Mentor Moms Panel Part 2

This week we were blessed to hear from our mentor moms for the second time this MOPS year. The mentor moms that participated this time are: Donna Roman, Linda Lindsey, MaryBurr Edwards, Dana Devane-Webster, Cynthia Sovich, and Cindy Orange.

Below is a summary of the questions that were asked of them, and some of their answers:

- Tips for balancing time with multiple children

• Plan activities with all and make it special, but also do individual activities. Dana shared how sometimes they will do "communal nap time" after church.
• Be intentional about picking meaningful activities to do individually - those will depend on the child's interests. 

- How do you get your husband to help more?

• Tell your husband to ask. They can't read your mind even if they want to! And can't always see what we think is obvious regarding what needs to be done, what help you need, etc.
• Husband needs to switch gears to understand that their work is not over when they come home from their job.
• Get past the mindset that if they don't automatically figure it out, that they don't love you.
• Give them an opportunity to appreciate what you do by leaving them alone with the kids!
• Don't criticize the way he does things! 

- Advice regarding the college application process

• Talk with your kids about their interests starting early in their life, so they're not going into college with no idea what they want to do.
• Visit colleges at the end of their Junior year of high school so they have an idea of where they would like to apply.
• Diversify their activities when they're young so that they have an opportunity to try lots of different kinds of things and see what they might be interested in.
• Look at organizations in the area that might give out scholarships.
• Take advantage of early application periods.

- Working while kids are little

• Yes, you can do it. Yes, it is hard.
• Set parameters for yourself, especially if you work from home, so you don't feel like you're working ALL the time.

- What are resources for age appropriate boundaries regarding bodies and sex education?

• Name body parts with scientific names - no cutesy names.
• Talk about where no one is allowed to touch (under swimsuit, etc)
• If anything happens, TELL mom and dad
• Make sure you know what they're asking, and answer their questions directly rather than going too much off topic (for example - kids asking "where did I come from?" and they want to know the city where they were born, not how were they conceived!)

- How do you get your kids (boys, especially!) to talk to you?

• Talk to them in the car
• Just go there! Ask the hard questions!

Remember - God wants your kids raised well and he's more concerned with that than with whether they're happy or not. Let them fail!

Below is a handout we received at the meeting:

Announcements: 

- Our next meeting is March 12. We will hear from Kimberly Perry of We Stand Guard about personal safety for kids.

- Jamie-Lee, Lacinda, and Rosemary's groups will be bringing brunch. Sign up here at Signup Genius. You can also check out the upcoming brunch schedule and info by clicking on the "Brunch" tab here on the blog.