Favorite Guest Posts of 2013
I’m so blessed to have a great group of friends and contributors who created some beautiful guest posts for me this year. Here is a wrap up of some of my favorites.
The Vaccine Series by Dr. Mark McColl (this will link you to my summary and at the bottom of the summary there are links to every post in this series)
“So my cards are on the table now. No shocker that I fully vaccinate my children. But just for the record I vaccinate my children because my wife, who is also a pediatrician, and I have thought through the risks and benefits of each and every vaccine. We didn’t vaccinate because of some party line put out by the CDC or the AAP. It was a choice we made, intentionally, and not without great thought and prayer. We made this decision in part due to the calculated understanding of risk and benefits of receiving the vaccinations versus remaining unvaccinated. We studied the literature. We looked at the research. We also made this decision in part due to our experience in caring for children critically sick with diseases that could have been prevented by a vaccination at the right time.” -From Dr. McColl’s post “Did I vaccinate my kids?”
Baby Holding- does the good outweigh the bad? by Melodie Kjer, former orphanage director
“When visiting children, specifically children living in orphanages overseas, we cannot treat them as if we own them, or treat them differently than you would treat my child in my back yard or your friend’s foster child. The practical reasons for this are the same, which involve not making a child afraid, respecting boundaries set by those in charge of the child, etc, but there is a more serious factor that can be very detrimental to a child’s development.”
A Volleyball Coach’s Thoughts on Youth Sports by Sara Horn, Head Volleyball Coach at Morningside College
“Sports, like most things, mean a time and money commitment. Each family needs to determine how much time and money they want to commit to a sport. To some families, one evening a week is more than enough time to commit. To some other families, 3 or 4 nights a week is ideal. Each family should not feel pressured to put in more time and money than they want. There are many different levels and types of sports and every family should be able to find one that fits their needs. Going beyond their needs is a sure way to have a bad experience and an end to an activity that should be enjoyable.”
Walking with a Friend in Grief by Michelle Bates, mother
“As the years go by, there are friends who remember our son’s birthday. They offer to babysit our children so that my husband and I can go away for the weekend or for a date. We have a friend who commemorates our son on her blog each year. We get emails and texts as the day approaches from friends and family. When I see those words from friends remembering, my heart swells, because I know that our friends and family love us, but also our son even though they never met him.
A walk with someone through grief is a long one. It’s not a short walk around the block. It’s a marathon, but longer than any marathon you’ve ever run. If you commit, commit. Be there. Listen to your friend when they are ready to talk. Most of all you can be on your knees for them and love them where they are.”
School Choice in Their Own Words by a group of mothers and fathers speaking from their experience
“Dear, dear friends—the biggest sinner your child will encounter in his lifetime is YOU. He is around you more than anyone else, and is seeing up close and personal your foibles and failures. Your hypocrisies. Your secrets that you think no one knows. Your failure to be patient, loving, and forgiving. The evil is not “out there” somewhere; it is in our hearts. It’s being gently and tenderly rooted out by the Master Gardener, one day at a time, it’s true; but it is there and real, and has more of an impact on your kid than probably anything else in his life. Even that kid next to him, who isn’t as well behaved or doesn’t have good social skills or is flailing around in most of his subjects. Make an informed decision about your schooling for your child–YES! But if you are making it on the basis of keeping your children away from sin, then you will probably only succeed in raising a well-educated Pharisee.” -From Kerri
Bottle-feeding for Medical Reasons by Renae Morehead, mother
“I had been working under the assumption that giving Clara breast milk was the most important thing I could do for her. There were so many unknowns for us, and I felt helpless and worried that her cleft palate might have been my fault. I told myself that pumping was one thing I could do for her (breast is best!). And since it was so darn inconvenient and uncomfortable, it all felt rather noble. The problem, of course, was that she was getting my milk, but she wasn’t getting enough of me. And when I finally figured that out, it was pretty devastating. Although the discussion we had about it was a long one, the choice to stop pumping was so obviously the right one, and I think everyone in our family, boys included, was immediately relieved.”