A bit about...

One thing was for sure...I always knew I wanted to be a mom! It was my life's ambition since I was a little girl...  

Life didn’t unfold exactly the way I thought it would. I imagined starting a family early on, but when that didn’t happen, I focused on building my career, yet always feeling empty without the child I dreamed of. As challenging as that was, looking back, those years helped shape me in incredible ways—and even in the waiting, I held on to the hope that my dream of being a mother would be fulfilled.

Allow me to back-track a bit: I am the youngest of 3 kids in my family and ever since I was a little girl I had always said to myself, "I want to be a young mom!"  Why? I guess because, when I was growing-up, I felt like my mom was older than my friends' moms. She was only 34 though and honestly, such funny thoughts for a little child to have.

As it turns out, the wish I had been holding onto and the words I had spoken over and over again, did come true—just not in the way I originally imagined. Funny enough, I was actually two years older than my own mother was when I had my daughter, Alyssa! You might be wondering how I can say the wish was fulfilled then? Well, I may not have been a young mom chronologically speaking, but I was definitely young-at-heart! I was the mom building forts, crafting, and racing toy cars up and down the driveway. I did cartwheels on the front lawn, ran through water parks, and literally never said no to, 'just one more roller coaster', no matter how late it was getting. So yes, my dream most definitely came true - but not in the way I had expected! 

The take-away?

WORDS ARE very important ~ be careful what you say! 

Community is a place that all members need to feel included, welcomed and safe. THIS is what you will always receive from me!
 

I definitely had some challenges growing up. I didn't necessarily feel accepted or good enough. Somehow I came to believe, 'well, if you expect the worst, you won't be disappointed. And, if something good happens, that's great!' Wow, what a sad way to live as a child and then teen; extremely limiting and self-defining when you're young. But I didn't realize this 'in the moment', nor did anyone correct my way of thinking. Perhaps they didn't notice it, but more likely, they didn't realize it was wrong or how deeply it had taken root. I certainly didn't share my innermost feelings about it. Rest assured, if people had paid attention, there were definitely tell-tale signs of its presence though. At the time, I had no idea where this negative and very limited thinking originated. 

As a sensitive kid, clearly something had clearly impacted me and from it, insecurities were born. I was in self-preservation mode but without realizing this at the time; nor did I actually realize my way of thinking was wrong. Ironically, in reality, if you asked my parents, they would have said, 'she's a strong-willed child; and she sure knows what she wants'. Why did they think that!? Because that's what we do when we are camouflaging something. We become experts at portraying an image that makes it appear we are strong - so that we can fly under the radar. Ultimately, as I continued to grow-up, no one knew it, but I deeply longed to feel accepted.

(To lighten things up a bit, keep in mind, there was no Oprah or Dr. Phil then! Lol.)

I am happy to say - I am an over-comer! And while my life was not necessarily an easy life, I'm happy to say that God has used my challenges for His good! As an adult, I have always had an innate ability to see into the hearts of people. To relate; to connect; to see their brokenness. With God's strength, I have been able to use my childhood / teen / young adult challenges to glorify God's kingdom. I continue to make concerted efforts to ensure that, if I have anything to say about it, no one, young or old, will feel unaccepted if I can help it. I do my best to build people up and encourage them in their goals, or through their struggles. This has become a life-long journey; a mission of sorts, one could say. And I believe this is where my ability to read people originated. 

The take-away?

Be very aware of the thoughts your kids are taking on...

Be very conscious of the information they are consuming...

One thing we quickly learn as parents is that our children learn very, very quickly. You'll hear both new and veteran parents say, 'my baby/toddler understands everything I say!'  And they are absolutely correct! And, they understand far more than the obvious words we say to them about day-to-day things. They understand boundaries, (defined 'and' undefined). They understand what encouragement sounds and feels like. They understand if someone believes in them. They have their interpretation of media...good, bad and indifferent; and, in most cases, they are not equipped to understand the negative impact many forms of media carry these days - because it can be so subtle. This is why it's so very important to always be 'tuned in'.

Just because 'it' appears to be status quo, doesn't mean it's ok

Be ok with saying no...and be ok with not following the so-called norm.  It doesn't matter what their friends are doing. Teach them to be care-takers of their minds/hearts. The bar continues to be lowered further and further and sadly it will continue to decline so we need to be careful. I'm not trying to scare you, but in reality, it is alarming.

Media and books can be wonderful tools of growth for our children, but they can also be the beginning of something undesirable.

The take-away?

Be intentional of what we allow into the hearts of our children