around Germany, and her blog always features interesting places to visit in her new country! My husband had applied for a scholarship that would send us to Germany in the fall of 2012. Since I knew we really wanted to go, I started putting on kids shows in German for my then two-year-old ... Read More...