Survey and Why I Feel Pregnant

As parents of six kids ranging from 11 down to 1, as former foster parents of two teenage girls, and as leaders of many, many children and youth over the years while serving in charitable organizations, Brent and I have made a variety of parenting observations. We've struggled and stressed in many different situations. We've needed and heeded lots of inspiration as we've frantically thought a million times, “What are we going to DO with/for/to that child!?!”

Answers and ideas have come and have resulted in the conception of what we call ‘The Pyramid’, which basically gives us a clear picture of how to discipline our children as their little brains mature. We've been using ‘The Pyramid’ to help manage all the big and small conflicts that occur in our family for almost three years now and have experienced such increased maturity in all of us that Brent and I (well, mostly me, but Brent is incredibly supportive) are at a point where we've wondered about sharing more of these insights with others through this blog.

But given the time commitment, we thought (well, mostly Brent, since more writing time for me means he’ll get to do more dishes and diapers…*wink wink*) we’d ask our many friends and family to help us decide whether more writing/sharing time is a wise option.

So here’s a quick survey. Can you take a few seconds to share your opinion? And I guess not answering the survey would send a loud message too. So either way…thanks in advance!

And here's why I feel pregnant:

Can you picture a writer, inventor, artist, scientist, thinker…maybe even yourself stewing over a new idea that, though it's exciting and joyful as the thought grows inside you, it also leaves you feeling restless, bloated, and nauseous as you labor in preparation for it to burst forth into daily life?

The “contractions” continue…far apart… close together…intense…mild…far apart again…until you finally conclude that you must give birth to this idea that has so beautifully altered your life already...with the hope that your creation will ignite a new light in the world for someone else, too. But expressing it in such a way still seems painfully far away...

That's how I feel. I'm pregnant with 'The Pyramid'. It makes me feel excited, but anxious. 

This nostalgic picture of me when I was 9 months pregnant with Kenny 12 years ago sums things up quite nicely. It was taken by my dear husband on March 10, 2001 after an I-can’t-stand-being-two-days-overdue-when-is-this-baby-ever-going-to-come-maybe-never-which-is-probably-good-because-labor-sounds-scary-but-I-guess-he-has-to-come-out-sometime-so-I-might-as-well-take-a-stroll-to-increase-my-chances-even-though-I’m-wearing-my-husband’s-early-90s-grunge-shirt-because-what-I-look-like-in-public-is-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-so-I-don’t-care-if-my-neighbors-see-me-and-please-remind-me-why-I'm-even-smiling kind of walk. 

Kenny was born a few days later and life changed forever.

I think I’ll go for a brisk walk.