When my daughter turned two, she began crafting stages for herself. Any rectangular surface worked—the fireplace hearth, an overturned toy container, even shelf liner pulled from a kitchen drawer. She would grab a makeshift microphone (a flashlight, a princess wand, or a marker), center herself upon the stage, and take a deep breath before belting… Continue reading My Daughter’s Playlist
At 6:41 a.m., love is patient. He is patient with me as I press “snooze” on my phone alarm once, then twice, finally a third time. He waits as I check my email, scroll social media, and sip my coffee before finally pulling out his Word. He does not hold my tardiness against me but… Continue reading Love Is
On a whim the other day, I asked my three-year-old daughter, “What does mommy say a lot?” I hoped her answer would be something like, “I love you,” or “You are my precious treasure,” or even better, some profound Gospel truth. Her blue-gray eyes gazed at mine while she pondered my odd question, then she… Continue reading Confession in Motherhood
“Grown-ups come back.” “Find a way to play together.” “If you have to go potty, stop and go right away.” If you’re currently a parent of toddlers, you will know the melodies that accompany the lyrics above from our favorite friendly jungle animal. Each day, my daughter jumps out of her bed after naptime—excited for… Continue reading Lessons from Daniel Tiger
My daughter chatters and slurps her yogurt and honey at the breakfast table while I feed rice cereal to my son in his highchair. She narrates her favorite parts of the new Disney movie we watched last weekend, Raya and the Last Dragon, and raises her voice and spoon for dramatic effect. I’m half listening,… Continue reading Tiny Discipleship
One rainy Monday morning, frustrated tears slid down my two-year-old daughter's cheeks before we even made it out of the bedroom. I coaxed her sobbing body into the kitchen, still insisting she wanted Play-Doh not breakfast, but she slumped to the floor seeing the waffles I made. Already exhausted from the morning's conflicts, I conceded… Continue reading The Better Parent
For four years, we hosted weekly dinner parties with friends in our tiny newlywed apartment. What we lacked in space, we made up for in homemade dinners and a large board game collection. Two or three couples would squeeze around our hand-me-down table eating lasagna and playing Settlers of Catan. Some of our sweetest friendships… Continue reading Gray Toy Baskets
I massage the back of my neck after laying my son down in his bassinet. Three months of nursing and constantly looking down to check on him has worn my weak neck muscles. I stretch out my neck and shoulders one more time then walk towards to the kitchen to begin preparations for the day,… Continue reading Look Up
She sat across from me in the food court as I scarfed down a Chick-fil-A breakfast biscuit and squeezed in words of anxiety between bites. I was a college freshman stressing about my spring final exams and wishing the week was already over. My college mentor offered to meet me for breakfast before an exam… Continue reading This Is Just a Season
The cold, sterile environment of the “special care” nursery I knew had to be foreign compared to the warm, comforting womb she just exited. The nursery was always dark, and while I knew it was to help her adjust to this bright new world, I wanted to flip on the light switch and make everything… Continue reading A More Beautiful Picture
Bethany Broderick 