Cherish My Daughter

A couple of months after getting married my husband and I were praying about our future children. At first we were just dreaming. We wanted a family but were determined to finish our graduate degrees first. I had just started my masters program and Mocha Dad was nearly finished with his PhD. As we prayed we felt God respond. We imagined we'd have a son with a talent for music. MP started showing a musical interest around the age of 3. While playing with the same musical instruments as other toddlers his age, he would pick out melodies he heard from us and others who sang near him. We noticed and remembered our prayer experience about him early in our marriage. We waited until he was 6 years old to introduce MP to formal lessons. We are blessed to see all that the Lord is doing with him and look forward to where God will lead him to use his gift. These days MP is always composing something original. Here's his performance earlier today, at his 8th grade graduation.

I'm so proud of our son--Mocha Prince (MP). He was about 9 months old when Mocha Dad and I decided we wanted to homeschool him and any children coming after him. My husband was a college professor in the computer science department at the time. I was home full time with MP, but had been successful as a social worker in clinical practice working with emotionally disabled children and their families. My greatest fear was math. For some reason I feared teaching it to a child, but my husband was confident that we could do a good job. MP has exceeded our expectations in his academic performance. We are so proud of him. Along the way we've discovered that he has a great gift for music and writing as well. It's never boring trying to balance a curriculum for someone who is comfortable with math and science but also demonstrates abundant artistic expression. I think the greatest benefit of homeschool for us so far has been the gift of time. We are together so much, and fi...

Our relationship with nappy hair and fuzz can affect everything--even organizing the kids to take a picture in time to send out Christmas cards to our loved ones. I confess, I really struggled this year. There's nothing wrong with wanting everyone to look their best, and a fresh style is beautiful. My problem is I've been swamped with seasonal activity. I've had no time to calmly sit and lovingly do hair. I certainly could have ripped through their strands to get the job done, but it just wasn't worth it to me. I don't believe in suffering to be beautiful. I finally realized the cards would never go out if I waited for the day I could freshen up all the girls' styles--especially when a wash is necessary for them all. One morning I woke up and noticed that my son was wearing red and white. A few minutes later MG3 came down the stairs in a red shirt. Her hair was fuzzy wuzzy to the max, but I knew right then that I needed to seize the moment. I rushed upst...

Everything we discuss here about caring for our daughter's nappy hair may be applied to our sons, especially if our boys have hair longer than two to three inches. Managing boy's hair can be easier, because we expect to see our sons in short hair cuts. Their hair dries quickly, and may be soaked daily (our girls may enjoy the same--but our son's experience it every day already). Spritzing with plain water or a mix containing conditioner and oils, makes grooming easy. While short nappy hair probably tangles less than longer hair, we should remain mindful that tight curls may still intertwine enough to cause resistance to combing. Most boys don't like to stand still as we fuss over them, but your son's screams as you groom his hair may indicate pain. By following the steps below we can eliminate most discomfort. 1. Start by having your son's hair cut in a good shape. My husband and I find it easy to cut our son's hair at home by using clippers with guards...