Episode 129: Parenting From a Place of Peace Rather Than Worry—with Laurie Davies
Worry and stress can show up in every season of parenting—from the moment we first bring our newborn baby home from the hospital to the day they start preparing to head out into the world on their own. Over the years, we’ve felt the weight of countless uncertainties swirling through our minds as we raised our five children. Thoughts like:
When will my baby sleep through the night?
Are they hitting those developmental milestones on time?
Will they make good friends?
How will they adjust to going to school for the first time?
And on and on it goes. We know firsthand that sleepless nights in parenting don’t end with the baby years—as our children grow and change, we as parents must learn how to navigate new challenges right alongside them. Being concerned for our children and watching out for the dangers they can’t yet see themselves is a normal part of parenthood; however, healthy concern can quickly transform into unhealthy worry.
Our latest guest knows the destructive power of worry, and she is here to help us mark a path to peace. Laurie Davies is a speaker, lay counselor, and the author of an important new book, Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck.
In this episode, Laurie shares:
- Key differences between concern and worry
- Encouragement for parents in every season
- How to rely on God and release your worry
- And more!
We hope you enjoy this conversation!
Links:
- [BOOK] Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck
- Laurie’s Free Morning + Evening Devotional
- Connect with Laurie on her website or Instagram
Our Takeaways:
1) Take inventory of your emotions. The first step to moving from a place of stress to a place of peace is to take stock of what emotions we have and the driving force behind them. We can’t parent from a stance of peace if we can’t name and process our own feelings in a healthy manner. Steps you could take to develop the skill of being attuned to your own emotions include spending time in nature, journaling, or working with a counselor or therapist to uncover the source of your worry.
2) Replace worry with prayer. God has given us a powerful tool to handle our stress, and that tool is prayer! Prayer does several things: it helps us lay our worries at the feet of our Heavenly Father, refocuses our minds on the truth that He is in control of the outcome, and it closes the “worry loop” we experience. Our actions also model for our children how they, too, can give their worries and stress to God.
3) Parenting from peace avoids straining our relationship with our children. When we are overwhelmed with worry, it strains our relationship with our kids. We can become overbearing and controlling. But when we parent from a place of peace, we can relax knowing that God is actively working to protect them and orchestrate details on their behalf. It allows us to parent with grace, patience, and certainty.
Meet Our Guest
Laurie Davies is an author, speaker, and lay counselor. Her passion is helping women deal with their “emotional accumulation,” letting go of things like regret, grudges, bitterness, and shame. Laurie is a member of the Proverbs 31 writing team and has been featured in Guideposts books and magazines. Laurie lives in the Phoenix area with her husband of 30 years, Greg. She enjoys drinking hot coffee on 115-degree days and has two schnockerpoo pups who run the show.
