Why You Need To Buy The Shoes: Learning How To Have Fun Without Guilt By: Aesha Adams-Roberts When my husband bought me these fabulous shoes for Easter, he said, "You're always taking care of everyone else. Let me take care of you." Still, I was uneasy when I looked at the price tag. "Are you sure?" I kept asking him. "Yes. And get the handbag too if you'd like." My instinct is to stay within budget, to maintain the status quo (in a good way), and to stabilize. As a result, splurging doesn't come naturally to me. I'd rather plan out my fun! But according to Joyce Meyer's book, Eat the Cookie . . .Buy the Shoes: Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up, we all need to indulge every now and then, without feeling guilty. In fact, Meyer suggests, God wants us to. As women, it's easy to fall under the pressure to be perfect: you need the perfect body, with the perfect (spotless) house, the perfect kids, and the perfect career. Top it all off with the perfect attitude (you never get upset or frustrated, do you?!) Men aren't exempt from this pressure, either, they just tend to handle it differently than women. Stress, frustration, worry, and exhaustion come when we give in to this pressure. We even project pressure onto our relationships–including our relationship with God, thinking He expects us to be perfect. The pressure takes on a voice which sounds a lot like this: "Don't make any mistakes, or you'll miss out on the soul mate He has for you!" "God forbid, you had a...
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Parenting Lessons From Reality TV: BET's "The Sheards" By: Aesha Adams-Roberts I'm always on the lookout for things to help me grow as a mom. Parenting is one of the most rewarding and challenging jobs I've had, and I realize EVERY DAY that I have much to learn. I never expected to get parenting lessons from reality TV, but that's what happened when I watched online episodes of BET's newest show, "The Sheards." The show follows two young adults Kierra, 25, and her brother, J.Drew, 23, and their parents. They're preacher's kids (their father is the bishop of a mega church) and part of a legendary musical family. Their mother, Karen Clark-Sheard, is an award-winning gospel artist who is cited by performers such as Beyonce, Missy Elliot and more as a major influence to their music. I grew up listening to Karen and her sisters (The Clark Sisters) and even sang their songs in concert with my own sisters! Kierra is an award winning gospel artist as well, and her brother is a producer looking for his big break. We get to see their day-to-day struggles with faith, family, sex, dating, and more. As I watch this family try to instill values into their kids and help them navigate all that this world throws at them, you better believe I'm taking good notes! I'm learning from the things this family does well,as well as from their struggles. Here are 5 Parenting Lessons I'm gleaning from BET's "The Sheards" 1) Be willing to talk about the hard things Everyone in the family is busy traveling and pursuing their careers,...
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How Kids Can Change the World By: Aesha Adams-Roberts We've all heard of amazing kids who change the world. They start lemonade stands that raise millions for a good cause; they start foundations, lead civil rights' movements, and create social media platforms that attract billions of people! I've even featured a story of a successful, happy teenager, on my blog. Bethany Looi is on a trip around the world with her family and has started a fair-trade business to help benefit local trades people she'll meet in South America. (Click here to read her story). What do you think when you hear stories about kids like this? Do you think they must be special or extraordinarily talented? Or do you think that your child could change the world too? Let me share something with you I've recently discovered. The gifts, talents and calling that God knit into them while they were in the womb, are for now, not later! Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14). The kingdom of heaven belongs to children as much as it belongs to adults! As a parent, I believe this means we must be concerned with more than making sure we raise obedient, good little girls and boys. We need to groom world changers who bring heaven to earth! I view this as my high calling as a mom and my husband and I are investing in books and training so we can do this. I've started with baby steps, first of all...
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Parenting Isn't For Wimps By: Aesha Adams Roberts I glanced over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of them. My son and daughter looked angelic in the back seat of the car as we drove to church. My mind flashed back to the days when my husband and I prayed every night that we would conceive right after I had a miscarriage. We asked God for a boy and a girl and prayed for them by name. We were even so bold (and naive) to ask for fraternal twins! My children are living, breathing, answers to prayer and I love them more than I could have ever imagined were possible. God knew what He was doing by giving them to us one at a time, though, because parenting isn't for wimps! I'm so over perfectionism and trying to be Super Mom, so I'll be honest. Somewhere between waking up, making breakfast, chasing my 1 -year-old so I can put on his clothes, answering 42 questions from my 4-year-old (Mom, why do we have mouths? Why do we have necks? Why is there a sky? Why are leaves green . . .) wiping up poo, fixing lunch, taking walks to the park, keeping my son from digging in the garbage, calling the plumber because he flushed a toy down the toilet, answering 17 more questions, breaking up a fight, scrubbing the crayon scribbles off the wall, fixing dinner, taking baths, and getting them ready for bed, I wonder: I know they grow up fast, but am I really supposed to enjoy every minute? And if I don't, does that...
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