The 10 Ps to Parenting with Passion By Susan Merrill

Mom. Was there ever a job that encompassed so much, prompted so many questions, and created so many doubts in the minds of women? What exactly is the job description for a mom? How can the job look so different from house to house, from culture to culture? Who is doing it right? Is there one right way, or many, depending on your child’s personality, age, or environment?

What if you have multiple children with diverse personalities? Should you parent them each differently under the same roof? Why isn’t there a Google map for moms, or a handy iPhone app? Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could input all the variables and characteristics of your children, press a button, and print the perfect parenting plan for you to follow?

Cultivating these ten Ps and learning how they fit together will help you accomplish your goal of being the best mom you can be.

Susan Merrill, author of “The Passionate Mom,” is a wife, mother of five, director of iMOM.com, want-to-be blogger, and the “very imperfect” Merrill family manager. Susan lives in Tampa, Fla., with her husband, author and President of Family First, Mark Merrill, and two or, depending on the day, up to five of her children ages 16 to 22. On those days she happily forsakes all other responsibilities to run a bed and breakfast /laundromat for her college-aged children.

Perseverance

Perseverance— A Passionate mom must intentionally maintain a purpose in spite of problems, continuing steadfastly until the end.

God is asking you, in this moment, “What is it you want?” Do you want to protect and provide your children with a future? Do you want to pour perception and pondering and passion and prayer and patience and preparation into a plan so that you can confidently answer yes to the question “Am I doing this right?” Do you want to persevere to the end so you can look back and say, “I was the best mom that I could be”? Do you even believe that your parenting can make that much of a difference in your child’s life?

It can and you can do it!