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Deb

Homepage: What's Cookin'?? A Tasty Smattering of Food for the Body, Mind, and Heart.

Deb's Thoughts on Gentle Mothering

Gentle mothering is the process of nurturing and raising my children, together with my husband and God's help, to be the women of God they are meant to be. My children are still young (as of this writing, 6.5 and 2.5) and there are years of work ahead of us. "Gentle mothering" considers the process in tandem with the product. It teams discipline with encouragement, correction with forgiveness, creativity with drudgery.

Many times, I see mothers who are hung up on the closest pothole and don't see the whole picture. What is most important is this child, this family, these parents, and how they go about helping the child to grow "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Does it REALLY matter if a child is potty trained at 2 or 4? Should I spend a lot of time worrying about whether I am nursing my baby too often? I submit that the answers for the most part, are NO. Ten years from now, when you line up twenty 12-year-olds in a row, you probably won't be able to tell which ones were potty trained at 2 and which were not! ;D Even if those mothers all read the same parenting "cookbook," they didn't mother the same way. The more relaxed I am about how my kids are growing, and the more I am aware that it is a process, not a product, the more "tuned in" I can be to their unique, wonderful, God-given gifts. Expert advice has its place, but the parents who are exercising discernment, wisdom and the power of prayer have a better grasp of how to raise their child/ren than any parenting book ever written.

God wants me to mother this way because of the way He teaches me. He balances His Law beside His Grace. He demands my growth, but forgives my sins. He unconditionally loves, chastens, redirects, challenges and (sometimes) forces my growth.

Deb's Testimony

I was raised in a home that exposed me to the Bible and its teachings. For as long as I can remember, we went going to church, Sunday School, youth group, choir... it was just something we 'did'. While it "meant" something to me, I did not really begin to love and worship Jesus Christ with my whole heart until I had graduated from college. Through the ministry and encouragement of a home Bible study group, I re-dedicated my life to Christ. Twenty years later, (yes, I'm THAT old!), I look back on that time as a turning point where I made a new beginning in my faith. My talents, time and income were used in a new way. I understood more completely the difference between "religion" about God and a "relationship" with God. Through the Holy Spirit's work in my life, and through continued Bible study and prayer, I am growing in my understanding and love of God. His faithfulness continues to amaze me!