Posted in reflections, tagged aging, loss, parenting, perfectionism on June 12, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Photo by Pantelis Roussakis
By Joy Wong
“God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” –Genesis 1:31 NRSV
I’ve always been the kind of person who likes to feel like I’ve mastered something — whether it’s a particular project, a hobby, a performance, etc. One of the greatest challenges I’ve found in parenting, particularly in the first years of life, has been the constant changes. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged family, motherhood, parenting on June 14, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Photo by Craig Howell
By Tina Teng-Henson
On my run this morning, I turned into the gateway of the Catholic convent in my neighborhood. As I jogged down the leafy pathway, this thought crossed my mind: “I could always just abandon my husband and kids and become a nun…then I could really focus on serving God.” I imagined Beatrice and Peter visiting me at the convent once a year, watching them grow up from afar. Then I imagined myself crying in anguish, after each visit would end — overwhelmed with regret and remorse for having made that decision. I would miss watching them grow up far too much. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged adjustments, motherhood, parenting, trust on March 22, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Photo by Maria Liu Wong
By Maria Liu Wong
Being the parent of a middle-schooler is not an easy job. Raising a middle-schooler in New York City makes it that much more challenging.
A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I let Joshua, our oldest son — a slim-built, not-very-tall sixth grader — walk home for the first time by himself. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged letting go of control, motherhood, parenting on March 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Photo by Ally Mahbobi
By Wendy Choy-Chan
My elder daughter will turn seventeen in a few months. “Seventeen” sounds so much more mature, ready to conquer the world than “sixteen.” No longer my little baby. For one, she is taller than me now. She takes (borrows) clothes from my wardrobe — well, those she deems fashionable. She is also driving now (thank God we don’t have an extra car for her!), so she is ready to venture out all by herself, literally. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged Advent, parenting, Sabbath on December 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Photo by weisserstier
By Maria Liu Wong
This morning when I peeked into my younger children’s room at 7:00 am, I was surprised to find my younger son Josiah at his desk poring over a Chinese textbook. “Josiah, what are you doing?” I said. “I’m reading!” he replied. “But Ms. Chang isn’t coming today. She’s coming next week.” “I know. I’m just reading.” (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged freedom, motherhood, parenting on November 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Photo by Enid Yu
By Joy Wong
I am used to reading signals from other people — whether their facial expressions, body language, words used, etc — to assess how they feel about me. While this sounds normal for the average person, I tend to do it in excess. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged parenting, perfectionism, tiger mom on November 3, 2015| 3 Comments »
Photo by xinem
By Dorcas Cheng-Tozun
My experience growing up in a Chinese immigrant family in California is almost embarrassingly stereotypical. I was taught to respect my elders and work hard in school. I learned piano and attended Chinese school. In academics, I was held to the usual Chinese standards: only As and A-pluses were allowed; anything short of 100 percent on tests was failure; and all mistakes were earth-shattering events. My mom was very much what we’ve come to call a tiger mom, and my dad was her supportive (though mostly silent) partner in constantly pushing my older sister and me to do better. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged parenting, raising a family on April 14, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Photo by Frank de Kleine
By Joy Wong
In the last few months, our family has been going through a lot of transition, including buying our first home and moving while expecting our next baby, due in July. On top of all this, I’m still finishing up my spiritual direction certification, continuing – albeit, very slowly – in the ordination process, and staying home to care for my daughter who is now close to the age of 2. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged church, parenting, school, youth on February 17, 2015| 1 Comment »
Photo by Vancouver Film School
By Eun Joo Angela Ryo
I recently attended a seminar for the parents at a Korean immigrant church I was visiting last month. The title of the seminar was “God and Grades.” As a mother of a teenager and a preteen, I thought it would be helpful to check it out. The seminar, as it turned out, should have been more accurately titled “Church Vs. School” rather than “God and Grades.” (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged motherhood, parenting, raising a family, self-worth on May 13, 2014| 4 Comments »
Photo by Robb North
By Joy Wong
Despite the fact that I’ve been getting my ducks lined up to start the ordination process and I’m enrolled in a spiritual direction certification program, the day-to-day reality of my life right now is that of a stay-at-home mom. I’ve certainly had my ups and downs, good days and bad days, but on the whole, it’s been a great joy.
One of my greatest struggles, however, is watching those around me accomplish much and do impressive things with their passions and vocations. I find myself thinking, I have gifts and can do good work too! but the reality is that no, I really can’t do very much right now as a mom of a 1-year-old. (more…)
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