🎃 Tips for a Stress-Free Halloween

🍼 How to Process the Emotions of an Unplanned Pregnancy

🔕 How Cancel Culture Impacts Relationships

👨‍👧 The Value of Father-Daughter Relationships

🗣️ How to Stop Sibling Arguments

5 tips for keeping your child motivated in school

Part of being a parent is being your child’s biggest cheerleader, encourager, and motivator. Our kids have a lot going on in their lives, and staying motivated in school can be a challenge. It’s a responsibility and a privilege to come alongside and help them discover what motivates them.

If you study great leaders or successful people, there’s often one key common trait: they are highly self-motivated. They have clear goals, take steps to achieve them, are passionate, and aren’t crippled by failure. There are numerous theories on what causes motivation, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, arousal-driven, or instinctual. It may be all of those or a mixture. But self-motivation is definitely a driver of success.

You can help your child discover what motivates them personally and foster an attitude of self-motivation.

Here are 5 tips for keeping your child motivated:

1. Create a learning environment.

2. Stay positive.

3. Get involved.

4. Don’t obsess about the future.

5. Reward effort.

Although each student is motivated differently, if a student believes that hard work and persistence pay off, it strongly affects their motivation. Take the time to help them identify their motivators.

how to feel confident as a new mom

It is completely normal to have a lack of confidence in something you’ve never done before. Even if you’ve babysat or worked with kids, motherhood is a whole new ballgame. It’s the difference between sitting in the stands, maybe catching a fly ball every once in a while, and being up to bat in a sport you barely know the rules to. So you may not be surprised when I say this but… You won’t feel confident as a new mom. Hear me out: You CAN absolutely fake it ’til you make it. It’s gonna take time… but you WILL make it. You’ll find your confidence when your decisions yield positive outcomes. Here are a few ways to get there:

Shift Your Mindset and Become What You Believe

1. Think about something you did well as a mom today. But don’t just notice it; really feel it too.
2. Take that thought and dwell on all the goodness in it for at least 20 seconds. (No fleeting thoughts here! And absolutely NO BUTS, unless, of course, your happy thought is that you cleaned a poopy butt really well…) This gives your brain time to fire those neurons and hardwire that belief into your brain.
3. Let the confidence boost commence.

Balance Trusting Your Intuition and Searching for Info

1. Think of an aspect of parenting that you’re second-guessing yourself in.
2. Take some time to really look into what research says.
3. Take into account what works for YOUR unique situation. It may not feel right or align with your values, or it could add more stress to your family dynamic. That’s why considering what your intuition says is crucial.
4. Find a balance between the two and choose the best solution for YOU. (Not your mom, or friend, or pediatrician, or… you get my point.)

Stop Comparing Everything

1. Create a mama-mantra that will help you overcome those moments when you’re being held captive by comparison. Something like, “I am enough,” or “A bad day does not make me a bad mom,” or “I’m still learning, and that’s okay.” Something short and easy to remember on the fly.
2. Write it down on a Post-it note and stick it on your bathroom mirror for a daily reminder to repeat it often, in good and bad times.
3. In moments of stress, simply repeat your mama-mantra and you’ll feel your heart rate slowing, your breathing becoming steady, and your confidence building up.

Lean on Another Supportive Mama Who Gets You

1. Think about a mama who just gets you and accepts you for who you are.
2. Go ahead and send her a quick text thanking her for being so supportive. If she doesn’t already know, tell her how you’ve been struggling with a lack of self-confidence in this season of life.
3. Ask if she has any tried and true suggestions for your specific situation.
4. Lean on her. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If she’s a true friend, she’ll be honored to guide you through the trenches.