Adventures in La La Land

This is the conclusion of my series on Sally Clarkson's The Mission of Motherhood . Part One Part Two The last part of Clarkson's book is titled "A Mother's Heart for her Children." She touches on being available for your kids, showing them unconditional love, and giving them affirmation and encouragement. But the part I liked the most was on giving them grace. This is kind of a trendy topic lately, and something my friends and I have talked a lot about. I have this book in my (virtual) "to read" pile: Anyway, Clarkson wrote her book before this concept was trendy and I loved what she had to say. This was my favorite part, and so eye opening for me: "One day, when my children were young, I was more frustrated than usual with the chronic messes around the house. I said to Clay, 'It seems like our training makes no difference . . . How many times am I going to have to tell them to pick up after themselves?' Clay gently responded, ...

This post is a continuation of my thoughts on Sally Clarkson's The Mission of Motherhood . To see part one, click here .  Part 2: Discipline and Teaching I love reading about Biblical discipline techniques. I was raised a certain way and my sister (who I model much of my parenting after) parents largely the way we were raised. So I love hearing new ideas that I wouldn't have come up with by myself.  I love how Clarkson started her chapter on discipline: "I don't just want my kids to be moral. I don't just want them to know all of the biblical rules for behavior . . . I want them to leave my home with a hunger and passion to know God personally . . . I want them to personally hear God's voice and have his Spirit's gentle touch and impression on their hearts as they read the Scriptures and struggle with the issues of their lives." (82) This is something I've always struggled with. I grew up in a Christian home, school, church, community. I k...

I bought Sally Clarkson's The Mission of Motherhood used for $3 on Amazon after seeing it recommended by one of my favorite bloggers ( Jess Connell ).  It took me a few months to actually pick it up and read it, but I'm so glad I did. I'm going to break my notes down into a few different posts so as not to overwhelm you. Suffice it to stay I underlined half the book and have a lot to share. :-) Part One Clarkson is a huge proponent of "intentional parenting." This is something I've been working on for a while - having a plan and purpose, not just parenting mindlessly. She says, " ...being a mother is a full-time job . . . It is a responsibility that rightly commands our primary attention and calls for an intentional commitment" (49). If nothing else, what I took away from this book was the call to selfless mothering. To setting aside my desires and selfishness to be present in my girls' lives. Clarkson uses the verse Romans 12:1 to rem...