You have a new graduate, and you’re so proud! Now buckle up, because some of the hardest parenting is just around the corner. This summer will probably have some terse moments, if you still want to enforce a curfew. Your 18-year-old wants none of that, because….he or she is 18. Practically independent, in their sophisticated opinion. This summer may strain or change your relationship.   Before you panic….. God designed it like this. It is painful, yes….but there is purpose to it. The straining is readying you BOTH for the separation that is coming. The ugliness that rears its rebellious head this last summer in your home will prepare you…

Mother’s Day weekend has come and gone with the usual fanfare. We give praise to the moms and the hard work they do, the sacrifices they make. Moms do a hard and thankless job. I stood in church yesterday as we sang Mercy is falling, falling…Lift up your hands receive it now…. I thought about mothering, I thought of all the mistakes I’ve made as a mother. The mishandled anger. The misbehavior I’ve intentionally overlooked. The moments I should have offered love and forgiveness, but instead offered a cold deferential shoulder. I thought of the mercy I need, specifically as a mom… and lifted my arms to receive it. In…