Moms of Big Kids, Did You See Your Sacred Moment Today?

Momma neck deep in raising big kids, did you see your sacred moment today?

I slowed the car into the drop-off lane as the sun peeked over the edge of the high school. My oldest (of my three sons) usually flies out the door with a hurried bye, but he just sat there. Big sigh, he turned and looked at me, “Can I just go back home with you?”

He might as well have just thrown his arms around my neck. That beautiful sentence.

And there it was for the day – my sacred moment.

They sneak in unexpectedly.

But every single day.

Quietly.

And only take a sliver of time.

Like when my non-chatty son interrupts my freezer-search for peas to tell me about how his teacher paired him with a new person in PE basketball, “but we won our game, mom, and it was so fun.” He beams, grabs the milk over my shoulder, pours it over his cereal, and is gone.

Or when my middle son is ricocheting the ball around that our puppy dives to get. He passes the ball to me and my whole world pauses for a few throws.

Or when the screen flickers a football game, my husband and sons lounge on the couch, the chair, the floor, and I feel my day exhale. For the first time in the past 24 hours, I see – really see – the wonder of my family.

Or I’m sitting on the stairs, fingers laced around a steaming mug, watching my youngest methodically packing his 5th-grade school folder, his iPad, his lunch. The snowflakes blow from the trees and flicker the sun as they pass the window and, for an instant, all things feel perfect.

Connect with your big kids over these powerful 400+ conversation starters for families of teens.

Or when my big kid is working a tournament and calls me because he can’t find where to go. He could solve this himself and normally does. But this time, he chose to call me, and I absolutely eat up the whole conversation.

Or when I ask at bedtime what I could pray for them about, one of my teens shares something vulnerable.

Or when my teen texts his after-school activity is canceled, and he’s coming home.

Or when one of my sons says yes to running to Target with me.

Or when my boys and I are leaning over the counter sharing chips and queso.

The whole day is a hamster wheel of busy, but then it all pauses for a split second, and it feels like God moves through my life gently shaking the overlooked beauty so that I actually notice it. And for that teeny second, I am overwhelmed with how exquisite my ordinary life is and how grateful I am to live it.

And then the moment is over and I’m annoyed about my messy home, and one kid can’t find his shoe, the other is grumbling about schoolwork, and the phones/electronics are back to driving me crazy.

But that one second is so powerful.

It fills my heart all the way up.

A mom’s sacred moment – did you see yours yet today?

Read the full Raising Big Kids Series

My two oldest sons are in high school now, and I’m still in a coma because of it. Even though I’ve taught high school for over two decades, I’m confused as to how I’m actually old enough to be a parent of a high schooler.

Teaching high schoolers has always been a passion of mine, but now parenting them is as well. I could research, write, and talk about this topic until eternity. I hope you are encouraged by some of my articles.

SCHOOL
Teen, Forget Grades, These Big Reasons are Why You’ll Like Trying Hard in School

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TEENS
A Simple and Effective Way to Encourage Your Teen
You Can’t Fix Your Struggling Teens Problems, But You Can Do This One Powerful Thing

COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TWEEN/TEEN
How to Get Your Teen/Teen to Their “Aha Moment”
How to Get Your Tween/Teenage Son to Open Up to You
400+ Conversation Starters for Families of Teens

PARENTING
Parenting is Hard: This One Thought Can Help You Better Thrive
Dear Kids – Know the Difference Between “Chores” and “Maintenance”
To the Mom of a High School Freshman
Your Teen’s Maddening Behavior is Age-Appropriate and Here’s Hope
Raising Tweens and Teens – THIS is what it looks like…

HEARTWARMING STORIES IN RAISING OLDER KIDS
I Will Miss These Years of Raising Tweens and Teens
7 Reasons Why Raising Tweens & Teens is the Best
To the Mom Who Mourns That Kids Grow Too Fast

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You just dropped one kid off at practice, picked up another, and are trying to decide what to make for dinner. Your days are filled with work, parenting, and waiting for password reset emails.

You are parenting tweens and teens.

It’s an amazing life-phase, but also challenging in unique ways. In it all, you’d love a little encouragement to help you laugh, grow in faith, see parenting hacks, get ideas to connect with your kid, and celebrate the awesome momma you are.

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Cheryl Donely

Cheryl is a mom of 3 boys, wife, speaker, high school teacher, and author of Empowered Moms & Kids. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is passionate about learning and teaching. On www.empoweredmomsandkids.com you’ll find inspiration and encouragement for moms raising tweens and/or teens. Read more in the “about” section of this page.