by Janel Breitenstein | Jun 9, 2023 | children, kids, Parenting
She gave me a gift that day. Years ago, my friend and I sat on my back porch in Uganda–no doubt with tea or coffee in hand. I was preparing for our first home assignment, and the forecasted meltdowns of at least one jetlagged child in a crowded plane where...
by Janel Breitenstein | Jun 2, 2023 | difficulty, fear, motherhood, Parenting, spiritual life skills/spiritual disciplines
A few weeks ago, I needed to take my son in to have a couple of teeth extracted. Can I just say this is not my favorite mom-job? I held his hand during the injections, whispered “breathe” through his anxiety. I remembered my own extractions when I was...
by Janel Breitenstein | May 18, 2023 | children, faith, fear, kids, spiritual life skills/spiritual disciplines, true success, tweens and teens
One (just one) of the problems with writing a parenting book is the whisper spitting in my ear sometimes as I parent my oh-so-real-life teens. Like the one who yelled at me across the lawn this morning. (See? I’m wondering if I should have let you know...
by Janel Breitenstein | May 12, 2023 | children, closeness and intimacy, closeness; intimacy, conflict, enduring love, kids, love, Parenting, relationships
I was chatting on the phone with my oldest this week about purity culture–which deserves a post on its own. (I have feelings. Big feelings.) I expressed to him how tough it is as parents, when some of the less-healthy methods of purity culture are subtracted...
by Janel Breitenstein | Apr 26, 2023 | Africa
So often, to disciple teens just means making the most of a moment. We’re training their hearts to engage, connecting their faith with everything: from the cashier at McDonald’s to the bully who slams my kid’s locker on their fingers. I hear this concept all...
