Protecting America’s Kids

While at the annual BlogHer conference in NYC, I had the distinct privilege of having dinner with the folks from Tavern Direct and The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

More on Tavern Direct in a second but first I want to share with you some more downright scary and eye opening statistics about our children and their safety:

• 2,000 children are reported missing everyday. {yes, you read that right! 2,000 children A DAY}
• 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized before adulthood. {I am a statistic in this area and the effects of sexual abuse lead to many more dangerous and hurtful issues throughout a person’s life}
• As many as 100,000 registered sex offenders are “lost” in the system, their whereabouts unknown.
• 1 in 7 children using the Internet receive sexual solicitations in a single year. {do you monitor what your child does online?}
• 58,000 children are victims of non-family abductions each year.

I could go on.  But, I can’t. These statistics make my heart hurt.  And, as a mama of three, they scare me.  People don’t want to talk about these facts because they are uncomfortable and we don’t like to be reminded that bad things happen EVERY DAY.   This is unacceptable.  Parents need to WAKE up and become educated about the very real dangers out there facing our children.  Pretending these issues don’t exist will not make them go away.

  I am so thankful for agencies like The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and companies like Tavern Direct that are willing to tackle these serious issues in order to keep our children safe!

So, what is Tavern Direct?  Tavern Direct is a company offering the taste of the infamous Tavern on the Green in sauces, marinades, {absolutely heavenly} balsamic vinegars and flavored oils.  When you make a purchase from Tavern Direct, they donate 50 cents per bottle to the NCMEC.  A win-win situation for sure! 

The statistics are staggering, the threat to our children is real but we are not powerless.  There are steps we can take to protect our children and simple things, like supporting Tavern Direct, that protects children across America.

Until September 5, 2010 you can enter the promotion code “BLOGGERS” at checkout on the Tavern Direct site and receive 20% off your next purchase at Tavern Direct.com.

Thank you to Tavern Direct and NCMEC for providing an absolutely delicious dinner {where I got to sample the scrumptious balsamic vinegars in their product line} and more importantly, for providing me the opportunity to work on such an important cause! Statistics in this post are courtesy of NCMEC.

What do you do to keep your kids safe?

And, as always if you have a post about parenting teens/tweens please link it up below!

Back to school fashion

Summer is a time for epic growth spurts {apparently}.

Jared has grown an inch and a half and put on a few pounds {of all muscle, he wants you to know}.

Matt has grown 3/4 inch and hasn’t put on a single pound despite eating us all under the table EVERY day!

I look up to Jason, literally.  He is up to Mike’s chin, meaning he has to be a good 5′ 8″ {at least}.

Y’all know what this means, right?

Shopping. 

With boys.

Shopping with boys who all wear different sizes, styles and only one of whom enjoys the actual task of shopping.

Umm, hmm…fun times are ahead this weekend.  Fun times, indeed.

Pray for me, will ya?

If you would like to go shopping, you can do so right here at my MultiTasking Mama shop {I’ve done all the work of finding the perfect products for you}

Push, pull

Parenting adolescent boys is akin to playing tug of war.  They want you to park as far away as possible when picking them up from basketball practice but need you to listen (and *gasp* maybe even hug them) when their team loses the tournament.  One minute you are “the meanest mom ever” and the next (when you drive them somewhere they want to go or buy them ice cream) “you’re the best”….

You can read the rest of my post at The MOB Society today.

How do you feel about youth group?

This post by Sarah Mae {and the ensuing discussion in the comments} really got me thinking {as most of her posts do} about something that had already been on my mind.  A few weeks ago, during Teen/Tween Thursday I wrote about parental responsibility in our children’s spiritual development. 

Our role as parents in our children’s spiritual and character development has been heavy on my heart for several months.  Recognizing the sense of entitlement that this generation feels scares me.  Reading books like Radical has exposed the yucky truth to me that I have contributed to that sense of entitlement in my own household.  My husband and I have been in prayer about ways to combat this in our home and in our family life.  We have come up with some life changing decisions:

• One way is that we will be homeschooling our kids this year.  {you have NO idea what a huge thing that is for me to do!  It is God and God alone- for sure!}  I am in no way condemning those that choose other educational options- we prayerfully chose public school for many years.
• Also, we want our kids to attend church services with us {they will still go to their youth group.  We are fortunate to have three services to choose from on Sunday mornings}.  They are old enough chronologically and spiritually to learn from our Pastor’s wisdom and dig deeper into God’s word.
• We are actively seeking more mission opportunities for our children and our family, and not just in our local area.  Isaiah 58 is my life chapter and my heart’s desire is that my children will hunger to spend themselves for God.

All that being said, I love the youth group at our church and work side by side with them on many projects.  My kids will continue to attend.  I think it is also vital to have youth ministries to reach unsaved young people.  My boys invite their friends to youth group and I want them to continue to do so!  I work with pregnant and parenting teen girls and invite them to many of our youth group functions.  I think the youth ministry serves an important purpose but do agree that it should never be the substitute for the active parental involvement of Christian parents.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue and encourage you to watch the Segregation video and read through the comments on the post I referred to.

And, as always, please link up any post related to parenting teens/tweens below!

Miss(ter) Independent

There is a thirst for independence in teenagers. 

An unseen force, pulling them away from dependence on their parents and toward a future they don’t see or understand. 

Yet, they respond heartily to the call and pull of that force, while we parents want to fight it with every fiber of our soul.

In a few short days, my husband and I will drop Jared and Matt (14 and 12) in Florida to stay two weeks with my dad and my brothers.  They are going to have a great time!  Adventures with Grandpa Bill, beach with Uncle Ian, amusement park with Uncle Tom..they are going to have fun and create special memories.

And, they are pumped.  Their mama is deflated.

They have never been away from me for this long.  They will fly home alone in two weeks. My feelings are hurt that they are so excited to get away from us {yes, I know that is not completely rational- thankyouverymuch!}

But, when I look at this from a learning standpoint- this is a wonderful opportunity for my boys.  They will be able to exert some independence in a safe environment.  They will create memories with men in their family that mean a lot to them and that they look up to. 

And, I will learn from this too.  I will learn that they will be fine without me there to remind them to brush their teeth, spend time in the Word, say their “please” and “thank-you’s” and more.  I will learn that I will be okay without them under my roof {for a short, predetermined amount of time}.

Boy, this independence stuff is hard! 

If you have a post related to parenting teens/tweens please link it up below:

Modern Day Miracle

Who would have thought that a rickety roller coaster and a sweltering day at a cheesy quaint amusement park could bridge huge holes of the heart?

God.

Who would have thought that the day would be full of smiles and fun, rather than anxiety and angst?

God.

Who would have thought that racing go-karts together (see daddy way there in the back, ha!) would be freeing in so many ways?

God.

Who knew that this mama’s heart would behold {all} her children reunited on this side of heaven?

God.

Saturday was a very special day for our family.  It was the first time we had all been together, the five of us, in the same place at the same time in THREE years!

God gave me a gift that I had given up on a long time ago. 

And I have been unwrapping it ever since!

{If you haven’t been here long and this post confuses you, you can read some of the back story here and here.}

Holy Housewives Chapter 4

Are you enjoying the perspectives on this book?  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!  And, if you like what you read here, please subscribe to receive new posts in your inbox or reader!

Chapter four of Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God is entitled Weary Women.  Lord knows, I have felt weary many times as a wife, mother and Christian woman.  Here are my thoughts on this chapter: 

• The authors first tackle the subject of quiet time.  While I agree with this statement “..to beat ourselves up over our failure to create a worship time that resembles someone else’s isn’t necessary and can sometimes be detrimental”, most of what they said on this topic I disagreed with.  While I do not think it is necessary to be legalistic about “quiet time” (whatever that looks like for you is between you and God).  I was concerned that the authors dismissed the importance of spending time with God EVERY day.  I do remember and can certainly sympathize with mama’s of little ones (the times of 5, 2 and 1 year old boys are still alive and well in my mind, trust me!).  The enemy would love for us to feel so overwhelmed by our day to day routine that we would think it is okay to neglect the most important relationship in our lives- our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Spending time in His Word and humbling ourselves before Him in prayer is a necessity to getting through those times of parenting that leave us exhausted and irritable.  How can your focus be on Him if you aren’t spending time with Him?  One of my favorite verses about this is Psalm 5:3.  Please don’t misunderstand and think that I am saying quiet time can only take place in the morning- I am just pointing to the importance of making time with God a priority in our lives! (Visit one of my new favorite sites, Scripture Dig, for more ideas and resources on this topic)
• I liked the suggestion on page 52 to “copy chapters of Scripture” to have when you have time to sit and read (even if it is in the bathroom, ha!)  I have done this for several years.  I bought a photo album that could fit in my purse at the dollar store and wrote favorite Bible verses on index cards.  I have read those verses in traffic, waiting in line at the grocery store, doctor’s appointments and have even had my children read them aloud when arguing or bickering erupted in the back seat of the car.  I think this is a practical way to keep God’s Word close and on our minds frequently throughout our busy days.

Focus on the Father and He will help you get through those days of diapers and sippy cups, just like He now helps me get through the days of cell phones and curfews.

Be sure to check in with Betty to see her thoughts on this book as well.

Do you struggle to find time with God each day?

The B-I-B-L-E

I remember my first Bible.  It was a purple Precious Moments Bible with my name on it that someone {maybe a relative?} gave me when I was around eight.  I treasured that Bible but can’t say that I read it much or understood what I did read.

Thankfully, my kids have grown up in an era when the Bible is translated into words they can understand.  Couple that with the creative folks at Tyndale Publishing and you have the Hands-On Bible- an interactive Bible that my youngest son, Matt, has been enjoying since it arrived in the mail earlier this week.

Here are some things I am impressed with:

• The graphics are “cool” and engaging.  They draw my son in to want to read more and learn more about the stories they depict.
• There is a feature called “Bible Hero Biographies” that really pique a boy’s interest by making the people in the Bible stories relatable and interesting.  Every boy loves a good hero!
• There are “hands on Bible experiences” throughout the Bible that my son has been enjoying.  He has already completed several in just the few days he has had this Bible. (I will share my favorite at the end of this post).  Science experiments, crafts, snack ideas, journaling…true hands-on learning is encouraged in this Bible.

I also like the NLT (New Living Translation) for kids this age.  Matt understands what he reads in a way other translations have not provided him, which is great!  I also appreciate the effort the publishers put into the bonus interactive website, My Hands on Bible, that provides parents with additional resources and ideas (devotions, music and more) for making the Bible interesting and relevant to our kids.

Before I tell you about the contest going on over at the Hands on Bible site (think pizza, Bibles and family fun), I wanted to share one of the activities Matt recently completed from his Hands on Bible.

In the Hands on Bible, it was being explained that Psalm 119 is written as an acrostic poem, except in the Hebrew alphabet.  Then the activity was for kids to make an acrostic poem of their own, using their first name and words that describe God. Here is Matthew’s (spelling errors included =)

M- Maker

A- All-Knowing

T- Tollerent

T- True

H- Holy

E- Extrordinary

W- Willing

Isn’t that awesome?  The Word coming alive to our kids? Nothing better!

So, head on over to their website and check out this awesome Bible and an opportunity to win big!  I will be heading over to purchase one for my six year old nephew!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the Hands On Bible for review.  All opinions are mine (and my child’s) and were not influenced by anyone else.  Thank you to the MOB Society for facilitating this review!

God and teens

My kids enjoy church {right now}.  They are active in their youth group and enjoy serving alongside their youth pastor in different ministry opportunities.  They {sometimes} enjoy serving alongside their dad and I.  So, why am I worried about their relationship with God?

• Statistics show that more than 50% of kids their age {13-17} attend church on a regular basis.  BUT, that number drops to less than 35% between 18-29.
• There are so many competing interests for my kids time and energy.  I want God to remain the PRIMARY voice that they hear and discern as they go through life.
• Departure from church often times means that the kids are “taking a break” from their faith all together.  I have been there and done that- YIKES!

What can I do to encourage my kids {particularly my seventeen year old} to keep faith a priority as societal temptations, distractions and ambition compete for their attention?

1. Trust God.  When the prodigal son left, the father did not chase him down and beg him not to go. He trusted and hoped that he would return.  As our kids grow up, we have to relinquish {more and more} control and increase our faith and trust that God has got their outcome in His hands.
2. Lead by example.  Our kids need to see consistency from their parents and the adults they respect in their lives.  Even if my kids one day make the choice not to go to church, it will remain an expectation when they are living in our house {and a strong encouragement when they are visiting}. 
3. Tell my story.  So often, we are nervous to tell our kids that we messed up in our past.  As my kids get older, I see that God can use the mistakes of my past as a real life illustration to show the dangers of wandering away from God {and His awesome, redemptive power}.
4. Love, love and more love.  No matter the choices my children make I must love them anyway.  This reality has been tested in my life already with our oldest son and I can tell you that love is a universal language.  It gets through when nothing else can.  {and that includes the language of tough love when necessary}.

Do you worry about your child’s faith as they grow and leave home? 

As always, please link up your teen/tween related posts below:

 

MRSA and our teens

**Welcome to Teen/Tween Thursday!  If you have a post about parenting teens/tweens please link it up below**

Several months ago I participated in a webinar with Grant Hill and Clorox about the dangers of MRSA, particularly in schools and locker rooms.  I enjoyed the call, received a lot of information and my son got a signed Grant Hill basketball out of the deal.  Little did I know that this weekend I would be digging that information back out because my son had acquired MRSA, probably during conditioning for high school basketball.

Jared had a spot on his ankle that looked like a small boil one day and the next was red, pussy, warm to the touch and had smaller pustules next to it.  We took him to the ER (we were out of town for the 4th) where they had to cut and drain the large and smaller places on his ankle (suffice it to say, I almost passed out and it was horrible to see my baby in so much pain).  They sent the “discharge” for culture and started him on antibiotics.  He will be fine, although he has had some fever, developed a double ear infection and just doesn’t feel good.  But, this has definitely been a scary experience!

Here are some facts about MRSA (courtesy of Clorox):

What is MRSA and how is it spread?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, infections acquired in the community are skin infections that may appear as pustules or boils that are often red, swollen and painful, or have pus or other drainage. These skin infections commonly occur where there are cuts or abrasions, and on areas of the body covered by hair.¹ Although serious MRSA disease is still predominantly related to exposures in hospital or health care settings, infections outside health care settings are increasing.²

MRSA is usually transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces that have come into contact with someone else’s infection (e.g., dirty towels, used bandages).¹ Therefore, practicing both good personal hygiene and disinfection of items and surfaces are important in prevention of the spread of MRSA.

MRSA is fond of locker rooms, gyms and teen boys and girls involved in sports are at particular risk.  Please educate your child about this and educate yourself so you can recognize it and get them treatment right away!  And, if you think about it say a prayer for my Jared until this nasty infection clears up!

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