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Kari Kampakis: FACES of Birmingham

Posted by dataperk on August 28, 2017

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  • Kari on Instagram

    New wallpaper! Sometimes a little fix makes a big New wallpaper! Sometimes a little fix makes a big difference💙🩵
    Moms, are you shopping for a teenage daughter? Do Moms, are you shopping for a teenage daughter? Do you have spring parties, prom, or special events coming up? If so, check out our ShopMy. My college daughter Sophie helped me create it, and we each add to it. We both like to shop🩵 Comment SHOP and I’ll message you the Cocktail Dresses link (on find it in my bio link👆🏻). We also have tabs for Evening Dresses, Summer Vacation, Shoes, and more. Let us know what you’d like to see!
    After my mom died, someone told me, “Whenever I mi After my mom died, someone told me, “Whenever I miss my mother, I thank God for giving me a great mom.” I love this mindset - and I also love the thought of praising God for the gift of good memories. Where would we be without those as we grieve the ones we love? I hope this encourages you moms to keep up the good work of loving your family well. I promise it’s making a difference, even if it takes years for your kids to see how lucky they are to have you. ❤️
    My college daughter helped me create 7 “Open Me Wh My college daughter helped me create 7 “Open Me When” prayer cards for teen girls. Originally a pre-order bonus for my teen devo, they’re now published on my Substack, ready to print. They cover topics like anxiety, insecurity, happiness, friendships, sadness, jealousy, faith, wisdom, and navigating new seasons. Send them to your college daughter - or share with your teenage daughter at home. On a hard day, putting the right message on her bed with her favorite candy could be exactly what she needs. Leave a ❤️ and I’ll message you the link. This article is for paid subscribers, but the first 2 cards are complimentary.
    The older our kids get, the more important & influ The older our kids get, the more important & influential their friends become. Pray for good friends with smart parents who help fill in the gaps when we fall short🙏🏻 *Comment READY and I’ll message you the link for my new bestselling girl mom book, IS YOUR DAUGHTER READY? It help prioritize the 10 essential things to focus on during your child’s 18 years at home.
    Years ago, as I wrote an article for parents on te Years ago, as I wrote an article for parents on teen depression, the doctor I interviewed made a remark that ignited my desire to write for a younger audience. “The reason I love working with children and teenagers,” she said, “is because they’re so resilient. You can change the whole trajectory of their life. Early intervention is key. It’s a lot easier to intervene effectively when they’re young instead of years later, when they’ve been depressed so long the illness becomes incorporated into part of their identity.” In short, adults are harder to change. We are more set in our ways, our beliefs, and our mindsets. Children, on the other hand, are still forming their identities and mindsets. They are what parenting expert Haim Ginott called “wet cement.” “Children are like wet cement,” he said. “Whatever falls on them makes an impression.” Right now, if you are raising or influencing the next generation, you have a window of opportunity that won’t always exist. Their concrete is still wet; their hearts and minds are still open. They are being deeply influenced by the people they know, the words they hear, and the events that shape them. As they grow up, their cement will harden. Their early impressions will solidify and set the stage for their self-perception and worldview. We all want the best for the next generation, and that is why it’s worth considering the marks we leave as we parent them, coach them, guide them, and impact their lives. In Ephesians 4:15, God tells us to speak the truth in love. In Proverbs 18:21, He says the tongue has the power of life and death. But what does this mean? How do we disciple and discipline adolescents – who can be challenging and surly at times – in a way that builds their spirit, not breaks it? I believe the starting point is to have God’s spirit inside us. His spirit enables us to hear His voice, control knee-jerk reactions, and recognize wisdom when we hear it from parents who have God’s spirit in them. We can’t control what is said to our children outside our home – but we can control what is said inside our home. Following are some phrases to speak life under your roof, from #loveherwellbook 🤍
    Shreveport!! Thank you for 3 wonderful events, I l Shreveport!! Thank you for 3 wonderful events, I loved being with your community! Eloise Graf did an outstanding job hosting me + planning the agenda. It included a mother/daughter event at First Methodist Church Shreveport for almost 500 people, a morning assembly for high school girls at Loyola College Prep, and a mother/daughter luncheon at First Baptist Shreveport for middle school girls. A full and meaningful 24 hours and totally worth it!! What a treat to also see my friends Allison Barrett and Stephanie Walker who hosted me in Shreveport back in 2018. All these ladies are all so fun, and we closed down the restaurant talking and laughing last night. Thanks for having us Chianti! Special thanks to Dixey Robertson with First Methodist Church, Ginger Gustavson with First Baptist, and Laurie Salvail with Loyola for the warm welcome - and to the moms who brought their daughters, including one who drove 3.5 hours from Arkansas. Truly, there is nothing like a mother’s love, and what a gift to witness it every time I speak❤️
    These points come from a longer article I wrote ye These points come from a longer article I wrote years ago titled “Today, More Than Ever, Girls Need Good Guy Friends.” Two guys can face the same scenario yet make opposite choices. The defining factor is whether they live by a moral code. Especially when choosing what boys to allow in their life, girls need discernment. They need to trust their gut and intuition that helps them differentiate a “protector” from a “predator.” When someone is attractive or charming, it can be hard to tell the difference. Having good guy friends who look out for you, and know when someone is bad news, offers an extra line of defense. Listen to what they say, especially when they all say the same thing. Thankful for all the great boy moms and boy dads who coach their sons well on healthy relationships with girls. They often tell me that what guides them is knowing how they’d want their daughters treated. These boys stand out in the best of ways🤍
    This message is timeless, which is why I reshare i This message is timeless, which is why I reshare it every year. My newsletter readers got it this morning, and it’s also on my Substack. Comment DUST and I’ll message you the link. “It was Ash Wednesday, and trying to keep my priorities straight, I attended Mass that evening. Throughout the service, I dwelled on the day’s events until I felt much worse. Needing some affirmation, I drove to my parents’ house—fifteen minutes from campus—right after church ended. As I poured my heart out to my father, waxing on about being a loser and an embarrassment of a daughter, he started shaking his head. He pointed to the ashes on my forehead. “Kari, what does it matter?” His voice was firm and compelling. “Look at your face—what does that cross mean? We all started as dust, and we’ll all end as dust. Anything that burns in this world—your body, your clothes, this house—none of it matters. That interview doesn’t matter. What matters is your soul, and how you live your life.” It was as if a window of clarity had suddenly opened, expanding the world before my eyes. I saw the spiritual short-sightedness of getting worked up over something that, in the long run, was pretty inconsequential. Yes, I would have loved to have been a university ambassador, but had it worked out, my dad never would have shared this wise advice that still impacts me 35 years later.”
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