It's a challenging world these days.

When I raised my kids, I didn't have social media telling me if my house was lovely enough, or if I dressed in the most up to date styles, or if I was the best kind of mom who coordinated professional photos of my family in matching clothes every quarter.🤔

But still I doubted.

I doubted I was enough for them.

I doubted I was a good mom.

I doubted my ability to teach them what they needed to know for life.

I doubted I had enough patience.

I doubted I was beautiful enough.

Recently, I was around a mom and her kiddos. We were exploring in the back yard. The kids found a toad, screaming with excitement. We joined them and the mom proceeded to fret over them getting dirty, the toad pooping on them, them squishing the toad, etc.

Her stress was palpable, frantic.

Helicopter parenting isn't really a new thing. We just put a name to it.

When my kids were little they would play in the woods for hours. If one got hurt, they would all come running and we would deal with it.

Today, Moms seem to be so concerned about protecting their kids so they don't get hurt, physically or emotionally. And yet this world they are being raised in is tough on them, physically and emotionally.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ****Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

I love this quote from Graham Cooke.

You're not being challenged by the world. You're not being challenged by the flesh. You're not being challenged by the enemy. You're being challenged by God's goodness.

The very thing we try to protect ourselves and our kids from is the very thing that can bring us breakthrough, healing, and healthy relationships.

Obviously I'm not saying we should let our kids play near a busy street or knowingly put them in harms way. But bubblewrapping them is no the answer.

Let them play. Let them interact with people that may be unkind. Let them get their hands dirty. Being ok with them skinning their knee is part of life. Plus it is a great opportunity to talk about stuff with them, helping them process it in their sweet little minds so they can learn to cope in healthy ways, learning mom is a safe place with whom they can talk about anything. Those are the sweet spots of mothering.