loved Archives - THE AWKWARD MOM

Tag: loved

When “Should” Gets in the Way

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Author’s note: This is another one of those posts (like most of mine?) that I write from the thick of it. As in, not from mastery. As in, I was dealing with this last night. Turns out I not only get the “shoulds” with myself; I get them with other people. As in my kids.

My husband has probably said it more than ten times: “When you’re tired, you get the shoulds.”

I should call her. I need to write that note. I think we need to make a plan for disciplining [insert child]. I should be more diligent about… read more

The Three Words Our Kids Critically Need to Hear

April 11, 2017 / Janel Breitenstein / 0 Comments

Reading Time: 3 minutes

It was a low moment in my parenting—so I’m still a little flabbergasted for the high point my then-four-year old made it.
I’d made a phone call to him as he stayed at his grandma’s for the day. I hated I even needed to make it. After shouting at him that morning, I’d done a fairly false, overall lame job of apologizing. I’d still been so stinkin’ angry—and my mind’s eye zoomed in on his own error. (That’s him at four years or so, on the right.) So I picked up my cell and attempted something more like Jesus.

What I will always remember was what he said in return.

“Mommy, I forgive you. And I want to let you know that even when you do bad things, I still love you. And I want you to know that even when you do bad things, God still loves you.” read more