THE AWKWARD MOM

because uncomfortable conversations are the ones worth having

Tag: women

Me, Overfunctioning: 3 Bad Things It’s Teaching My Kids

Reading Time: 5 minutes

overfunctioning

So over here, school has started again. I may have subconsciously avoided my boys’ room this morning, which at last sight looked like someone flipped it upside down and shook it. My daughter’s room was pretty similar as she rushed out the door. Hers just smells better.

What I want to do? Overfunction just a little. read more

2019 Best Posts of the Year!

Reading Time: 3 minutes

2019 best posts of year

Sitting with my daughter yesterday, she expressed she had a little fear for 2020. It’s a big year, she explained, with some personal stuff, plus elections and Olympics and what-not.

My first inclination–in light of how young she is, of course–was to brush away her fear. read more

Who Needs Friendships?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Ever feel like “real” friendships aren’t worth the risk?

Back when I was sporting a baby bump (still in the “Is she chubby or pregnant?” phase)—I found out that my third-born was a girl.

There in my then-testosterone-dominated household, pint-sized males regularly calculated the highest step they could jump from without a trip to the ER. They sprinkled around the sides of the toilet. Children’s books instructed me in terminology for construction equipment I never knew existed. read more

Girl, You’re Strong: The Allure of Rachel Hollis

Reading Time: 2 minutes

fierce women Hollis

I’ve thought about it a lot lately–as a woman, as an author.  What is it about Rachel Hollis that makes her the dark chocolate of hundreds of thousands of women?

For most of 2018, her Girl, Wash Your Face was among the top 10 bestselling books in America. It now sports over 10,000 Amazon reviews (80% are over 5 stars)…and her sequel’s Amazon’s #13. read more

My Body Image–and My Daughter (Free Printable)

Reading Time: 3 minutes

body image

Someone asked me recently how I talk to my daughter about modesty. It was a conversation morphing into how to help our daughters see their bodies as important, but not too important. (See this post, Naked Truth about Body Image.)

Incessantly telling her she’s beautiful—though I honestly believe she is–doesn’t seem to be the answer: “Don’t worry about looking beautiful. You’ve got that one down!” read more

What’s God Think of Strong Women?

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Confession: Sometimes my own view of women hamstrings me.

Some of you are shocked, and maybe a little offended, I would ask this question because your inner answer is, Of course. read more

Our Men Can Be More Than This: “Boys Will Be Boys” Degrades Both Sexes

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I’ve written before that I won’t get very political on this blog, and this particular post is no exception. Yet I was reminded (in the wise article, “How Do Christians Fit Into the Two-Party System? They Don’t”) that “Those who avoid all political discussions and engagement are essentially casting a vote for the social status quo.”

Which is why this mother of two teen boys and a preteen girl, without stating any opinion on the turmoil of the U.S.’ Kavanaugh proceedings, wants to ponder aloud one particular sentiment.

“Boys will be boys” is a bunch of hooey.

On God and the Dreams of Women

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Author’s note: I write this post to you with a sliver of trepidation and a big slice of humility, because it’s heavily nuanced and divided (even among Christians). And essentially, I loathe conflict. I’d rather write on topics no one disagrees with and that I only felt sheer confidence. Consider me just getting a conversation started. 

The Dark Question

I feel God was actually somewhat clear about our decision to leave Africa. But I need to confess: Some part of me felt raw, then calloused–specifically connected to my femininity.

My heart was still squarely in Uganda, living out its technicolor dream. But collectively as a family, it was necessary for us to move back. And after all the years of setting dreams aside for the dream that is loving a family, I wondered why I seemed to hold in my hand the short straw.

A Body Good: Naked Truth about Body Image

Reading Time: 4 minutes

One of the sadder effects of my time back in the United States is my subtle and instantaneous body-consciousness. (This is not a cultural diatribe; I’ve got body issues.) Unpacking my jeans in the cheap hotel we checked into after flying in, I remarked to my husband, “Why is it that I just feel like I’ve gained 25 pounds?”

He shrugged. “Maybe because it’s so easy to gain 25 pounds while we’re here?”

Later I realized—nope. It’s because instantly—I must sheepishly admit image rises in priority in my mind. Yes, I am inundated with marketing, much containing women both airbrushed and well-paid to look both stunning and underweight. But, as I was recently reminded by my sister’s post, even the time to focus on image, or to work out, is a sign of all the excess I enjoy. Which means that in Africa, I have been fasting a bit from this fixation on modern instruction in beauty. It also means that the geometric shapes of my body are a little more appreciated.

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