by Shannon Popkin | Jan 21, 2015 | Christian Growth, Faith, Father, Hardship, Humility
We don’t have a snow-blower. My husband says, “Why would we have a snow-blower, when we have three healthy kids who need to learn to work?” So while other kids are inside sipping hot chocolate to get out of the cold, my husband is sending our kids...
by Shannon Popkin | Nov 30, 2014 | Hardship
If you have heard me speak, over the past year, you may have heard me talk about my little friend, Becca, who has ovarian cancer.Becca’s faith is so beautiful. She sees life far more clearly, as a middle schooler, than most adults do. And I’m also so...
by Shannon Popkin | Aug 21, 2014 | God, Hardship, Parenting
On my son’s first night of football practice, his new coach started out with a short parent and player meeting to lay ground rules and set expectations.Twenty seconds in, the coach pointed at one of the players, leaned over and looked into his face, and said,...
by Shannon Popkin | May 2, 2014 | Hardship, Kids' Perspective, Parenting
I love……to see my kids red-faced, sweaty, and smiling, rather than pale and grumpy…it when they are fixated on the goalie box, rather than the box that the couch faces…to see them fighting together with a team rather than fighting each other...
by Shannon Popkin | Jan 17, 2014 | Faith, Fear, Gifts, Humility, Kids' Perspective, Pain, Parenting, seasons, Teens
As a mom, one of the most painful things in life is to see my kids struggle through something that is humiliating. I alternate between wanting to fix my child and eradicate the struggle, and wanting to pummel anyone who would dare to snicker or poke fun at...
by Shannon Popkin | Mar 23, 2013 | Compassion, Pain, Parenting
Once when I was cooking dinner, two-year-old Cade bumped his head on the cupboard, and started to whimper. I was in the middle of adding meat to a pan, so I glanced down to see if he was OK, then looked back to the stove. Lindsay did the same thing, glancing...