THE AWKWARD MOM

because uncomfortable conversations are the ones worth having

When Your Child is Deconstructing Faith

Reading Time: 6 minutes

child deconstructing faith

My daughter was highlighting my hair (yes, from a box. Yes, to cover the gray that’s laying siege to my scalp) when she told me about a friend who’s not sure if she identifies herself as a Christian anymore.

As when I hear about anyone who’s deconstructing faith, my chest tightened at the sternum. It’s painful for the person, and it’s painful for those who love them. read more

“Am I a controlling parent?”

Reading Time: 5 minutes

controlling parent

I still remember where I stood that Sunday. I must have been three or at the oldest four. The church’s smell of coffee drifted above the part in my hair, crisply pleated lines of men’s suit trousers at my level.

I reached up to take again my dad’s hand, callused and rough from years of farm chores. Yet the chuckle I heard wasn’t his. read more

9 Ideas to Parent with More Emotional Health This Week

Reading Time: 2 minutes

ways to parent with emotional health

Looking for ways to parent with more emotional health?

Here’s nine. (Start with, like, two.) read more

Proverbs for Kids: 5 Printables to Post

Reading Time: 2 minutes

This morning as my 14-year-old scarfed down chicken-maple sausage links before school, I pulled Tim Keller’s devo (for adults) on Proverbs off the kitchen’s half-wall, where it sits by the fruit bowl. These pages have become to me a quietly cherished part of our routine.

There’s something about Proverbs’ concrete wisdom and word pictures for developing young brains that makes this book wonderfully tactile. (And bless the person who divided it neatly into 31 chapters, one per day of the month.) read more

Writing a Year-end Note to Your Child: 4 Simple Steps

Reading Time: 6 minutes

note to your child

The dog licked me awake early this morning. Well, early for my slumbering house of teenagers house. And I stayed awake for the quiet.

As I type to you, snow layers the landscape out my window like fondant. I love its muting effect–on schedules, on sound. My life craves more quiet, for the love of Mike. And the end of the year always seems to hush my own soul into a more contemplative place. read more

16 Fun, No-Screen Ideas to Occupy Kids on Winter Break

Reading Time: 5 minutes

kids on winter break

Missed the first list for kids on winter break? Grab it here.

My kids are getting older, which means winter break looks different here. Sniff.

Of course, we’ll still be decorating cookies and mushing together the family clam dip. (It’s a Breitenstein thing.)

But Christmas Eve, we’ll have three different pickups of three different kids: two teenagers have gone for more fun with relatives this week, and my oldest–the Marine–arrives from Camp Pendleton. read more

How to Talk with Kids about the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Reading Time: 8 minutes

how to talk to kids about the israel palestine conflict

A note from Janel: 

This week, I’m welcoming guest authors Donna Kushner and Amy Schulte, a mother-daughter team who, in Amy’s childhood, served as missionaries in Palestine. Both currently work with refugees in professional and personal capacities. (I personally worked with Donna on a free resource to guide immigrant and refugee families into healing.) read more

4 Easy, Fun Ways to Help Kids Give Thanks

Reading Time: 3 minutes

help kids give thanks

Question: Are you the fun parent?

I am not. read more

Something (Else) I Got Wrong about Parenting

Reading Time: 3 minutes

i got wrong

I once sat with a friend whose child’s needs are so severe, it’s almost impossible for my friend to feel connected to them. Or to feel like they’re offering their child much of value.

Grief, alienation, and anger creased my friend’s features. read more

What the World Needs More Than Our Perfect Kids

Reading Time: 4 minutes

perfect kids

Can I tell you something embarrassing? …I’ve been working up to this.

When I was a super-young mom, I was thinking about writing a novel. (I have a different one on my hard drive that will likely never see the light of day.) read more

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