As a parent, have you ever purposefully taken extra time running an errand just to get a little extra quiet? Locked yourself in the bathroom for a moment of peace? Tried to get up before the toddler just to get a hot cup of coffee without interruption only to find said toddler wakes up just minutes after your attempts at quiet?

We have all been there. We are made to crave quiet, specifically quiet time with our Heavenly Father. He wants a relationship with us and relationships only thrive when both parties put in the work. But how do we do that when there isn’t enough sleep, needs all seem urgent and there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day?

This podcast from Risen Motherhood helped me reframe my perspective on the time that I do have to open my Bible each day. It left me asking myself the questions, “If Jesus is my first priority, does my schedule reflect that?” and, “If all I have is two minutes, is it still worth being in God’s word?”

The answers to those questions helped me re-prioritize and reframe how I spend time reading the Bible, even if it isn’t under the most ideal circumstances. Mama, God wants a relationship with you. He wants to be in the mundane and the urgent with you. Like all great relationships, they are built over time and consistency. You might not see the immediate benefits, but over time you can reap the great rewards.

You can find the 20-minute podcast below!

The Risen Motherhood Podcast →

I think mostly all parents can agree that becoming a parent was one of the best things that has ever happened in their lives.

However, we can also agree that parenting can be so HARD sometimes (or a lot of the time)!

As parents, we all have those moments or seasons of life that are so challenging when raising children. I can honestly say that I don’t love every moment or even every developmental stage my children go through in their lives and I believe that is okay.

Read on for some comfort in the reality that while we may not enjoy every moment, that has nothing to do with the love we have for our children.

Part of showing up for our kids means slowing down. Life is busy for us and sometimes it may seem next to impossible to feel like we can be there for our busy kids every day – sometimes it feels like we barely see them as it is! Luckily, we already have space in the natural rhythm of our day every day where we can show up for our kids. We just need to take a moment and think about where those spaces are where we can take the natural rhythms or our day and create space for meaningful conversation with our kids.

Our friends at ParentCue.org have identified four key times as parents when we can connect with our kids on a consistent basis:

MORNING TIME: Instill purpose by starting off their day with encouraging words.

MEAL TIME: Connect regularly by scheduling time to eat together.

BED TIME: Interpret life when they occasionally open up at the end of the day.

THEIR TIME: Strengthen your relationship by adjusting your plans to show up when they need you.

These are the natural points in time when our kids are naturally wired to lean in and so let’s meet them there every day. It we begin to build these times of connection into our day, our kids will feel loved and that is the beginning of a foundation to build trust and understanding.

In our last blog post we talked about how to show up for our kids in the regular rhythms and routines of our day. You can check out that post here:

But what about those days that aren’t routine? What about those times when they are hurting or they’ve had a particularly tough day. Here are three quick, easy ideas to show up for them in a practical way:

1. Little ones: Hang a heart on their door and tell them it’s to remind them how much mommy and daddy love them.

Big kids: Text them a screenshot of an encouraging quote.

1. Put their favorite snack or treat in their room with a note reminding them that you are rooting for them.
2. Pick them up early from school and do something fun together.

These may seem small, but these deposits when our kids need it most go a long way in building connection between you. When they feel challenging and messy, let’s lean in because that is where relationships are strengthened!

Hey Parents! Have you ever experienced this before? Your child is upset, but no matter what you do and say you can’t figure out what is wrong? We want to share an awesome resource with you for helping your children develop a vocabulary for their emotions. When we show up for our children, they feel loved, and we can help them to feel understood when we see them. After you download this feelings wheel from our friends at The Seen Book, hang it up on the refrigerator for reference. Then, when the right time comes you can start with simple questions and statements like…

“You seem like you feel really sad right now. Can you tell me more about that?”

“That must have made you feel so scared. I want to hear more.”

“Wow! Did that make you feel surprised? What are you feeling now?”

“I’ve experienced feeling so mad I can’t think straight. Is that how you were feeling?”

Open up the conversation with the first step on the feeling wheel and then guide them into telling you more. With little kids you can lead them into deeper levels of understanding by saying, “It sounds like you are feeling _______, does that seem right?” And with older kids you can even show them this wheel and say, “Do any of these feelings resonate with you right now?”

We hope this tool is a helpful starting point for helping your kids to feel understood. We know this is hard – keep fighting for connection…it’s worth it!

When my oldest was a toddler I felt really uncomfortable talking about heaven – because him dying and going to heaven was not something I wanted to even think about…until I realized that he wasn’t scared of heaven. In his mind, heaven was the place where he would get to see Jesus, his bff, face to face. Heaven is a place with no owies, no crying, no sickness….it’s a non-stop party with Jesus!

I think we can lean in to this conversation with our little ones. We get the opportunity to create their picture of what forever with Jesus is going to look like! Here are a few of my favorite picture books that could be a good starting point for some great conversation:

Here is a simple video that will help pull it all together!

Morning time can be quite the hustle! With getting everyone out of bed and ready, making breakfast and get everything ready for the day ahead to get everyone going, it can be hard to feel like you have the opportunity to connect with your child before sending them out the door.

Amidst the chaos, there can be huge potential to be one of the most important times to connect with your kids. Check out these ideas for connection from our friends at The Parent Hub.