THE AWKWARD MOM

because uncomfortable conversations are the ones worth having

Tag: trust (page 1 of 2)

Fences, Sex, & Not-so-bad Boundaries

Reading Time: 3 minutes

invisible fences good boundaries

One of my favorite recent additions to our house: An invisible fence to keep our adorable, occasionally obnoxious puppy from

  • running after our local deer infestation.
  • pursuing other dogs and unsuspecting passersby.
  • getting another person’s dog knocked up in the future.
  • being flattened by a vehicle.
  • annoying or alarming the new guests at the VRBO next door. To be clear, he’s ten pounds, so not a huge threat, literally or metaphorically.
  • indulging his insatiable curiosity and appetite for exploration to the point he can’t find his way back.

In short, our fence protects charming, tuna-and-gym-socks-loving little Charlie from himself. read more

What You Absolutely Cannot Do as a Parent

Reading Time: 4 minutes

growth

When my kids were younger, I tried my hand at writing a children’s book.

It was the story of a boy in a small town whose grandpa had a magical house: The House of Broken and Beautiful. His grandpa was beloved, though some who didn’t know him suspected him of evil. read more

On questions God doesn’t answer

Reading Time: 5 minutes

As an author and voracious devourer of fiction, I consistently get a kick out of the comedy Stranger than Fiction (2006), with Will Farrell and Emma Thompson.

Will Farrell’s character, IRS agent Harold Crick, begins to hear a narrator’s voice over his life–a narrator who has power to determine his circumstances. And who indicates he’s going to die.

Harold seeks a literature professor’s advice (Dustin Hoffman), who suggests he start to find his author by determining whether he’s in a comedy or a tragedy. read more

Fear: 4 Ways It’s Robbing You & Your Kids Blind

Reading Time: 5 minutes

fear fearful worried

“What’s one word you would use to describe your 2020?”

I heard someone ask this last week, and was a bit stumped. How do you shoehorn this year into a word? read more

Spiritual Life Skills for Kids: Courage (with Book List & Printables!)

Reading Time: 7 minutes

My daughter’s headed to winter camp soon, which she adores. This morning, over an increasingly plain-looking Greek yogurt parfait, she gushed about camp’s breakfast buffet. She loves the free time, the reconnecting with old friends.

But in light of her anxiety issues, and apparently a night last year when she laid awake till 2, she’s already nervous about getting to sleep.

(All those suggestions in the Help! My Kid Can’t Sleep post? Those are hard-won, peeps.) read more

Spiritual Life Skills for Kids: Living in Community

Reading Time: 7 minutes

spiritual life skills for kids spiritual disciplines

It’s a disturbing statistic.

A friend quoted me a study cited in Johann Hari’s Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression–and the Unexpected Solutions (please forgive me if it’s misquoted). read more

Planned Powerlessness: Thoughts on Rest & Regularly-Scheduled Weakness

Reading Time: 3 minutes

While I was on vacation, my parents were in an accident.

I don’t know where I was, what I was doing. But before seven one chilly Iowa morning, two deer collided with their Chevy–one over the hood, one beneath the car. My grandmother, traveling a safe distance behind them in her own car, slammed into them when my dad hit his brakes. Airbags billowed to life everywhere. Both vehicles were totaled.

I probably don’t need to tell you how relieved that of the three of these dear people, all walked away completely unscathed—not even sore the next day. I am thankful for insurance companies and rental cars and wise engineers (go, airbags!) and the helpers God places around us when bad things inevitably happen on this mortal coil. read more

A Happy Chaos: Or, What Peace Isn’t

Reading Time: 3 minutes

peaceSo I’m thinking about a peaceful home lately. Mostly because mine isn’t?

But I think it’s in a happy way. -Ish. My home is more the kind of Nerf gun-toting, “Mom, can we have a cooking contest?”-messy (and “Gross! Who dripped jam down the cupboards?”), and”Shoot! That appointment’s today!” -kind of reality. Especially with summer. Summer can be a little about survival. (Guess I could have named this post “What peace?”)

But sometimes “having peace” can be tangled up with myths I have about peace in the first place. I once pictured having peace as kind of floating around in a tranquil abode where my children answer, “Why yes, Mother! Whatever you want!” read more

The Breath We Breathe: On Fear–and Trust in the Middle of Danger

Reading Time: 4 minutes

I spoke recently with a friend who’s packing up her family’s life to move to a developing country–a path of utter excitement, surrender, and loss. She described a terrifying kidnapping epidemic in the country to which she’s moving.

In her story, I heard my own. I remember in searing color the fears tearing through me: My kids dying from a tropical illness. The (not always) death-defying traffic.

7 Prayers for Those Battered by Natural Disasters

Reading Time: 2 minutes

7 prayers for those battered by natural disasters

Like you, my heart is twisting as all eyes turn toward Hurricane Irma, which has already devastated the lives of so many in the Caribbean–and soon followed by Jose and Katia. With this morning’s earthquake in Mexico, the pummeling by Hurricane Harvey, and wildfires torching the West–pray with me for those torn from their homes and relying on the kindness of others for their next meal.

Victims of these natural disasters: We remember you, and we’re on our knees. read more

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