Is this you? Many moms land here from search engine queries that boil down to one thing: their kids don’t listen to them. This mom is weary of fighting what feels like an uphill battle for respect and well-disciplined children, and she’s looking for answers. She has a niggling feeling that things don’t have to be…
Author: Jess Connell
Making Family Decisions Amidst Ever-Diminishing Privacy
It was 2006 when I knowingly traded in my perceived freedom of privacy. We were three flights into our four-flight journey. Our two wiggly boys, then 3 and 18 months, rode atop the heap of duffels piled on a baggage cart as I –with half-grown pregnant belly– waddled past the eyes of the watching customs guard. We…
29 Honest & Motivating Quotes About Motherhood
IN THE COMMENTS, PLEASE SHARE: Any of these a favorite of yours? Hate any of them? Let me hear from you.
20 Ways to “Push the Reset Button” With Kids
No matter who we are, who our kids are, or how long we’ve been a mom, the tough days come. Bad attitudes come. Rough nights of sleep come. With tough days comes an uphill fight to have a contented attitude. I see it in my life– don’t you?– and so of course it occasionally comes…
What I Learned About Love & Marriage at a Pantera Concert
I was a child of a public-school Bible-belt upbringing in the 90s. The hurry-up-and-sign-it “True Love Waits” promise card at a yearly youth event clashed with my daily environment of couples-making-out-in-the-practice-rooms of the high school marching band hall. These competing elements formed a mish-mash foundation for my emerging personhood, all of it playing to a soundtrack of upbeat Amy…
4 Helps for Hard Times
“O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; My soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” ~ Psalm 63:1 ~ In our 6 years overseas, we experienced a number of challenges: my husband inexplicably collapsed (all but unconscious) for 5 days,…
“I Want to Grow As a Christian Woman”
Is this you? Are you looking for ways to grow as a disciple? Perhaps you have been a follower of Jesus for a long time, but are looking for fresh ideas, or ways to revitalize your Christian walk? Or maybe you’re a new believer and want to grow more like the Lord? I’m by no means…
Childlike Faith & Being a Punkinhead
“OH my goodness, what a sweet squish ball you are! Can you say, ‘I’m a Pumpkinhead?’” 2-year-old Theo: “I a punkinhead.” This short, silly encounter with my precious, repeat-anything son made me think. As believers, we need to fervently repeat what our Father tells us, even when we don’t yet understand or have a clue what…
September 2015 Mailbag: Preschoolers, Porn, & Fighting a Critical Spirit
#1– WHAT TO DO WITH THE PRESCHOOLER WHILE HOMESCHOOLING? Q: I feel at a loss with what to do with my 2-1/2-year-old daughter while we’re homeschooling, or even just throughout the day as I’m trying to get things done. What do you do with your 2-1/2-year-old? A: Well, Theo’s my current 2-year-old, and he’s a…
Do Your Kids Need a Bickering Bootcamp?
Q: When you suddenly notice arguing, general strife that is seemingly NOT momentary…..what do you first address in the home? I am feeling frustrated because it seems sort of sudden and not just one or two kids. I have been very tired and struggling to buck up…so maybe my attitude is part of it. I…