Walk Beside Me

How can you tell if you are successful as a parent? We might be tempted to measure our success by any of the following:

• What other people say about our parenting
• How quickly our children obey or comply
• Our kids' grades
• Our kids' extracurricular achievements
• How happy our kids are
• How cute our kids are
• How quickly our children pass developmental milestones
• Whether our children have everything they want materially

The problem is, none of these metrics are completely within your control.

God is the most successful parent—we know this because He is perfect. He is all knowing and therefore His parenting style is the BEST model for our own parenting. Yet if we measured His success as a parent by any of the standards above, He might not look successful.

So how CAN we measure parenting success?

In this episode, I'm recommending that you measure your success as a parent by your relationship with your child. And by "relationship," I mean how you relate to your child. How you think and feel about them. How you treat them.

The magic of this metric is that it is dependent on only one person: YOU. You can have a good relationship with your child even if your child doesn't have a good relationship with you. Such is the case for God, who relates to all of His children in the most beautiful, loving way, no matter how they relate to Him.

Scripture references:

Luke 15:11–32 (The Prodigal Son)

Doctrine & Covenants 4:5

Alma 32:21

Romans 8:28

1 Corinthians 13:4–8

Where is the line between "spoiling" your child and simply being kind to them? Is there some kind of magical limit on the number of times we can give our children what they want before they become "spoiled"?

In this episode, I'm challenging traditional fears surrounding spoiling with five scripture-inspired principles:

1. Instead of worrying about "spoiling" your child, focus more on strengthening (and not spoiling) the relationship.
2. God invites us to ask for things. We can likewise welcome our children's requests.
3. God says yes pretty much all the time. There is always some way for us to say yes.
4. God never gives from a place of fear. Neither should we.
5. God never gives in order to control. Neither should we.

Scripture References:

Matthew 7:7

James 1:5

Isaiah 58:9

Doctrine & Covenants 46:7

Alma 34:18–27

Follow along on Instagram:

instagram.com/brooklynmbird

This one is for the ladies.

Have you ever wondered whether Jesus really, really understands you? Especially when you're in the midst of periods, PMSing, pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility, postpartum, breastfeeding, singleness, or any other struggle that is uniquely female?

We know He felt every pain, sickness, and struggle when He performed the Atonement. But could He really get it if He never actually lived an earth life as a woman?

Today I'm opening up about a time when I struggled with this question. And I'm sharing the stories of Jesus that the Spirit brought to my mind, confirming that YES. He does get it.

I don't know exactly how, but I know that He does. And I think the biggest evidence of this is how quick He was to minister to women after He performed the Atonement. He knew how much they would be blessed by the reassurance of resurrection—of freedom from earthly, physical pain.

Follow me on Instagram:

https://instagram.com/brooklynmbird

Not only do our words reveal our thoughts, they also reinforce them. Whenever I catch myself using the words/phrases "can't," "don't have time," "feel like," "need," "have to," and "let me," I realize I am living in a scarcity mindset and victim mentality. I am living a lie. I have a spirit of fear inside of me.

But I want a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. So I remember my agency. I shift my language. I take ownership for my choices and behavior. And then, always, a more empowered, loving, and peaceful spirit follows.

I dare you to try out these verbal shifts. Catch yourself in the lies. Start living in truth.

Scripture References:

Matthew 6:7

Exodus 20:16

Proverbs 6:2

Proverbs 10:19–20

Proverbs 17:27

When you hear the words “preach repentance,” what do you think of? Does it mean standing in the middle of the town square, telling everyone to shape up and stop sinning?

In this episode, I explore how preaching repentance can be as simple as helping your child clean up a mess. Forgiving your spouse immediately when they come home later than planned. Setting an example by learning from your own mistakes instead of hiding from them, beating yourself up for them, or blaming someone else for them.

By practicing grace, forgiveness, and hope on a micro level in our daily interactions, we are accepting the Savior’s invitation to preach repentance. Even if we never climb on a soapbox.

Scripture References:

Doctrine & Covenants 58:42–43

Doctrine & Covenants 19:16

Matthew 18:21–22

Join me as I talk about the foundational topic of agency: where it comes from, why it's a gift, and what it means for our relationship with our children. Spoiler: influence is more powerful than control.

Resources I mention in the episode:

Terryl Givens Interview on the "Faith Matters" Podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlo3SAFY8JE

The Mellow Mama:

instagram.com/themellowmama

⁠youtube.com/themellowmama⁠

themellowmama.org

Tessa Romero:

instagram.com/tessaromero_

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-momset-podcast/id1552137470

Scripture references:

2 Nephi 2

If you ever feel “triggered” by your child’s behavior, you’re in the right place.

In this episode, I’m inviting you to view your children as guests from a foreign place that has different customs and culture. Our children are so new to this world—even if they’re multiple years old. It is our opportunity as their parents to help them accumulate to a healthy, loving, respectful culture.

Thinking about your relationship with your child in this way will cause you to question the ways society has taught us to teach and discipline our children. From my experience, it will also help you overcome the natural man, maintaining a perspective of peace and patience even when your body wants to trigger a stress response.

With tools like this analogy, we can more mindfully watch our thoughts and let them guide us toward the Christlike example we want to portray to our kids.

Resources I mention in the episode:

The Mellow Mama:

instagram.com/themellowmama

youtube.com/themellowmama

themellowmama.org

A Theory of Objectivist Parenting by Roslyn Ross:

https://a.co/d/4YxzzMg

Scripture references:

Ephesians 2:19

Mosiah 3:19

D&C 67:12

Mosiah 4:30

Meet Brooklyn and learn what "Walk Beside Me" is all about.

Check out the Mellow Mama (mentioned in the podcast):

IG - https://www.instagram.com/themellowmama/?hl=en

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mellow-mama-podcast/id1627338093