Parenting Grateful Challenge

This Saturday, my oldest son turns 18 years old, so I wanted to share a guest post I wrote on parenting for my friend’s gratitude series.

Link to my Guest Post in the Gratitude Series

Here is a sneak peek:

I will never forget the day I became a mom.  After weeks of bed rest, hours of labor, and an emergency c-section, I still remember how in love I felt when my eyes first locked with his.  Feelings of gratitude rushed over my body as I saw a healthy, baby boy.

I had no idea all the emotions that would flood my heart over the next eighteen years: feelings of inadequacy and the need to do it all right. Feelings of disappointment and exhaustion as well as joy, gratitude, and deep pride in who he was becoming.

Parenting is the most rewarding job and the hardest job all at the same time.

There are days when parenting is wonderful, and it is easy to be grateful for my sweet sons. But, if I am honest, there are also days when parenting is hard, and gratitude is far from my mind. Setting boundaries, following through on discipline, and teaching them responsibility can fall under the harder days.

I can still remember one of those hard days. To help calm my frustrations and slow down my reactions, I had walked downstairs to get some perspective and reflect over the last week.

It is easy as parents to only focus on the negative times with our kids. The times that they talked back with disrespect or said unloving words to their sibling.  But if we truly stop and reflect, there is so much to be grateful for. 

To read the rest of my post, click the Link to my Guest Post in the Gratitude Series

Link to my Guest Post in the Gratitude Series

I also had the opportunity to be a guest on the Cost is Courage Podcast. I share what courage looks like for me as a mom of teenagers, a hands-on science teacher teaching during a pandemic, a woman who had leaned on God’s strength through a season of grief, and a podcast host who took a leap of faith.

One definition of courage is “strength in the face of pain or grief”, and I love how God has courage and strength paired together in the Bible. (Joshua 1:9, “Be Strong and Courageous.”) For me, courage is trusting God when life does not make sense.  It is leaning into God when our life circumstances are falling apart around us. Being courageous is modeling this for our kids. I share on the podcast how God gave me courage and His Strength to withstand my unexpected storms. 

Courage is also stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a leap of faith. Starting the Depth Podcast was my leap of faith and I cannot wait for you to hear more about this courageous step on the podcast.  Honestly, I hope you will be encouraged to take a courageous step to follow your God sized dream! 

I am so excited to be part of the “Conversation with Friends” Series on the @costiscouragepodcast. To listen, click the The Cost is Courage Podcast Link

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