Sissy Goff This is an excerpt from Raising Worry-Free Girls by Sissy Goff (used with permission) What’s Worrying our Girls By nature, girls want to please. Girls define themselves against a backdrop of relationship. Feeling known and loved is crucial. So to say something that might sound crazy or weird, or might make others reject them, can feel…
Sometimes it takes another voice to say the same things you are saying to your kid(s) about the most important things in life—just in a different way. That’s what we call “widening the circle.” So, how do you widen your family circle? Pursuing strategic relationships for your kids takes a little bit of intentionality, but it…
Holly Crawshaw Have you ever found yourself in tears for no real reason? Or have you ever been so frustrated that you wanted to throw something? (Maybe you even did!) Or have you ever woken up one morning with an overwhelming sense of anxiety but couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly you’re so worried about? 27…
Reggie Joiner Good Advice In a pivotal moment in a movie most dads would probably rather not admit we’ve seen, the Prince of fictional Genovia has this advice for his daughter, the Princess (yes, as in Princess Diaries). On her sixteenth birthday, her father writes these words: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather…
Carey Nieuwhof I’m going to guess you wish you had a little more courage as an adult, and maybe even as a parent. We all do. Fear isn’t just an emotion, it’s also a habit. Same with courage. Courage is a habit, and habits start young. Very young. So how do you raise a courageous…
Kendra Fleming Confession: I lay awake at night and worry about my kids. It’s true. I know that worry is a waste of time. I know that worry shows a lack of faith. But sometimes . . . I worry. I have a child about to graduate from high school and is still undecided about…
Dr. Jim Burns One of the ironies of parenting is that we have to give our kids freedom to fail in order for them to grow up. If you over-parent your teenager, your actions are shouting to her that you don’t believe she can succeed by herself. We must go through the process of releasing…
Tim Walker There’s something about becoming a parent that activates anxiety in many of us. For me, it happened when we were leaving the hospital with each kid (I have three). Adding an additional passenger or two or three to our ride increased the stakes tenfold. I became hyper aware of not only my own…
Leah Jennings This year, Creed Campbell would have celebrated his 14th birthday. His mom, Stephanie, should’ve been struggling through teenage angst by now, the miscommunication that comes with being a teen parent, and the “Mom, you just don’t understand!” proclamations from behind a closed door. She should have her group of girlfriends, also teen moms,…
GinaMcClain It was late Sunday evening in June. Driving down the highway, my husband started slowing down. “Why are you stopping?” I’m clearly annoyed. It’s late and I’m ready to crash. In less than twelve hours I embark on a week long summer camp with a gaggle of kids. “It’s not me,” the hubs says,…