Choices That Lead to Your Best Life

choices that lead to your best life

Choices. We make them all day long. Should I have cereal or eggs for breakfast? Should I wear the black shoes or the navy? Should I brush my teeth today or not? . . . Wait! You don’t stop to think about that last one? . . . Come to think of it, neither do I. I automatically brush my teeth each and every morning. That’s a decision I made in middle school. A done deal. Or is it? While I concluded during my adolescent years that brushing my teeth daily is an absolute must, I can still walk away from this beneficial habit today if I want to. Hmmm. Nope. I think I’ll stick with it.

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Opening My Eyes to the Realities of Sex Trafficking

January is Human Trafficking Awareness month. I met Jessica Brodie last fall and learned of her passion to educate others about the sex trafficking issue plaguing our society. Jessica offers insight and wisdom to us in her post.

Like many people, I used to make a lot of assumptions about sex trafficking—I assumed it only happened in “those” neighborhoods or to “those” kinds of kids—girls who didn’t know better, or whose moms were in the sex industry. I assumed the girls knew what they were getting into and simply made a choice—a bad one, but one they made with eyes wide open.

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Self-Care for the New Year

self-care

As December turns to January, tradition dictates that we reflect on the past year, shed unhealthy habits, and resolve to live a healthier lifestyle. A fresh start.

Easier said than done. Parenting never ends and doesn’t make room for reflection or renewed routines.

If you think life’s too busy to take care of your physical, emotional, and mental health, you’re not alone. According to 2023 data, “48% of parents say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming compared to 26% among other adults.”[i]

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Victors in the Battle for Sexual Integrity

I’m thrilled to introduce Teri White, an incredible advocate for sexual risk avoidance education. Teri works directly with schools, equipping students with tools for healthy decision-making, and has also developed a curriculum to help parents teach their children about sexual integrity. I had the pleasure of meeting Teri in person at a homeschool conference and was immediately drawn to her warm and engaging personality. As two retired homeschool moms now dedicated to guiding students toward healthier choices, we share a deep passion for this work. It’s an honor to share her insights in this post.


E. Stanley Jones wrote, “Sex has produced more happiness and more unhappiness than any single thing in life. It all depends on what you do with it.”

These words crafted by Jones are on point. The battle for sexual integrity has been fought since the beginning of time by all individuals, young and old alike. Every person born on earth will, at some point, make the decision to live to the highest of moral standards about their own sexual behaviors or avoid it all together. Because this is a battle of great magnitude, it is imperative that individuals are prepared and equipped to face the struggle without fear. But how? How does one become combat ready and equipped to engage in the battle?

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Benefits of Parenting with Gratitude

“The root of joy is gratefulness… It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” ― Brother David Steindl-Rast[i]

Parenting is fulfilling. But it’s also relentless, scary, and full of disappointments. Days are long. Tasks are repetitive. Problems are nonstop. If we’re not careful, months pass without a pleasant thought, and our mental health spirals. Add a child who makes unhealthy choices, and we can collapse into a trance-like state pretty quickly. We squash our lofty goals into one: simply making it through each day.

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How Not to be “Late to the Party” When Talking to Your Child About Sex

I’m thrilled to introduce Jackie Brewton. Jackie has years of experience equipping parents on how to talk with children about sex and related topics. I love the advice she gives us in this guest post.  

Parenting teens in today’s culture is NOT for the faint at heart, which is why I always want to make sure my content addresses parents’ struggles, challenges, or needs.

Whenever I get a question from one person, I know that could be on the minds of other parents as well.

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Youth Show Friends Porn

“My 9-year-old son told me our neighbor boy, his friend, described pornographic scenes he saw in detail to him. My son is traumatized.”

I read the above on a Facebook page I follow. The parent went on to say she was caught off guard. Even though she’s talked with her child about sex and puberty, she was waiting to talk about pornography. Below the original post, parent after parent described similar circumstances with their children.

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Preteen and Teen Books: A Guide for Finding Safe Reads

I ran into my friend Sofia Simpson at a homeschool conference. She was talking with parents about the young adult books she’s written and the need to help parents find safe books for their children. Book content can spark an unnecessary interest or trigger children who’ve been exposed to pornography and other sexual content, so I asked Sofia to help us figure out which books are healthy for our children to read. I’m so grateful for her wisdom, and I’m sure you’ll find her post insightful.

In today’s digital age, parents find themselves trying to protect their children from R and X-rated content in books. Because there is no rating system in place for books, parents have no way of knowing if graphic sex, foul language, and gory violence are in the books they find or allow their preteens and teens to read.

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Healthy Relationships in a Sexualized Culture

Our sexualized culture heavily influences the next generation. Whether they’re swiping through their social media feed, binging a show, reading a book, or hanging out with peers, there’s no escaping messages that steer them away from healthy relationships and towards unhealthy paths.

Parents try to counter cultural expectations, explaining why the latest greatest isn’t the best option. We’re on the defense. A friend persuades our child to install Snapchat. Swat. “Snapchat’s bad.” An influencer talks up an OnlyFans account. Whack. “Don’t show your stuff to strangers.” A partner says everyone’s doing it. Smack. “That’s not true. You’ll be sorry.”

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Comparing Healthy Sexuality, Purity Culture, and Pornified Mindsets

Some of Hopeful Mom’s readers are Christians. Some aren’t. Whether you subscribe to a Christian theology or not, this post from guest Cody Moen of Restoring Hearts Counseling can help you understand other viewpoints. The chart at the end contains especially helpful information regarding the difference between a pornified mindset, a purity culture mindset, and a healthy sexuality mindset. Thank you, Cody, for your insight.

One of the most common Bible verses repeated in addiction recovery material is Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Renewal of the mind occurs through reading, hearing, and doing God’s Word, baptism, and the sacraments. The mind is renewed as the former way of life without Jesus is put to death and a new way of life is lived out.

My own life is an example of this small bit of theology played out in the real world.

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