Parenting seasons.

Seasons come. And then they change. Praise Jesus he didn’t create them to be permanent.

Watching the leaves fall is helping me remember that seasons inside the home change just like the weather.

Our last month has felt like a very challenging parenting season in several ways. Everyone tells me this is normal. All kids have seasons that are harder or smoother or more challenging for one reason or another.

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the reason. Sometimes all the consistency in the world doesn’t tend to the heart. Sometimes you want to tend to the heart but can’t quite figure out what the heart needs.

Last week, I started something new—and we’re going to chalk it up to prompting from the Lord, because it wasn’t an idea I’d been thinking about.

Have you read The Help? (If you haven’t, you should. It’s very good.) In it, there’s a character that reminds a child, “You are kind. You are smart. You are important.”

After a conversation last week, trying (for what felt like the 59th time) to get to the root of some behavior struggles, I asked Hudson to repeat after me.

I am kind.

I am smart.

I am important.

I am loved.

When we got to “I am important,” Hudson started to cry. And we got to talk about why he was feeling sad, what made him feel like he wasn’t important, and how we wouldn’t be the family we are without him.

We need him.

He’s very important.

Jesus says he’s very important.

We’ve been using it for a week now, in all different kinds of situations, with all different kids (and actually, with adults too). Sometimes, depending on the teaching moment, I’ll add a new statement— something I believe to be true in faith, and that I want that child to believe to be true about themselves.

I can make good choices.

I am a hard worker.

I am not alone.

In every situation, tears have come when we get to the statement that child is struggling to believe about themselves.

And then we have an open door to talk about it, and an opportunity to speak truth, and trust the Holy Spirit to provide wisdom and truth as we talk.

It feels like the season is changing. ❤️