THE AWKWARD MOM

because uncomfortable conversations are the ones worth having

Category: difficulty (page 2 of 14)

Walking with Kids through Church Hurt

Reading Time: 4 minutes

church hurt

This is one of those posts where I’m not an expert, just a mom. (Um, most of my posts?!)

But maybe these small ideas will help. And if I’m smart, I’ll keep this short, right? read more

A Christmas Blessing. Sort of

Reading Time: 4 minutes

May all your kids come home, and may they get along with each other. Or at least fake it.

May you have a white Christmas to the point that you feel Christmas-y and can say no to an activity you didn’t really want to go to, but don’t lose electricity and heat. May everyone wipe their boots. read more

Thankfulness: 11 Spiritual Life Skills for Kids

Reading Time: 4 minutes
Time for a holiday rerun–with a few extras added in! In light of the release of Permanent Markers: Spiritual Life Skills to Write On Your Kids’ Hearts, here’s a list of ways to encourage your kids toward thankfulness this month. 

1. The running list.

At dinner each night of November, see if your family can collectively think of 10 more things you’re thankful for. Keep a running list.

2. Turkey day decor.

Display a vase filled with your list written on slips of paper. Alternatively, scrawl gratitude items on kraft paper doubling as a Thanksgiving tablecloth—complete with markers or crayons prompting guests to add their own.

I am thankful for... craft paper table cover

3. The classic: Thank you notes.

Set a small, doable goal for yourself to send out a certain number of thank-you notes to people who might be a little clueless as to just how much you appreciate them. You might also consider enclosing a small gift card (think Starbucks, Amazon, iTunes) to add an exclamation point to your gratitude.

Polka-dot thank you notes: Print them here.

thankfulness

Print this polka-dot thank you note here.

Airmail thank you notes: Print these here.

thankfulness read more

Practice Makes Powerful: How Your Kids’ Today Matters Tomorrow

Reading Time: 3 minutes

My parents, bless their slim pocketbooks, paid for a lot of piano and voice lessons over the years on my behalf. I took piano for 12 years–and to be honest, should be able to play better than I do…

There was the female teacher with the faint mustache and house that smelled like a casserole. The redhead who glared at teenaged-me for not practicing. Sally with her center-parted long hair and laminated flashcards. There was the pianist with astonishingly long fingers who also taught my voice lessons with a broad repertoire of Broadway hits, easing into a few Latin and German numbers. read more

When Your Child’s Rewriting the Narrative Between You

Reading Time: 5 minutes

rewriting the narrative

A couple of weeks ago one of my teenagers was super-miffed with my husband and me.

On a car ride home from church, after explaining a biblical position we held on a touchy subject, this unnamed teenager maintained his shock and sudden anger. read more

Hope: It’s What to Chew On (FREE Printable)

Reading Time: 3 minutes

hope

So there’s this chance raising teenagers could kill me.

I’m (again) in one of these parenting seasons where hope feels like a mind game. There is indeed a battlefield in my brain, in my soul. read more

Executive Functioning: Is it behind the Behavior Issues?

Reading Time: 4 minutes

executive functioning

When my son was seven, I’d ask him to clean his room.

Unfortunately, I could come in half an hour later and the place still looked like someone had turned the place upside down and shook it, then sprayed cheese-in-a-can on top. read more

Good News, Bad News, Chubby Donkeys: Memos on Waiting

Reading Time: 6 minutes

bad news loss

That day, in the whirlwind of working with kids at home, I received the kind of email I felt in my chest. Bad news.

I heard my respiration accelerate as my fingers curled the counter’s edge. My daughter watched my face, then looked at the screen. read more

Resilient Kids: How COVID Can Help Us Build Them

Reading Time: 6 minutes

resilient kids

As we all prep for school-or-not, ’tis the season for Death by Appointment. The last few weeks have carted my kids to the dentist, the doctor, the counselor, the orthodonist, back to the dentist and doctor (four times, at least), and finally, the endodontist. I am now old enough to have a child who needs his wisdom teeth out.

As God continues to nudge me to not do for my kids what they can/should do for themselves, I had my 16-year-old fill out his own paperwork. But y’know, he’s the kind of kid that takes his own spin off, say, the boxes asking, “Are you pregnant?” read more

End Racial Discrimination. Start at Home, with These Ideas

Reading Time: 3 minutes

end racial discriminationI know I wasn’t the only mom whose gut sunk like a stone when I heard of the death (“passing” seems a misnomer) of George Floyd. Just weeks after our family discussion about Ahmaud Arbery, we sat down in lieu of online church to talk again about racial discrimination.

Truth: Sometimes I wish I didn’t tell you I’d help with “uncomfortable conversations…worth having.”

But here’s another truth: Those of you readers of color probably didn’t have an option for this uncomfortable conversation with your kids. read more

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