Tag: kids

Vanquishing Nightmares

On By theunexpectedeveraftersIn Author: Jessica, Parenting, Self Care2 Comments

My eight year old son was recently plagued by a recurring nightmare.  This nightmare disrupted our sleep and exacerbated his already slow moving, groggy mornings.  Being no stranger to sleeplessness due to middle of the night awake sessions, I turned to a handful of tricks to try to ease his night fears.  Interestingly, some of the kid-friendly nightmare vanquishing tips have actually helped me with my own overthinking. Parenting has an amusing way of ensuring I am learning as much as I am teaching.

Throwback: Be Three

On By theunexpectedeveraftersIn Author: Jessica, Parenting, Self CareLeave a comment

Three-year-olds get a bad rap sometimes.  Granted, for good reason, they are often dramatic, defiant, loud, and unpredictable.  However, as I reflected on some of the traits of my little girl, I started to flip my perspective and consider all the positive aspects of three.  I thought of the times that I have watched her in awe and I began to wonder what my life would be like if I took on some of the positive characteristics of my three-year-old daughter.

Learning to Accept a Messy Faith – Continued

On By theunexpectedeveraftersIn Author: Jessica, Parenting, Self CareLeave a comment

I thought to myself, this game stinks. I literally looked all over the house for hidden toys, aided solely on random, vague clues from a four year old, was laughed at, forgotten about, and then after finally finding the lost toy…nothing. Later, as I reflected on the game, I was struck by some of the similarities the game had to the fears I was trying to articulate about my faith journey. Especially recently, as I’ve faced several major life transitions, I have been a little bit stuck in fear and questions over what is supposed to happen next.