“When kids come into a session, it can be a bit intimidating and scary and unknown, being in a room with a stranger,” she says. She has seen it in sessions with families. “Kids know the parent that keeps their world spinning – even though they don’t know the day-to-day tasks – because when things start to feel unsteady and off-kilter, they always turn to that parent.”

“All of that stuff: the packing, meal prepping, nappy changing, school drop-offs, excursion forms, the dinners that they won’t eat most of the time, teeth-brushing supervision, all of that matters and adds up,” she says. “It’s 100 per cent important,” says Melbourne-based Stephanie Tan-Kristanto, director of the Australian Clinical Psychology Association, of the daily activities that mark the lives of the not-fun parent. “You see your kids looking at what other families are doing and it seems as though it’s not as fun,” says Vashti Whitfield (right) with her late husband, actor Andy Whitfield, in 2008, of single parenting her two teenage children. (You can add British actor Florence Pugh’s parents to that list of recently revered fun parents, too.) There are so many benefits! (More on this soon.)īut what about the not-fun parent? The one whose day-to-day activities aren’t fawned over on Instagram, in person, or on the cover of magazines because they are, frankly, too boring to witness? Making sure that camp forms are filled out and school uniforms still fit isn’t as Instagrammable as munching doughnuts with your kids “as the first pink streaks fill the sky”. We should be waking our “kids in the predawn hours with the promise of doughnuts and adventure” or mimic the “ relaxing and fun” royal parenting style of the eldest granddaughter of the Queen, Zara Tindall, and her husband, Mike. If we’re not embracing “our inner child” and finding parenting “stitch-in-the-side funny”, we’re doing it wrong. Please leave a comment.Royal parents Mike and Zara Tindall, pictured with their children Mia (with long hair) and Lena Elizabeth (pictured in both photographs), are just the latest parents to be praised for being “fun” parents. I would love to hear how God is nudging you to reclaim your dreams, the promises he has given you, and your destiny. Walk into your calling, your destiny – your legacy. Sort, pray and walk, knowing you already have everything you need. Then begin to walk them out with the Holy Spirit.īegin to gather and sort what you have. *****Think about the life lessons God has taught you. ****Is there a dream or a promise you’ve given up on? Pick it up! ***Pick up the promises and words of encouragement God has given you. **Pick up the key scriptures God has given you – your life scriptures. I Believe God is inviting you to pick up the precious pieces he has given you too. I have been reminded that God, who created and controls time, makes promises that don’t expire. I am awed by God’s faithfulness and how he confirms things from so many experiences and different sources: scripture, words from him, the words of others and life experiences.įor weeks, I’ve been collecting and remembering and rejoicing! I’ve journaled things I had forgotten – precious, important things. I also see patterns and a big picture that I discovered only by looking back and pulling together all of the pieces. Some of the things I had received didn’t make sense at the time, but they do now. I had dropped some precious promises and more than one dream. I began to see a picture as I picked up the puzzle pieces. I looked in my journal to see insight he had given me as I’ve tried to understand this situation and to figure out what to do about it. I began to pick up the pieces God had already given me. Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4 (NIV) Look at What You Have

The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. They sustain, direct and protect us.īy his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. God Gives us Everything We Need for Life and to be Like HimĪs we spend time with him, God gives us the bread (precious words – dreams, wisdom, encouragement, direction) that are our life.

I heard the Lord say, “Pick up the pieces.” He meant not only pick them up but sort them out and begin to put them together. They were laying here and there, lost in piles of clutter. Many of the things that they needed and were looking for God had already given them. I realized the pieces were a person’s life, maybe my own. I saw a glimpse of things laying all over the floor of a room. I was waiting on God for guidance in a situation I’ve struggled with for months.

Picking up the pieces