Welcome to my experiment

Welcome to my experiment. I’ve been reading for years that you should choose a blogging for which you feel so much passion that you cannot fathom running out of things to say about it. (And that you should be willing to do so without compensation, simply because engaging in the conversation feeds your soul.) I attended a parenting class recently, and at the end of the evening I’d had more to say than the instructor. I realized I’ve been devouring information that can help me make more purposeful decisions as a parent ever since my first positive pregnancy test. I’ve also found that much of the information out there is contradictory and controversial. The importance of taking ownership of my role as a leader and nurturer in my family has become paramount. Learning how to make informed and prayerful decisions about nearly everything that affects my family has been an exhilarating process. It finally occurred to me that sharing that kind of mindfulness might be the “voice” I’ve been searching for.

 

 My credentials may not impress many. I have a BA in Media Arts, which I cannot claim to have put to much use since I earned it. I have 3 going on 4 small children and am the oldest of 5 siblings. In the circles of my immediate and extended family I have been had experiences direct and vicarious with Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Oppositional Defiance, Suicide, Disability, Eating Disorders, Attachment Disorders, Anxiety, Rape, Divorce, Abuse, and Post Traumatic Stress. None of which proved very fun, but all of which invited me and those I love to rely on the Lord. I’ve always loved reading, but found the lack of healthy marriages in compelling narratives so frustrating that I turned my reading zeal toward relationship and psychology education in nonfiction once I started my family. For better or for worse, I own and have read an embarrassing array of parenting books. I love learning as much as I love doing anything. I feel that increasing my understanding of the world and people around me if a big part of what God placed me here to do. I also love Art, Music, Theater, Gardening, Jazz, thoughtful design, and stories of all stripes.

 I hope I can provide something here that will enrich someone’s parenting or provide them to take a more intentional approach to it. After all, relying on the world to teach and mold our children is increasingly unlikely to yield pleasant and responsible adults. And the most important thing our lives can be is purposeful.