So God Made a Mother is Here! 🎉

The world is going to tell you all the ways you should be and that being sensitive is too much. Too much crying, too many feelings, too many emotions, too much compassion, too much heart isn’t a good fit. That you are a man and you must never show too much of those things. That you must be tough and not cry and that you must fit this mold.

The world is going to tell you a lot of lies, my sensitive son

The people who tell you that you are too much, my son, are the ones you need to walk away from. The ones who tell you how you should be my son are the ones who are too afraid to fly and will keep you glued to the ground when you were meant to soar in this world. 

The world is going to tell you how a man should look, but you are here to tell the world that looks don’t matter

As your mother I’ve watched you befriend kids in your class who stood alone. I’ve listened as you came home crying because another kid in your class wasn’t being treated kindly. I’ve sat with you for hours and come up with ideas when you asked why some kids don’t have food and instead of simply asking you said, “Mom, what can I do to help?” You didn’t go silent, you didn’t ask who was helping them, YOU wanted to step up and help them. You didn’t care about your age or tell me that helping a stranger would be too much. Instead, you stepped up when you felt like the world around you wasn’t doing enough for kids in need. You’ve taught me so much about truly seeing this world in a different light and with a different heart. 

The world is going to tell you that you can’t help. That the problems are too big of a burden for your little heart, but I want you to know that little hands and hearts can make the biggest impact on the hurt and broken.

I want you to know that growing up to be a sensitive man with a kind heart, and being a thoughtful friend and caring husband and father will be something the world tells you not to be. The world will tell you to be strong and tough and firm. That being someone who gives with his whole heart to those who can never repay him; hearing a story of a stranger in need and having your heart stirred so much you are willing to do anything to help instead of sitting back and waiting for someone else to do what’s right first; sitting with the broken and crying with the hurt and all those other things in between—they’ll say it isn’t a man’s job. The world is right about that my son; all those things aren’t a man’s job—they’re a human being’s job. 

All those things will cause the world to tell you that you are just too much, too sensitive, too giving, too soft. But the world has it wrong, my son, not you. You are never too much, and, in my eyes, you are exactly what this world needs more of and I will forever be so thankful that I get to be your mom.

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Nikki Pennington

Nikki is a stay at home mom to three, high spirited boys. Three years ago she became a motherless daughter after losing her own mom to terminal brain cancer. When she is not playing the role of referee for the boys, she spends her days trying to encourage and inspire others that are on the grief journey. Read more from Nikki on her blog: http://www.grieftohope.blogspot.com/

Dear Kindergarten Graduate, My Hand Will Always Be Yours to Hold

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood

Tomorrow you’ll graduate kindergarten. You chose the perfect shirt for the occasion. It’s a blue and white button-up. “Get one with big checkers, Mom, not little ones,” was your request. I know it’ll make your eyes pop from under your too-big red graduation hat. It’s going to be adorable. You’re going to be adorable.  You’ve been counting down the days. You’re ready and, truthfully, I am too—even though I’m so often in denial about how quickly this time with you is passing. Didn’t you just start crawling? How is it possible you’ll already be in first grade next year? RELATED:...

Keep Reading

You Were Made to Be My Oldest

In: Child
Mom and three kids

You are my firstborn. My big. The one who made me a mama. The one who started this whole crazy, beautiful roller coaster ride the day I found out you were on your way. I remember tip-toeing to the bathroom before the sun rose and taking a pregnancy test. The flutter of excitement in my heart turned into a flutter in my growing tummy within just a few short months. And now here you are, seven years old and more incredible than I imagined in all my wildest dreams. You amaze me every single day with your humor, kindness, and...

Keep Reading

I’m a Kindergarten Mom at the Bottom of the Hill

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Boy holding hands with his mother, color photo

The local elementary school is perched atop an obnoxious hill. It is customary for kindergarten parents to walk their children to the top of the hill as the rest of the grades, first through fifth, having earned their badge of capability and courage, walk alone. Car line is off-limits for kindergartners, which means it’s a walk in whatever weather, whenever school is in session type of vibe. My oldest misses car line. I miss it as well. It’s so simple, convenient, and most importantly, warm and waterproof. But my youngest is a kindergartner, so for the last several months we’ve...

Keep Reading

When He’s 10

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Young tween doing homework at desk, side profile

My son is at an age where he couldn’t care less about personal grooming, his un-selfconsciousness both admirable and aggravating to me. “Let’s clip your fingernails,” I say. No. “Clean your ears.” No. “Cut your hair.” No, Mom, come on, I like it long. But a month or so before his birthday, if he was going to remain a boy and not a lion, he needed a haircut. So, we made some kind of deal, probably a bribe, and finally. Fine. “It’ll be long again before you know it,” I told him, as we walked together into the salon, “you know how...

Keep Reading

He’s Slowly Walking Away with Footprints As Big As Mine

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood, Tween
Teen boy walking along beach shore

The true measure of a mother’s love is her willingness to wake up before the sun on vacation. On a recent trip to the shore, my youngest son begged to walk the beach at dawn to look for shells. So, I set my alarm, tumbled out of a warm, king-sized bed with extra squishy pillows, glared at my dead-to-the-world husband, and gently woke my 11-year-old. Without so much as a drop of coffee, we headed out into the morning, the sun still below the ocean horizon. With each step, I shed my zombie-like state and took in the quiet, salt-kissed...

Keep Reading

Are You Watching?

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Little girl playing goalie at soccer practice, color photo

I brought a book to my 7-year-old daughter’s soccer practice. To be honest, I was looking forward to one hour of time when I didn’t have to do anything but sit. No one would be asking me questions, and no one would need anything from me. I wasn’t in charge. So, I set up my lawn chair, got cozy, and opened the book. But then I happened to glance up as it was her turn to run a drill. The coach was passing each kid the ball for them to kick into the goal. She stepped forward, kicked, and made...

Keep Reading

Dear Sully

In: Child, Motherhood
Little boy smiling holding parents' hands

Dear Sully,  Thank you for changing our lives! Many times when someone thinks about autism they think of it negatively. But I want to talk about autism in a positive light. I want to talk about what our son’s autism has taught us.  We wanted to write this letter to you, my beautiful boy, letting you know just how much you have changed our lives and the things you have taught us.  You have made us more compassionate toward others. You have shown us the ability to not judge others because you never know what struggles they are facing.  You...

Keep Reading

She’s Stepping Into Her Own Self and I’m Learning To Let Her

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Smiling young girl

I was recently asked, “What age do you think your daughter will want to decorate her own room?” I was stumped by the question. I never considered that my 7-year-old daughter would one day replace the unicorn head hanging from her wall or the pink color scheme weaved throughout her furniture pieces. Of course, I knew her room wouldn’t stay that way forever. Still, I had never considered the magnitude of emotions I may experience when that day comes.   The first years of parenting a little girl are filled with externally swayed ideas of how they should dress and...

Keep Reading

You Fill Our Family With Laughter

In: Child, Motherhood
Laughing little girl, black and white photo

Little girl, Sometimes, you have a hard time finding your place. You joined our family at seven. You were so sweet but so unsure. There are ways you’re growing . . . changing . . . grieving . . . struggling. and we don’t always know how to help.  However, we listen, we talk, and we reach out to people who know more than we do. Despite all you are going through, there is a strength that always rises to the top. You are funny. And you find the comedy in everything around you.  RELATED: I Love the Laughter That...

Keep Reading

You Gave Him So Much More than a Haircut

In: Child, Motherhood
Baby boy with long hair, color photo

“Thank you for cutting his hair,” I’ve told Emily many times in passing, or lightheartedly over text. I wish I could show her what it actually means in my heart. “I’ll go in by myself,” he says. Instantly, my mind flashes from the achingly handsome 10-year-old standing in front of me to the toddler he once was. I see his 2-year-old self standing before me in our mudroom. Fresh from Kids Cuts, a soggy sticker on his T-shirt that reads “I GOT MY HAIRCUT.” A red and blotchy face from crying, eyes swollen. The buzz cut was the quickest way...

Keep Reading