As we live out our Baptismal role of Prophet, the one who sees the positive future from the lessons of the past, the insights from our past will come in to help us form a positive future for our children.

New/young moms

New Moms are so filled with the excitement and anticipation of what their little one will become.  Seeing into the past of how we were treated, loved, encouraged, guided; will help as we begin this spiritual and emotional journey of Motherhood!  This is a time of many firsts and first times are always learning opportunities.  Take those experiences and keep them for later, but for now, be gentle with yourself. Seek out women/moms who can help you, support, and encourage you.  Because things will sift.

Ages one to ten

One of a few shifts to come begins at the ages of one through four when our children crave independence and a sense of themselves apart from us.  Without this time our children can’t be open to the calling of God.  Because we love our children, so deeply we want them to be their best, do their best and that is a challenge.  We have to guide, teach, admonish and let then let go. God wants them to become themselves imperfections and all.

As the family grows, so does our experience.  When a second child comes in it is a little easier to breathe because you have experience under your belt.  Not everything looks so scary.  Now the challenge is balance.  Really, balance is a bit of a lie.  There is no way to have all the balls in the air at the same time, something will fall.  God wants us to concentrate on more of an equilibrium: what needs to be focused on first.

From the ages of five to ten we have children who have found their place in the world and the family.  We can look at the stages and ages we have gone through and find that for the most part, we have done well.  This time of mothering will come again when it is most needed.  Why? Because our greatest Prophetic role will be coming, and after it is done, we will see the fruits of work

Tween/Teen/Adult

We reach the tween and teen ages, a time when toddlerhood is revisited.  Remembering back on those times will help us as we navigate this period.  We’re seeing the past to create a positive future. We can understand now how our children are wanting independence and discovering a sense of themselves, because of the toddler years.   This stage and age begins our backing out of direct mothering and becoming Prophet Sage.  During the teen years, we must use our experiences to guide our children away from dangers.

Finally, we have adult children.  Like the ages/stages of five through ten, our children have found their place in the world and the family, maybe, even started families of their own.  We can look back and see where we started, how we grew, and how good life has become.