Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Hearts at Home National Conference. I am LUCKY, because this conference is held at the University I went to- so it’s very close by! Hearts at Home is a weekend conference designed around mom’s- giving them a chance to regroup, get inspired, and get away! I went last year and was changed in a big, big way.
This year, the keynote speakers were Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. They are a very interesting couple to listen to. They have been criticized in the media for decisions they make for their large family, and most recently, due to the miscarriage of their 20th child, Jubilee. They are fascinating, and one thing that really hit me during their speech (and workshop following!) was that most of the time, our kids get frustrated because they don’t know what we expect from them. As a mom to a toddler, I know how hard it can be for Brayden to communicate what he wants/needs without getting really upset. With that goes what they said about the difference in correcting your child versus training your child. They train their children a certain way so that in certain situations, they get an immediate response (such as when trying to cross the street, etc.) It was just very though provoking, and definitely changes the way I see Brayden’s response to certain things. He might not understand that I am starting to lose my patience, so it is important that I stay focused and help him learn from his mistakes and how to better communicate his needs.
One quote that founder Jill Savage said last year and this year was “It may not be well with my circumstance, but it is well with my soul.” Powerful, right? As moms, we have those days where nothing seems to be going well at all. But thanks to the Grace of God, we have another chance- and HE will carry us through to another day.
I can’t speak highly enough about this conference, and I am already SO excited to go next year. Candace Cameron Bure (DJ Tanner from Full House) is the keynote speaker, and I can’t wait to hear her inspiring message. I am planning to take my sister with me, even though she isn’t a mom, because I think even if you aren’t a mom, you still need the chance to be inspired and recharge.
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Hey, Julie! Thanks for your post about Hearts at Home! Conference was amazing!! I am actually on the Marketing Team for Hearts and the Coordinator of the Blogger Program. We would be thrilled if you would consider blogging with Hearts at Home. I’m sorry to sound ‘spammy’ in a comment, but I wasn’t sure how to get in touch. I’d love for you to email, if you’re interested and I can answer any questions you might have. You can email me at mpfeiffer@heartsathome.org. You can also check out our blogger page at http://hearts-at-home.org
Oh man I would have LOVED to hear them speak!! Just the few bits from their conferences that they show on their tv show was enough to make me want to hear them! And people shouldn’t talk bad about her miscarriage, it can happen to anyone. I was only 24 when it happened to me and I was healthy and took care of my pregnancy!! And it was the same situation…went in for 20 week ultrasound and they couldn’t find a heartbeat. DJ would be fun to listen to as well!!
Thank you for sharing this Julie. That one quote about kids getting frustrated because they don’t know what’s expected of them was a big perspective change for me!