Sharing the Gift of Faith with my Tween Daughter

Sharing The Gift OF Faith With My Tween Daughter (through Tween Devotionals and Quality Time)

As a Christian, I am always, always, always, reevaluating my walk with Christ.  I mean lets face it to be like Christ, is no easy feat, I often feel like I am not doing enough.  Basically, it is just me acknowledging that I am a work in progress.  I fall down and get up.. like pretty much everyone else.  But, the constant in my life despite has always been my faith.

That being said,  if I were to tell you what my gift is, I probably would not saying preaching or ministry.  But, as a Mom, I feel like it is my responsibility to share my faith with my children. Growing up religion/faith was taught to me in a very totalitarian way.  There were very few gray areas or room for explanation and or deviation.  I’m not condemning this way of thinking, but, it is is not how I wanted to share my faith with my own children.  I wanted us to be able to talk about it and make sense of it together.

This year my oldest daughter started Middle School.  Since, I do morning drop offs, after dropping off my youngest at elementary school , my older daughter and I would get to her school with about 20 minutes to spare before her day began.  I had no idea that this window, which at first seemed like it would be a pocket of wasted time, would turn out to be such a blessing for the both of us.

She was transitioning from Elementary to Middle School, which means that she was already quite nervous about all the change.  So we prayed about the transition, we prayed about her finding her way through this NEW BIG school.  We prayed about her making friends and being happy.  And, when we came up on some rough patches through the year, we prayed about that too.  Then one morning I had a light bulb moment and started to search for Devotions for “Tweens”.  I am not sure I actually expected that to be a thing, or to find one.  But, I did.   When the first book arrived from Amazon, we were both so excited.  Almost every teen girl .. is equally as excited about the “tween” title.  I skimmed through the book before our first reading together.  And, I knew it would be a good fit for us.

So each morning after pulling into our Spot in the School Parking Lot, we took turns reading to each other from these devotionals and discussing it.  Some days the discussions were deep, some days they skimmed the surface.  Some days we didn’t read we just talked about things that were on our minds.  But, I would not have missed this time for anything.  And, at the end of the day.  I feel like I was able to share with her something that could carry her through anything life had to offer, similar to what my Mom in her own way passed down to me.

These are the two books, that took us through this school year, the links below are clickable.  Do you have any Teen/Tween Devotions that you loved and would like to share?  Leave it in the comments below, we would love to check them out.

 

you-re-god-s-girl-a-devotional-for-tweens-wynter-pitts-paperback You’re God’s Girl – Clickable Link For Girls Like You - A Devotional for Tweens - Wynter Pitts

For Girls Like You – Clickable Link

Meet The Author: Tanya Armstrong

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A Little About Tanya:  I have known Tanya since I was 13 years old.   And, NO … I am not about to tell you how long we have been friends. But, lets just say that we have had the pleasure of being part of each other’s journey.  As a friend, it was particularly hard for me to watch Tanya experience any kind of pain.  But, if ever I have met someone whose life is a testimony, it would be her.  She maintained a buoyant spirit, because she knew, even in the thick of it,  that In God’s Hands Intended Evil becomes Eventual Good.  Her story is one of perseverance, triumph, and strength.  And, I am proud of her for sharing her story and her truth.  I sincerely hope that you will run out and her purchase her book, The Moment I Decided to Own It. (Follow the link to purchase on Amazon)

When did you know in your heart that it was time for you to move on?

When the tone in his voice changed. We used to speak and you could hear that he cared and loved me and then one day I realized there was absolutely no love in his voice.  It was cold and direct and I realized that I no longer possessed his heart

What signs did you see or that you now recognize in retrospect?

The signs had always been there. The lying was there, the cheating was there but I became so comfortable in my dysfunction or dysfunctional marriage that I chose not to leave.  I chose to act as if it were out of sight out of mind to keep my sanity, because my former husband was either deployed a lot while in the military or working as a contractor overseas for the last 10 years of our marriage.

What convinced you to turn your trial into a testimony and essentially a victory?

This book started  off as a conversation between myself and a very close friend. I was telling her about some of the difficulties and frustration that I was feeling while going through my divorce and dealing with my soon-to-be ex husband. And she said, girl you need to write a book because nobody would really believe everything that you’ve been through.  I proceeded to tell her nobody wants to really hear my story and she said yes they do. So on a Sunday night two years ago I started to write

Was the process of writing the book healing for you?

Definitely!! While writing this book I had to revisit some very painful moments and instead of just tucking them away as if they never existed, I had to truly deal with them.  Looking at my pain face to face and not backing down. I had to rip off Band-Aids and shed a lot of tears, but after I did that my soul started to heal.

Explain how you felt when the book was complete?

That final moment when the book was completed I truly felt accomplished. I had that AHA moment. I thought that this baby that I was carrying for the last two years was finally here.

Advice for wives?  Advice for young ladies starting out in a relationship?

The advice that I have for wives is don’t become complacent with your heart don’t allow other people to take that precious gift that you’re offering to them for granted. The advice that I have for young ladies is never settle.  If you are unhappy in your present situation,  do not allow yourself to feel that this is the best you can get.  And ALWAYS trust your gut instincts.  If I had trusted my own 20 years ago my life could’ve been very different. But, please don’t misunderstand, I do not regret any of the decisions that I made because as a product of that union, I have five magnificent beautiful children.

Favorite Quote from The Moment I Decided to Own It:

“I have to get through today, to get to tomorrow, because tomorrow has to be better than today.”

Favorite Book : I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Favorite Author:  Maya  Angelou

Favorite Quote or Motto: When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. – Maya Angelou

You can find Tanya all over Social Media  :

On Facebook On Twitter On Instagram

or On Her Website

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Our Top 5 Children’s Holiday Books

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You may very well get tired of hearing me say that Christmas is my “favorite time of year”.  But, I am pretty sure that I am not alone.  Some of my favorite Christmas memories are centered around the books my parents would read with my sister and I around Christmas time.  It is a tradition that I have tried to pass on to my own Children.  Every year on Christmas Eve they both get a Christmas related book and we read them together.  Needless to say over the years we have grown quite the collection.  I personally believe that a love for reading and a quest for knowledge are one of the most important things that we as parents, can pass on to our little ones.  It is always hard for me to narrow down only a few choices for Christmas Reading, because there is so much to choose from.  But, check out my Top 5 Favorites for this year!!  I have included some classics, as well as a Bonus Book for all those Moms who want to teach their kids the real meaning of Christmas.  All of the links to the books are Clickable.

Olivia Helps with Christmas

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The Sweet Smell of Christmas A Scratch and Sniff Story

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Grace At Christmas

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THE CLASSICS

The Night Before Christmas

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The Polar Express

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BONUS — the real meaning of christmas

God Gave Us Christmas

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Out of all the books listed, my very favorite is God Gave Us Christmas.  We just discovered this one last year, and it is a gem.  Everything about it gave me the warm and fuzzies and the kids enjoyed it to.  So it’s officially Mommy and Kid Approved.

What are your favorite books to read with your little ones?  What are your favorite Christmas Traditions?  I’d love to read all about it in the comment section below.