You and I want to be good moms sooooo badly.

And yet, the desire to be good and perfect frequently sabotages our goal.

We know we should show ourselves, and our kids, grace. Yet, we struggle to understand what grace truly looks like.

Today’s guest, Jeannie Cunnion, understands the struggle. Sharing what she’s learned about the danger of shame, the lie of perfectionism, and the joy of grace.

 Jeannie knows grace and describes the day-to-day reality better than anyone I’ve heard. In this episode I specifically ask how to be kind to myself and how to discipline my boys with grace.

My prayer is you and I gain a little more freedom, ready to walk in the Truth of all God has done for us.

This episode originally aired in January of 2015. Since we talked Jeannie has had a 4th son and written a new book, releasing on August 29th. “Mom Set Free” coincides perfectly with the message Jeannie shares in this episode. To pre-order a copy and watch the trailer click the book image below:

 

What we talk about:

  • The perfectionism which led to Jeannie writing her book, “Parenting the Wholehearted Child”
  • The problem of letting our identities get wrapped up in what kind of mom we are.
  • How we should believe God’s grace is bigger than our mistakes and how our weaknesses reveal His power.
  • Showing our kids that when we fail, God never will.
  • How to show grace in day-to-day reality.
  • Difference between balancing grace & discipline and weaving grace into instruction.
  • What, Why, How & Now Discipline–
    • What just happened
    • Why did it happen
    • How could you have done that differently
    • Now–consequence or mercy moment
  • How much obedience do we expect & how quickly do we expect it–the R & R principal.
  • Importance of maintaining relationship through discipline & instruction.

Podcast Club Discussion Questions:

  1. Jeannie shares about when she truly accepted God’s grace through Jesus and how it changed her parenting. Do you feel a struggle between accepting grace for yourself and your kids?
  2. As moms, we’re going to fail sometimes. What are some ways you can point you kids back to Jesus who will never let them down? 
  3. Any time there is anger, fear or shame in our discipline, we aren’t moving our kids toward repentance and openness. What are some ways we can discipline out of kindness?
  4. Jeannie talks about how friendship with Jesus precedes the fruit we want to see in our children. How can you make sharing more of Jesus’ love a priority in your parenting this week?
  5. Take a moment to pray and let go of the burden of perfection, shame, guilt or any other negative emotions that may have bubbled up in you while listening to this podcast. 

Connect with Jeannie:

Site :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest :: Instagram

Links:


How to listen to the podcast:

1.Listen on the blog. Click through to GodCenteredMom.com and click the play button at the beginning of this post.
2. Listen on your smartphone, iPad or iPod Touch – There are a lot of great podcasting apps. Apple has a free one (that I mentioned) in the app store, there is also one called Downcast. It allows you to search for shows, subscribe to them and even speed up the audio. If you don’t have an iDevice, you can listen via Stitcher.
3. Subscribe to the Podcast – access the podcast in iTunes (Click here to access via iTunes). You can also search for it on your smartphone app (like the ones listed above) and subscribe.