Author: C. Thomason

Are You as Strong Willed as Your Strong-Willed Child?

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 1

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 2

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 3

Tags Create Activities with Kids

Blogs From The Sprout Side of Life

Part 2 – Including Your Children in Activities with You

Post author By C. Thomason
Post date May 14, 2025
2 Comments on Part 2 – Including Your Children in Activities with You

Part 2 – How to Include Your Child in Activities with You

5 More Examples of How to Include Your Children in Activities with you

Nothing was right

– Include your children in creating a fun video with you. So many of us have spent hours working from home, doing videos, having meetings on Zoom, and interacting with machines rather than people. Why not include your children in that experience? This is not an activity for the child for whom everything has to be perfect. I did this once with one of the children living with me. I lost track of how many times it was redone. What started out as two happy, smiling people talking about what we love to do. It did not end that way. Upon reviewing the first take, her hair was sticking up. Then, the second take had her collar wrong; third, the cat came through; fourth, her phone went off, etc. You get my drift. By the final take, we were two people, clearly unhappy with each other, no longer smiling, reciting things we liked to do like robots in a horror movie. Next time I chose the child who didn’t care what she looked like and just did it for fun. Choose wisely if you decide to do this activity. Just saying…

You can include your child in most of these from preschoolers up

– Go for a walk around the neighborhood and look at other people’s cool stuff/ flowers/ landscaping etc. This helps children get a sense of the world around them. However, it will also make the neighbors suspicious of your family since you will appear to be casing their homes. Be sure to laugh a lot and point to special things, loudly proclaiming, “What beautiful flowers!” to let them know you are really okay.

– Have your children choose one of their favorite videos to watch together one evening a week as a special treat. Set up snacks close by them where they can grab something your family likes. My mom used to set aside Friday nights for this. She and my sister and I would have Pepsi, oranges and pretzels while we watched the Friday night television programs. Naturally, those snacks need to be replaced with something that won’t rot their teeth, but there are lots of healthy choices your kids will like.

Allow a few weeks for this one

– Invite your children to help you plan a party. They can pick the theme and suggest games, decorations etc. If they choose something that is not age appropriate have them come up with an alternative as well so everyone still feels included in the planning process. Have you ever planned a child’s party? You know there has to be a special bond of love to ask your child to help. The colors change daily. The theme changes every couple days. The invitee list changes about once an hour. Yes, this is truly an activity that will keep your family engaged for weeks.

– Finally, listen to book on CD together while taking a car ride. Try not to punctuate the ride with shouts of “If I have to stop this car…” or “Stay on your own side and keep your hands to yourself!” By the end of the ride you may have been the only one who heard the great CD. Of course, it could go very well and everyone could be really engaged in the story. Afterward you could always discuss the story. Like that is ever going to happen.

Sometimes it is important to laugh at things life (and kids) throw your way. Keeping a sense of humor lightens the mood in the home and can lift everyone’s spirits.

Watch for Part 3 of how to include your children in your activities.

And if you missed Part 1, click here.

Your kids will love the tees showing their superpowers. Find them in the Clothing product portal.

Index of blogs:

Are You as Strong Willed as Your Strong-Willed Child?

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 1

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 2

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 3

Tags Create Activities with Kids

Part 1 – Including Your Children in Activities with You

Post author By C. Thomason
Post date May 14, 2025
4 Comments on Part 1 – Including Your Children in Activities with You

Part 1 – How to Include Your Children in Activities with You

5 of 13 Include Your Children in Your Activities

Why is it important to include your children in your activities? Two major objectives most parents have are to ensure that their children are both healthy and happy. And while some might believe that this can only be achieved by giving them everything they want, we know that’s just not true. Living with a child who gets everything they want isn’t fun. Just ask the parent of a teen who has raised their child with that philosophy. So, what do we do?

How about setting aside some time to interact with your children and discover new hobbies that suit both of your interests. This blog post gives 5 examples on how parents can include your children and create a more fulfilling experience for their child by engaging in activities together. I have 13 suggestions which will be posted in three parts.

Making Memories

Here are 5 different activities for interacting with your children that you might want to add into your month (not required, just suggested)

– Take them on a hike. Don’t like to hike? Have them do a treasure hunt around the house and your property with the prize for the winner being they get to choose something from the treasure box. Hint: The treasure box is something you have made with toys, trinkets, and activities that children get to choose. It’s a lot like the treasure box at the dentist office without all the pain.

– Include your children in trying out a new board game or card game that both of you enjoy playing together. This is a great idea for families who aren’t cruelly competitive. I never enjoyed this as a kid because playing Sorry or Advantage or Monopoly was very stressful with the wonderful, cut-throat gang I lived with. This girl just wanted to have fun. This might work well for your family though. Just don’t invite me over.

– Cook something delicious while they help. This isn’t the time to teach your child fractions, like 1/4 cup of oats or 3 T butter. The learning takes place as you work together; and as every child knows, everything in life doesn’t have to be a math lesson.

Puzzles for the Family

-Keep a puzzle set up in a spot where people can come by and add to it regularly. This is participating in a family activity and adding to a family project without being prompted. And if the dog’s tail clears off half the completed puzzle, you can always teach self-restraint as you pick up 500 pieces of the 1,000-piece puzzle together. It is important that you laugh and don’t let your child sense how completely done you are with puzzles.

– Let them pick a book from the library to read it together. This is really a good suggestion and promotes quality time with your child. I can’t think of a reason not to do this and expect great results.

Engaging children in activities with the family provides two major benefits

One is that children learn skills from their parents and the other is that these times together deepen relationships and strengthen bonds between parents and children.

You have no doubt seen books on how to engage with your children. There are endless posts and ideas put forth by parenting experts. You believe you have seen them all. So why should you read another list? The reason for this blog post is that you might find one or two things out of the 5 suggestions which are new and might be worth trying. And you might see the value of laughing at yourself along the way. I laugh at myself a lot.

Check out Part 2 of How to Include Your Children with You

Have you seen the fun kids’ tees in the Clothing product portal yet?

Index of blogs:

Are You as Strong Willed as Your Strong-Willed Child?

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 1

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 2

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 3

Tags Create Activities with Kids

Are You as Strong-Willed as Your Strong-Willed Child?

Post author By C. Thomason
Post date May 10, 2025
3 Comments on Are You as Strong-Willed as Your Strong-Willed Child?

Are You As Strong-Willed As Your Strong-Willed Child?

It had cooled down to about 80 on the patio and Lily wanted to play “restaurant.” She put on her skates, grabbed a tablet and pen and skated around “taking orders” from make-believe people. Very soon I will be reminded that I am parenting strong-willed children.

Me: I think I will stop for a cold drink. Do you have a chair for another customer?

Lily: Yes. Please come in. We are so happy you are here. What would you like ma’am?

Me: I think I would just like something cold to drink. What’s that orange drink called with the ice cream in it?

Lily: I think you should eat something.

Me: Oh, no thank you. I will just have that cold drink.

Lily: No, I will bring you a hamburger with mustard and mayo. And corn on the cob.

Me: Really, I just want something to drink.

Lily: You are getting a hamburger. And corn on the cob.

Me: Seriously, I don’t think wait staff does that. Anywhere. Ever.

Lily, getting excited and flailing around on her skates, arms flapping like a bird: Well, we do that here.

Me: Hmmm (wondering if this is a teachable moment for strong-willed children and deciding it is not): Okay, if you promise it is really good, you may bring me food with my drink. What is the name of that orange drink with the ice cream?

Lily: I don’t know. I’ll call it IRIS.

Me: And why not?

Lily: One hamburger, corn on the cob and orange slushee IRIS coming up. That will be two cents.

Except for the pushy wait staff, this place is outstanding!

While this was a game, it demonstrated to me once again that I was parenting a strong-willed child. When that strong-willed behavior is at its worst, it is sometimes difficult to “chill,” as teens say.

It’s hard to deal with your child’s emotions fully when you are struggling with your own to keep yourself calm and respond properly. So the first thing we need to do is have a plan in place that results in our being calm before we address behaviors. Remember STAY CALM, STAY CALM, STAY CALM. How do you do that?

House Rules Chart for Strong-Willed Children

From this point on, this post deals with children old enough to reason. Toddlers won’t get this, and a toddler melt down is handled differently than behaviors of older children. Those will be handled in another blog.

My first recommendation is make a prominent House Rules chart before you get to the point of dealing with troublesome behaviors. House rules have helped hundreds of families let their children know what is expected of them. Ultimately, I moved to naming this document “Suggestions for Succeeding” depending on how sensitive the child was who needed this guidance. So if the word Rules sounds harsh to you, don’t ditch the concept. Just change the name.

We think our children know what is expected of them, but they don’t always know that. Even the Bible says to write down those important things people need to know. In Habakkuk 2:2 we read: “Write the vision “And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.” (KJV)

In this case, everyone needs to know the house rules so they don’t violate them without knowing. It’s not a difficult task. Get a chalk board or a white board or even a piece of paper for this activity.

I find that white boards and chalk boards tend to get erased, or the rules are modified to say the exact opposite of what was there. I like to make the list on paper, make several copies, and post it on the refrigerator.

It is also possible to have your children help you make this list. When kids identify their own behaviors, they are sometimes more willing to modify them.

What Does A House Rules Chart Contain?

First rule at the top always is :

1. Come to me first when you feel unsafe or out of control. If your child will do that, you may be able to mitigate the after effects of being bullied at school, or getting a low grade on a paper, or not being picked on a team or breaking a favorite toy. Emphasize this to your children. Remind them that you are the one they can trust with their trials and triumphs.

Besides that one, I do 7 of the Power-Up House Rules that you absolutely need to start on your list. But I don’t know what they are. This is where you take charge.

Start by thinking about the things that you see going on in your house. Also think about logical and meaningful consequences (not punishment) for breaking each rule.

2. Do you see hitting and biting? Item 2 on your House Rules list will say: Show respect by not hitting and not biting. (Framed semi-positively rather than writing NO HITTING AND NO BITING.) Consequence: Apology, restriction from electronics for ______ hours. (For example)

3. Does your child throw things? Number 3 is not NO throwing. Instead, put this on your list: Instead of throwing something when angry, be aware of what is in your hand and set it down. Consequence: Repair or replace anything damaged.

4. How about one sibling taking the other’s things? Be respectful of others’ property. If it isn’t yours ask before touching it. Consequence: Do one of the other person’s chores.

5. Lying? Be a truth teller. (This one has been on every House Rules chart I have ever had as I parented 16 children.) Consequence: Making it right, either by verbally apologizing to whomever he/she lied to or writing an apology letter. Because I am tough sometimes, three lies equal the loss of a privilege.

6. Your child a slob? Help with responsibilities around the house, including picking up after yourself in the kitchen, bathroom and your room. (It helps if you are a role model for this) Consequence: Until the area is cleaned up, there are no electronics or outside play.

7. Taking it out on the dog or cat? Be kind to the animals. Consequence: You clean the cat tray twice or be a pooper scooper in the back yard behind the dog. (Clearly this consequence is not for everyone and definitely not for very young children.)

8. This is a good place to slip in the thought that when you see your children making good choices, it is very appropriate to praise them.

How Does a House Rules Chart Work In Real Life for Strong-Willed Children?

So your first discipline tool is your House Rules Chart. Why is it important? Let’s think about when your son takes your daughter’s doll and threatens to throw it into the toilet.

Because my goal is to stay calm as I address this behavior, I know most of my reaction to this behavior has already been done through the House Rules. Instead of looking at that doll and remembering what I paid for it, or thinking about my devastated daughter if the doll does indeed take a swim in the toilet, I stay calm and I simply say to my son, “ Please give the doll back to your sister.’

Is he going to do that the first time you ask? Probably not. Say it again. As long as you are calm every time you say it, chances are increased that he will simply give the doll back. You can expect an attitude, but you are calm.

As a result, I can say, “Susie you may leave the room.” I turn to my son:

Son, you know that the House Rules chart say that you don’t take other people’s property. Therefore, I now have no choice but to give you a consequence for breaking that rule. We have decided that breaking that rule results in getting an additional chore.

It would be appropriate for you to sweep the kitchen floor today since it is your sister’s chore, and you are showing her you are sorry. I know you have some plans for this evening, and you may go after you do this chore. Perhaps next time you are tempted to do something like that, you can remember the House Rules first.

I sound like the perfect parent, don’t I? Well, I am not. And the conversation isn’t always that well regulated, but the results are the same.

Am I Angry?

Nope. Am I the heavy, in this situation? Nope. Writing down the rules and posting them took the burden off me to deal with behaviors when I am short tempered.

Furthermore, you may have strong-willed children who are very aware of how their behavior affects others. They may be truly remorseful if they break a rule even before you mention something about it to them. In that event, you will respond with a discussion.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a behavior may NOT be a recurring behavior and therefore may not be on the house rules chart, for instance, being disrespectful. Because a child may not often be disrespectful, I may say, “I believe that is breaking an understood rule for our family. Did you want to apologize for being disrespectful or do you want me to impose a consequence for breaking that rule?”

I’m Sorry

Very few teens and even fewer younger children will choose the consequence. They may snort, “I’m sorry!” and walk away. That isn’t acceptable because they may not be sorry, or they are sorry they got caught.

Therefore, I have taught them to say instead, “I apologize.” I let them know afterward that I am pleased with their decision and will be there to help them if they will come to me and let me know they are having some difficulty. Try behavior charts with pictures for younger children.

Finally, parenting strong-willed children is a unique challenge that we will be discussing again in future blogs. So, stay tuned.!!

Let us know if you tried this or a version of this with your strong-willed child. It takes some getting used to for both parents and children but don’t give up.

We have your back!

Sometimes after a long day of parenting, you need a touch of whimsy. Check out the Accessories product portal. And enjoy a quiet time by candlelight, sipping from your favorite Momnesia mug.

Index of blogs:

Are You as Strong Willed as Your Strong-Willed Child?

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 1

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 2

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 3

Tags Strong-Willed Child

Blog For New and Seasoned Parents

Post author By C. Thomason
Post date May 9, 2025
3 Comments on Blog For New and Seasoned Parents

…For New and Seasoned Parents

Start here – Welcome

Welcome to the Sprout Side of Life! 🌱

We’re so glad you found us here at HelloSproutbaby.com. This blog is a cozy corner for thoughtful gift-givers, expecting mamas, new parents, and seasoned pros.

Also created for those in the wild-and-wonderful trenches of raising young kids. And whether you’re shopping for the perfect expectant mama or baby gift, navigating toddler chaos, or just looking for someone who gets it—you’re in the right place.

This is where parenting meets heart, humor, and a whole lot of real-life experience. For instance…

Seasoned parents with kids

…this is our household. We are a lot of people. That works for us. You can see why we have years of valuable parenting wisdom to share with pregnant moms, parents of young children, and other kid-carers.

So, who are we? We’re two moms who’ve parented a combined 22 kids. (Yes, you read that right—22!) One of us parented 16, the other is parenting 6+. Some were born to us, and others came to us through love, foster care, emergency placements, or unexpected life turns. Many were traumatized before we met them, some were special needs kids/babies and even medically fragile babies. They arrived needing safe arms, a place to belong, and hearts ready to grow—and we said yes.

That journey shaped everything you’ll find here.

From products we wish we’d had back then, to stories that still make us laugh, cry, or shake our heads, this space is a reflection of the wild, beautiful, and sometimes completely bananas road that is parenting.

We’ve seen tantrums and triumphs, sleepless nights and first steps, foster care farewells and forever family hugs. Also, we’ve launched kids into adulthood and still have little ones underfoot. Our stories span decades—and diapers.

Through this blog, we’ll share what we’ve learned—sometimes the hard way—on topics ranging from the sweet and silly to the serious and sacred. Whether you’re looking for practical tips, heartfelt encouragement, or just reassurance that you’re not the only one eating cold mac ‘n cheese at the kitchen counter—we’ve got you.

💬 We’d love to hear from you.

Have questions? Need advice? Want to suggest a topic for a future post? Email us anytime at moms@hellosproutbaby.com or drop your thoughts in the comments below each post.

This blog isn’t about perfect parenting—it’s about real parenting. It’s about grace, grit, and growing something beautiful, even on the messy days.

So buckle up, buttercup—parenthood is a ride like no other. And we’re so excited to take it with you.

Welcome to the family. 💚

With love,
The Moms at HelloSproutbaby

We suggest starting with the post “What’s a Great Parent?” just for fun.

Index of blogs:

Are You as Strong Willed as Your Strong-Willed Child?

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 1

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 2

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 3

* * *

Claudia is a Mom, Grammy, Amazon Best‑Selling Author, Certified Parent Coach and former Foster Care Trainer for Arizona. With decades of parenting under her belt, she’s raised 16 children—some by birth, some by circumstance, all by heart. She is the technical mind behind this endeavor. Claudia’s passion is helping moms feel seen, supported, and celebrated in every season of motherhood.

Holly is a Mom, world traveler turned awesome wife, homeschooling mom of six plus, and has parented several special needs and medically fragile kids. She is the creative mind behind HelloSproutbaby.com’s products. Formerly Director of the Primary Children’s Department at a large Texas church, she now turns her leadership and design skills into thoughtful, joy‑filled gifts for parents and gift‑givers everywhere.

Both Claudia and Holly believe that children are God’s gift and that He doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to parents or children given to them. We believe that it is important to treat children with a combination of firmness and kindness that we wish to be shown so they grow into caring adults themselves.

Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

* * * * *

The Rest of the Story

This blog and website is an offshoot of our parent vision, HushedLittleBabies.com. That site is dedicated to the babies whose voices were hushed through abortion. We originally created a line of special cards for at-risk pregnancies. They were different from the happy ones offered here at HelloSproutbaby for all mamas, grammys, sisters, etc. The original ones are for circumstances when the mama is considering abortion rather than carrying her baby to full term, ending baby’s life in the womb.

As it turned out, the cards are also appropriate for mamas who have decided to put their babies up for adoption rather than raise their baby. Both situations are lovingly handled by gentle whispers from their baby. The cards acknowledge baby still loves its mama, and the assurance that mama will do what is best for baby even if that isn’t staying together forever.

Our purpose is to get those cards into the hands of those very mamas who need to hear from their babies’ hearts–the clients at crisis pregnancy centers. However, it became clear that our effectiveness was limited since we can’t possibly reach all the centers ourselves. So, the site was created for churches, organizations and individuals across the country who want to purchase the cards at a discount (we have them printed) and donate them to their local crisis pregnancy centers to be given to their clients.

We are only two people. However, if many people jump on board the HushedLittleBabies.com vision, we can join together to save the lives of many unborn babies. Please check it out or refer your church or organization to that website. Thank you.

Tags Create Activities with Kids, Mom Encouragers, Parenting Tips, Serious Stuff, Strong-Willed Child

The Case of Missing Identity

Post author By C. Thomason
Post date May 9, 2025
4 Comments on The Case of Missing Identity

The Case of Missing Identity

So who has lost their identity? Could it be you?

Identity – it’s a hot topic these days. Stolen identity.

Fake identity. Missing identity. Or is it just over-the-top busyness?

In this space, we are all about parents, single moms, grandparents and others wrapped up in raising and guiding children. It isn’t that we don’t love our roles in our families. It is just that while getting involved as life swirls around us, we may have forgotten how to nurture ourselves. So here is a post for all you awesome kid-carers.

Just to set the scene, my daughter’s name is not Lily, but changing names to protect the innocent seems like a good idea…

Lily: Mom? Someone called you Carrie the other day. Don’t they know your name?

Me: I don’t know. I think people know my name. Are you sure they didn’t say Claudia?

Lily: I guess. Carrie. Claudia. That’s not your name anyway.

Me: What do you mean?

Lily: Your name is Mom.

Okay, I am mom. Was honey to my husband. Sister to my siblings. Lily’s mom to the folks at school. Ron’s wife to the people at church. Bev’s daughter to her friends. I love all those roles. But something felt off. No one was sure about my name.

Consequently, I realized people only identified me by who they saw walking beside me.

What’s with that? Can’t anyone remember my name? Is it even important for people to know my name? I thought that for true connections, where we touch each other on those deep levels, it is important to know each other’s first names given them at birth. Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed important.

However, to be honest, I was contributing to the loss of my own identity. “Hi, I’m Lily’s mom .” “Yes, I am Bev’s daughter.” “Yep, Ron and I were married 25 years.” So to fix that, I decided to use my name (which admittedly is difficult to remember) every chance I got, not as a prideful thing, but to share my true identity with people on that deeper level.

I also used the name of every mom who crossed my path to acknowledge them and also because I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one experiencing disappearing identity.

Something else was wrong, and it came to me in an aha moment.

About that time, it also dawned on me that I had ceased doing stuff I loved, amounting to more loss of personal identity. I decided to try to clarify my identity for myself and for people if they cared to know me. So, with my newfound boldness, I was determined to resurrect some fun activities as a reward for being that stellar mom, wife, daughter, sister, grammy, etc.

So, what did I love to do? Could I even remember? Who are you and what do you love to do? Seriously, give that some thought.

I’ll be transparent with you. This person called “me” likes to sip tea in the morning sun on the back patio. She loves things that sparkle. And loves to dance when no one is watching. She likes day trips in the car with the group Casting Crowns on the radio. She loves to eat jelly beans, lots of jelly beans. And buy shoes. Take bubble baths. Naps.

Wow! I was remembering what it was that used to bring me joy before my full life with my family became my super important, but only, source of joy. So, it was time to make some modifications without shortchanging my family.

Time to implement “the identity fix.”

It seemed logical to start a day with devotions and tea on the patio while the sun warmed my bare feet. Then I got a shirt with sparkles to scratch the itch for glitter. I managed a rare day trip to one of the 7+ Wonders of the World, a mere four hours from my home and took Casting Crowns with me to sing through the open sun roof. And I brought along sugar free jelly beans. Lots of them. (Really, that wasn’t a very good idea on a road trip. They taste good, but sugar free candies are not so nice as they digest. If you have ever done that, you are painfully familiar with what I mean.)

I purchased a pair of shoes to replace the tennis shoes that might have been as old as my firstborn. I made use of the garden tub in the master bath and have been known to stop for a nap on days I am not at the office and others are occupied.

Even though it was almost an insurmountable effort very week I worked out the details to fit in something I love to do. Does it detract from my family? No, it enhances all the other roles I have since I also have a role for me.

It’s Your Turn Mama

What do you love to do? The secret for you, mom, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, grandmother is to try to remember and recreate some of those moments for yourself. Nurturing yourself. Recovering your identity by treating yourself now and then. And for a few moments, allowing yourself to revel in the simple joy of rediscovering you.

P.S. Look no further than our Accessories product portal for all natural candles to set around your tub for that long bubble bath.

Index of blogs:

Are You as Strong Willed as Your Strong-Willed Child?

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 1

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 2

Including Your Children in Your Activities – Part 3

Tags Mom Encouragers

What’s a Great Parent?

What’s a great parent? I can tell you what it isn’t. It isn’t me.

I was convinced it wasn’t me coming even close to being a great parent. Have you been there too? Please tell me I’m not the only one who felt that way.

My children and I got into the van late. Once again, we raced out of the driveway, headed to town, 16 miles away for a doctor’s appointment. I glanced in the rear-view mirror to confirm that everyone had seat belts on. However, locking eyes with the youngest child in the back seat, I heard:

Child: Oooohhh. Eye shadow.

Me: Yes. I put on eye shadow.

Child: Cool!

Me: What? Cool? Why is that cool?

Child: Enthusiastically strumming an air guitar. Well…you look like a rock star! A cool rocker!

Ugh! It was going to be THAT kind of day I guess. On my way to several professional appointments looking like a scary Pink, I was not the polished great parent I hoped to be. I guess I was a bit heavy handed with the “stays-on-until-you-wash-it-off” eye shadow in my rush to get out the door. Searching frantically, I didn’t even find anything to tone it down in my Momnesia tote.

What would it take to convince you that you are a great parent or even a STAR?

I couldn’t possibly believe I was.

For example, one morning before school my daughter said she felt sorry for me. Smiling at her, I was moved by how sensitive she had become at her young age of seven. I asked her why she felt sorry for me that early in the morning…when I hadn’t made any mistakes yet.

Then in her sweet little voice, she said that she was sorry because TV moms got to cook good breakfasts for their children every day before school, “and you don’t.”

Her words cut like a knife until I thought about it a minute. Then I realized she didn’t know me very well if she thought I wanted to cook a big meal of any kind.

Known as a marginal cook during the years I worked outside the home, the only outstanding meals I cooked were holiday meals. Thanks to turkey cooking bags, microwave potatoes, crock pot liners, salad in a bag, boxed dressing and other time saving devices, I did rock at holiday meals.

Every other day, however, I praised the advent of cereal in those small wax-lined boxes and toaster anything—pancakes, waffles—whatever. Bring them on! (In my defense, once I began to learn about all the preservatives and pesticides in prepackaged food, I changed the way I fed my kids.)

Wow! Was I failing as a parent in my children’s eyes?

Did they think I was failing because the ideal mom on TV didn’t exist in my home? And their favorite Aunt Cathy, the gourmet cook, didn’t serve them breakfasts?

The typical great parent breakfast

The breakfast ad men were selling sizzling hot bacon and fluffy eggs with freshly-squeezed juice. They weren’t selling sloppy jelly sandwiches or a mess on the table when a child practiced pouring their own milk.

Also, they weren’t selling moms running out the door, trying to make a single-parent or two-working-parent household run well. They wanted us to envy that smiling parent pouring syrup on well-formed pancakes shaped like cute animals.

And I did!

I knew moms everywhere did that. However, at that time of my life, I simply couldn’t.

I had to acknowledge that I could be a great mom without serving pancakes shaped like the south end of a bunny going north.

Great parent creation

_{So my waffles came out of the toaster.}
_{My juice came out of a plastic bottle with a label threatening it was poised to spoil before I got home from work that day.}
_{And we put peanut butter on everything just to get the protein.}
_{I was doing my best with what I had going on at that time in my life.}

Where are you in life? Busy mom and dad running to stressful jobs? Single mom trying to hold it together as you do your best? Over-scheduled stay at home mom? Maybe an entrepreneur with more tasks than time?

Do Yourself A Favor And Believe In You

One day I had to decide I was doing a great job. My children were loved, clean and almost always healthy. They got adequate sleep most of the time. They ate regularly and occasionally from the basic food groups. Because no parent is perfect, I had to decide I was probably a great parent.

“I am a great parent for where we are in life.” That became my mantra as my kids grew into teens.

Then the mantra changed to “I don’t care whose mother said they could do that. You aren’t doing it.”

Even great parents have to change gears as their kids grow. Now my mantra is, “My kids are great parents for where they are in life.” (And they are!)

I have become the encourager I needed when my little kids ate from wax-lined cereal boxes and felt sorry for me at breakfast time.

It’s the circle of life.

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