When you fly you listen to the flight attendants go over the safety procedures.  Without fail when it comes to the part where they discuss what to do if the oxygen masks come down, they tell us to put on our own mask first before trying to help any others.  As a mom this can sometimes seem kind of backwards because we naturally want to take care of our children first.  But the truth is we can’t help them if we don’t take care of ourselves first.

As we try to raise respectful, successful children who devote their lives to Christ we must remember to put on our own mask first.  This means taking care of our health, devoting time to ourselves, maintaining an atmosphere of romance in our marriages, and most importantly spending time with God.

Today so many moms get it backwards.  We easily slip into devoting our lives to our children, taking them to playgroups, then music class, later to sports practice and the list goes on and on.  In the hustle and bustle of life it is hard to find time for ourselves. 

 As a stay-at-home-mom with a 2 year old and an 8 month old at home I have recently found myself devoting all of my time and attention to their needs forgetting about my own.  In the process I found myself more irritable, worn out, and just lacking true passion for anything.  My wonderful husband quickly brought it to my attention in a loving manner and gave me some time to devote to myself.  I quickly got my passion back for even the littlest things in life and I have made a plan for allowing me more time for myself.  My energy and love for my children has grown as well.

This weekend is Mother’s Day so I challenge you to take some time for yourself and think about how you are taking care of YOU.  Are you wearing your oxygen mask before you attempt to put your children’s on?  Are you taking care of your health, keeping romance alive, and spending time with God?  Start with God and allow Him to give you creativity for the rest.

Sarah Brown

As I was driving home the other day I noticed a house that had the best icicles on it that I have ever seen.  You know the kind that are so sparklingly huge, lovely to look at and are all different shapes?  As I continued driving I thought that that is cool to look at on somebody else’s house, but I would not want to own it. The fact that those big icicles are there usually means that the eaves troughs are not functional or non-existent or that the roof is poorly insulated.  Sometimes what appears to be a beautiful thing has underlying ‘ugliness’.

When we were teens growing up we sometimes heard the phrase “Pretty is as pretty does” when we were getting complimented on our appearance. It kind of bugged me at the time but it was a good lesson in humility and helped us to understand that we needed to work on our character more than our looks and outward appearance.

Sometimes as parents we want so much for our kids to ‘make us proud’ we are willing to accept them appearing to have it all together in public rather than pushing them to be real, God-fearing and moral-living kids from the inside out, wherever they are! It is FAR more important that we teach them to live their lives devoted to God and  loving and serving others than to be popular, liked and accepted at any cost. Remember what the Bible teaches “People look on the outward appearance, but God looks on our hearts”

Love,

Karen

Hey there..my name is Karen Brock, and I’m so glad that you are visiting The Sex Rev!

A little bit about me…

I am sometimes called the ‘Sex Lady’ because I teach an Sexual Abstinence Program in both elementry and secondary schools in the area.

I love young people and have such a heart to see them move toward an incredible future but
realize that the choices they are making now will dictate the futures that they live,
especially in regards to their sex lives.

As married parents of 3 kids, my husband and I knew that we had to be open with them about sex and issues surrounding it. Someone once said to us “Where there is silence and secrecy there is shame”.  We wanted our kids to know that in our home it was okay to talk about sex.

We also felt it necessary to let them know that we believe that sex is GREAT in the context of marriage, but outside of that it could become a source of pain instead of pleasure.

Many parents do not understand how important their role is, in their kids lives, when it comes to
sex. We must do everything in our power to love, protect and connect in a healthy, vibrant, relevant manner with our kids in order for them to hear us when it comes to their choices, especially regarding sex.

Once kids turn 15 or 16, it is time to move the focus from the rules to the relationship with them. If the relationship is not great between young people and their parents, then their peers will become the bigger influence in their lives!

The fact that you are reading this indicates your desire to be there for your kids…good for you! Moving out of a comfort zone to deal with these issues can look scary at first, but trust me, it will be worth it in the end!

Talk to you next Friday!
Karen