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Hopes and Prayers for Our Children

Posted by dataperk on July 27, 2020

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    Celebrating 21 years of our Sophie Bear today!! 🍾🍾 Celebrating 21 years of our Sophie Bear today!! 🍾🍾 My strong-willed toddler has become a fantastic young adult, and we are so thankful for her and her life! Sophie, from the start, you were unstoppable. A surprise delivery in the middle of the night, you arrived quickly and ready to go! That same spirit still drives you, and you have brought so much joy, laughter, energy, color, and richness to our lives. I love being your mom, and I’m excited for see what adventures God still has in store for you. You are strong, kind, smart, resilient, determined, funny, perceptive, compassionate, fun, and beautiful inside and out. Always stay close to the Lord and know how deeply loved you are. Daddy and I are so proud of you!❤️
    Moms, I’m excited about my spring speaking schedul Moms, I’m excited about my spring speaking schedule and would love to see you and your girls! Events in TUSCALOOSA, CHARLOTTE, SHREVEPORT, and ALBANY are open to the public. Find ticket links through my IG bio, and know that tomorrow (Jan. 31) is the last day for Tuscaloosa tickets, so grab yours while you can. I look forward to seeing you🤍
    The best cure for anxiety is to pray to our heaven The best cure for anxiety is to pray to our heavenly Father. When the Bible says to “take your thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ” it means to replace unhealthy thoughts with healthy thoughts from Him. Pastor Rick Warren says, “If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate. Meditation is simply focusing on one thought over and over. In fact, you can take the habits you use when you worry—focusing your mind on something—and instead focus on God’s Word.” This is great wisdom - and something anyone can do. And if you want specific prayers to pray for your child, especially when they’re in a tough place, I’ve temporarily made this Substack article free. Comment PRAY and I’ll message you the link 🙏🏻
    Baton Rouge, thank you for an unforgettable day wi Baton Rouge, thank you for an unforgettable day with the families of @dunhamschoolbr. I loved being with all of you and getting to see my sweet cousin Kim! Several years ago, Dunham envisioned a Parent Education Speaker Series, and through this came my invitation to speak to mothers + daughters. Many grandmothers joined us too, and what a blessing it was to meet multiple generations all growing in faith and reminding me of why I love this work. A huge thank you to the amazing leaders who had a hand in my visit, most notably the counselors at Dunham (Elizabeth Singletary, Elizabeth Robin, and Beau Dantin), Jeanne McNeil (who spearheaded it), and Red Stick Reads @redstickreads for selling my books. The day started with a fabulous lunch at @mansursotb hosted by Jeanne, Teeta McCollister, Liz Hebert, Lindsay Stratman, Sally Koch, and Katie Goodson. You Louisiana ladies are masters of hospitality, and I’m especially excited about my copy of MeeMaw’s book about faith + family recipes. Can’t wait to read it and hoping that it may inspire me to cook! 💜💚💛
    Baton Rouge! You are one of my favorite cities! I Baton Rouge! You are one of my favorite cities! I love coming to your town, and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to speak at two schools this week💜 A huge thank you to @pbsbr for hosting a mother/daughter night in the school’s new theatre. It was a great atmosphere with the sweetest moms and daughters, such a privilege to get to know this next generation. A heartfelt thank you to Jessica Province, Katie South, and the Parkview Baptist School Administration, PTF, and PAAC Support Staff for hosting me, and to Tessa Mahler of The Vine Christian Bookstore & Gifts for selling books. Truly a joy to spend time with all of you!
    Only one of my daughters stayed with a school team Only one of my daughters stayed with a school team through her senior year. It was my dancer, Marie Claire, and the irony is, she quit dance in 5th grade. She insisted that she was done - and I had to make peace with her decision even though I disagreed. 8 months later, she texted me out of the blue to announce her plan to try out for the middle school team. Her friends had talked her into it, and we scrambled to get her ready. She started training with @emykhand, dancing at @bdt_dance, and rediscovering her love for dance. After this point, she never looked back - and to this day she still loves dancing. Yet here’s the thing: If I’d pressed the issue back in 5th grade, made her keep dancing when her mind was set, this wouldn’t have happened. She had to decide for herself. New on my Substack, temporarily free, is a message about listening to our kids and letting them have a say in their own life. As parents, we often don’t hear our children because in the back of our minds, our decisions are set. We assume we’re the experts before we even hear them out. Comment LISTEN and I’ll send you the link🤍
    We all believe certain lies and narratives about o We all believe certain lies and narratives about ourselves that simply aren’t true. We all need people in our lives who set the record straight. People who flat out tell us that a lie we’re clinging to is from the devil and not God’s truth. People who cast a vision for who we can be and the hope still ahead. Pray to see your child (and yourself) through God’s eyes. Remember that who you’re becoming today is more important than who you’ve been in the past. Through Jesus, we become new creations. We gain the ability - and desire - to rise to our potential as a child of God 🕊️
    In 2016, I was a stay-at-home mom who wrote as a s In 2016, I was a stay-at-home mom who wrote as a side hustle. I was preparing to release my second book for teen girls, a book that’s getting a glow-up this year ⭐️ Life was getting super-busy as we entered the thick of parenting. My girls were in 8th grade, 6th grade, 4th grade and 1st grade. Ella was a cheerleader, Sophie was an aspiring cheerleader who tumbled all the time (even in front of George Washington’s house), Marie Claire was loving dance, and Camille was my sidekick, always with me as I drove sisters around. Harry and I celebrated 18 years of marriage and mourned the loss of his dad on NYE. I grew very aware of the gift it was to have both my parents still with us. We took fun trips to Washington DC (as a family), NYC (to celebrate Marie Claire’s 10th birthday) and Asheville (just me and the girls) after Christmas. We stayed at the Grove Park Inn and loved it. All my girls were still Bama fans like their mom and dad. We hadn’t lost 3 to Auburn yet ❤️🧡 The new iPhone introduced protrait mode. Dabbing was all the rage. We had a lot of wheels in motion, and it’s all kind of a blur, but looking back I feel so grateful for this time with my children in these formative years of their childhood. I’m thankful for the slow growth of my career that let me prioritize them. I love where my family is now, and the deeper connections we have, but I’d still go back to this time and do it all over again! #2026isthenew2016 #flashbacks #kampakisfamily
    My friend used to tell her daughter, when she got My friend used to tell her daughter, when she got left out, “For every invitation you don’t receive, there’s another invitation around the corner.” She coached her daughter well through social disappointments, and it grew her daughter’s resilience. A missed invitation could roll off her shoulders much better than the average middle school girl. As moms, we give our kids a framework. How well they respond to not being invited is largely shaped by how well we respond…and the framework we give. There is a healthy way, and on my Substack, for paid subscribers, are specific ways to help your child. Comment ❤️ and I’ll DM you the link. Also, to receive new articles, subscribe to my Substack. There’s a free option and a paid one, whichever you prefer❤️
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