by Shannon Popkin | Oct 28, 2021 | Anxiety, Control Girl, Suffering, Wisdom
“I don’t understand, Lord…” I must have prayed this prayer five hundred times, as I processed a dreadfully painful situation a while back. It all started with a meeting at Starbucks. I walked in with a sunny expression and hopeful expectation. I walked out trying to...
by Shannon Popkin | Mar 19, 2020 | Anxiety, Perfectionism, Young Control Girl
Maddie had a reputation for being exceptionally helpful and cheerful—spreading joy wherever she went. One day, Maddie noticed a boy’s shoe that was untied. He had special needs, so she offered to tie it for him. After that, kids everywhere started saying, “Maddie,...
by Shannon Popkin | Feb 22, 2016 | Anxiety, Fear, Rescue, Uncategorized
By: Shannon Popkin, Published on the True Woman Blog. It was my senior year of college. I was sharing an apartment with three other student teachers, and since we were in Virginia and there was snow on the ground, school was closed. My roommates were all huddled...
by Shannon Popkin | Feb 23, 2015 | Anxiety, Uncategorized
My bedside manners aren’t very good. Especially when I’m the one in bed. Oh how I remember those nights, when out of a sound slumber, I would feel the hot breath on my cheek, then hear a little voice in the darkness say, “Mom… Mommy?...
by Shannon Popkin | Feb 18, 2015 | Anxiety
Our attic is above the garage. To get there, you have to go up through an opening in the garage ceiling. To get there, you use a ladder, then climb onto the refrigerator (which we have strategically placed under the opening), then climb in. It’s kind of a...
by Shannon Popkin | Jul 3, 2014 | Anger, Anxiety, Control Girl, God
After speaking on the topic of control at an event, a young mom, eyes brimming with tears, came up afterward to tell me a woeful tale about her uber-controlling MIL. I listened compassionately, thinking, “Really? Could this woman truly be that horrible and...