Today we are kicking off a new series thinking about parenting kids in different age groups. Our special guest for this podcast is Shelly McCulley and she will be talking about parenting littles.
Show Notes:
Family/Surviving & Thriving with Infants
Survival Tips
- Daily walks or a stroll with baby - literally keep moving
- You don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn for it to be a meaningful quiet time
- It doesn’t have to be quiet or an hour long, it just has to be a genuine time between you and the LORD, where you simply ask Him to fill your cup for that day
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- There will be a season where you can deeply dig into the word of God, but you may not be in that season right now. Whatever season you’re in, I’d encourage you to choose to read Truth!
- Listen to Christian music or classical, something to allow your brain to ruminate on truth or give your brain room to think
- Pray - Pray out loud, in your head, with your kids, for your kids, etc.
- Time with the LORD
- Look at you! That little precious cherub just nailed you in the head with a Jenga block and you didn’t yell!
- There’s having a rough time today! But you’re choosing to be calm! You don’t have to enter the crazy! They’re out of control, but you’re not!
- I’m not the person I thought I’d be, but I pray I’m becoming the person God wants me to be, and that’s way better.
- It is pleasing to God to live a quiet and faithful life; I am responsible to him for what He has entrusted me with.
- Positive self-talk
- Find a mom who “moms” like you and spend time together
- Find a mom who is a little bit ahead of you and spend time together
- It takes a village, but you have to build the village
- Find Your People
- This may not be your season to go on a mission trip or lead a ministry, but look around where God has placed you, for people to impact
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- Minister to the “everyday people” in your life
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- People want to be seen as people - who can you remind today, that they matter?
- Minister to other moms, even the ones that “mom” differently than you
- Minister to other children
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- Help with your neighbor’s kids!
- Volunteer in kids ministry - great way to meet other parents, see other kids your child’s age, and develop the muscle of shepherding little hearts
- Place to serve
- See them - eye contact, notice something new they’re doing/saying/enjoying - write down funny things they say or do, to remind yourself of their personhood - enjoy your kids!
- Sustain - keep them warm, dry, & fed. Sometimes that’s enough!
- Shepherd - teach them truth; you may not be the memory verse a week mom, but maybe you’re the mom who calls them into the living room to pray when someone asks you to pray for them, or you choose to read books that speak truth, or you teach them hymns or songs about Jesus, or you involve them in service, or you answer questions they have
- Keep the Goal Simple: See & Sustain & Shepherd
Structure for Sanity with Small Children
- Everyday
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- What would bless you today?
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- Ask husband, partner, etc. and share
- It would bless me if the kids were bathed
- It would bless me (me) if I could put our youngest to bed tonight because she falls asleep the fastest
- Once a Week
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- Gift of 2 hours away (Matt & I trade off, example 12-2, I take 3-5)
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- Coffee/lunch with a friend
- Shopping
- Hit golf balls (Matt)
- You may not be able to swing this every week, but if you build it into your rhythm as a family, it becomes a blessing and a joy to everyone
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- Kids - personalized time with mom/dad
- I’m primary caretaker - matt gets to have 2 hours with them to just be dad
- Once a Quarter
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- Weekend Away Without Kids
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- Matt - better than me, visits his family, live far away - always takes Cohen
- Ex: Visiting college friend in September
- Creates a space in your budget and your mind to spend time with people that you want a relationship with, who aren’t in your everyday sphere of life
You can do this! God chose YOU! Not the mom that has on a clean shirt every time you see her or the mom who throws elaborate bday parties (God loves her too) but he chose YOU for THIS child.
Children are a blessing (Psalm 127:3 - children are a heritage, a gift, a reward) but God never intended for you to walk this road alone. In fact, you can’t. Invite Him into your everyday life, invite everyday people into your world, and watch God use your little years for His glory!
