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Lynnette Sheppard

Dear Grace

All About Me· Letters· Motherhood· Parenting

I have always been a writer. When I was in third grade, I wrote a story and won third place…
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Hi! I’m Lynnette. Welcome to my little corner of the Internet, where parenting with love, leadership, and common sense is the name of the game.

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So, we did a crazy thing!! We just became a two d

So, we did a crazy thing!!

We just became a two dog family. 😳😅😂

Koda is about a year and a half old and he wants me to play with him ALL day long.

He sits at my feet while I’m working and whines or pokes my leg with his nose.

He brings me his toys and wants me to chase him and gets frustrated when I don’t pay attention.

It makes it really hard to get any work done!!

So we got him a friend.

Meet Finn.

I think my life just got a little crazier, at least for a while.

But the two pups seem to like each other so I’m hopeful it will eventually make my life easier! Fingers crossed!!

There was a time when I thought I had to be a cert

There was a time when I thought I had to be a certain kind of mom.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I had to be structured and organized.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I had to know what I was doing at all times.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I had to do all the things for and with my kids.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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But I have learned that I am a better mom when I lean into my natural gifts instead of doing things like everybody else.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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For me, that means I am more flexible than structured.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I go with the flow instead of having a concrete plan. (And when I make a plan, I deviate from it without guilt!)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I usually don't know what we are having for dinner until 5:30 when I get creative with my pantry.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I am silly. I sing random songs and dance in the kitchen.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I listen. I encourage. I let my kids figure things out instead of getting involved.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I am my own kind of mom, and it feels like freedom.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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What are your natural gifts? How do they show up in your parenting?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#howtoraisegrownups

An excitable puppy Sunshine 75 degrees Fresh ai

An excitable puppy

Sunshine

75 degrees

Fresh air

An afternoon walk

Soul food

Look up, my friends! Life is bigger than this mome

Look up, my friends! Life is bigger than this moment, this stage, this year.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It is full of possibilities, hope, and light.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Can you see it?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Stages end, children grow, and challenges have a way of working themselves out.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Take it from a mom who worried for years about whether her young kids would end up in prison one day because they were SO hard and had ZERO impulse control.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A mom who bore the brunt of years of childhood anxiety that manifested itself as constant anger directed at her.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A mom who lived for far too long in the land of "not good enough" and "I cannot do this for one more day."⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A mom who is now watching those same kids leave home as delightful and driven young adults.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you are in the midst of a challenging stage right now, take heart. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Keep your eyes up.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Look for the forest over the trees.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The view from up there is pretty incredible.

P.S. Don’t ask about the picture...I was connecting with my inner dancer 🤣

The rain will come. Will your kids be ready? “T

The rain will come. Will your kids be ready?

“Teach ye diligently... of things both in heaven and in the earth...that ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you.”

Doctrine and Covenants 88: 78-80

Teach diligently

Heaven and Earth

Spiritual and Practical

Prepared in ALL things

Line upon line.

Let’s get started today.

You’ve got this, and I am here to support you along the way.

#howtoraisegrownups

Since my #byubound post has resonated with so many

Since my #byubound post has resonated with so many of you, let’s take it a little deeper.

When my son didn’t get into BYU, he was devastated. After much thought and prayer, he decided to attend and live in the dorms at a state university outside of Utah.

You can flip through the actual responses we received from well-meaning friends and church leaders.

Every single one of them was rooted in fear, and they were not helpful.

They questioned our judgment as parents. They questioned his choice and inspiration.

He had the courage to stand up and tell people that he felt this path was what he needed. And it absolutely was. It prepared him for the next step in his life in ways that were perfect for him.

But here’s the thing: at some point, we have to let go and allow our kids to become young adults.

We have to trust them to receive their own inspiration and make the choices they feel are best.

Even (and maybe especially) if they are different from the ones we would have made for them.

I am well aware of the risks. My son could have gone away to school and decided that he didn’t want to attend church anymore because he had to go alone.

He could have made choices that led him away from the covenant path.

And, to be true, I worried about all of that. After a semester, I almost encouraged him to come back home so I wouldn’t have to worry.

But God stopped me in my tracks.

Those were my son’s choices to make, not mine. And I needed to show my trust in him and God.

Here’s the bottom line: our kids need our faith and support as they learn to make informed and inspired decisions. We can, of course, guide them.

But we must not allow our fear and anxiety to get in the way of their future.

Easier said than done; I know.

#howtoraisegrownups

Preparation is the linchpin that will hold our kid

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