Raising Weird Kids

Encouragement for raising children according to your family’s calling

Raising children is such important work. Motherhood has been a true gift to me that I can hardly explain.

I always knew I wanted to be a mother. All my life, I have been drawn to children. Their innocence and pure spirits have always been something I admired. After having my own children, I knew that I wanted to protect that innocence and their genuine little souls. I’ve also always been drawn to self-help books and podcasts. I love learning about “better” ways. Better ways of living, being a spouse, parenting, developing spiritually, loving, and so on. Self reflection and evaluation are habits I try to practice regularly.

I’ve recently been encouraged by a phrase my aunt Lesa says, “I am always working on me.” My ‘me work’ over the last few years has been heavy on developing my parenting style. Since giving life to two little humans, I have been drawn to parenting influencers the most. I feel the calling to make this season of childhood and life special for them. This life and my family deserve the most intentional efforts I can give. I know from my short parenting journey so far that babies don’t keep. The nights are long, but the years are short. These little miracles turn into bigger miracles in the blink of an eye.

I feel called to give my children a slow paced, enriching childhood and maybe you do too. As parents, we are faced with decisions all the time that form our family culture and routines. Decisions about discipline, faith, technology use, time spent outdoors, extracurriculars, education, and so on. Sometimes, the decisions we make can set our kids apart. It might set them up to experience life in a way that is not the same as mainstream social circles. Just think of the comments you might get if you were to choose private education or homeschool over public school. What about waiting to allow your child to earn a cell phone until a much older age than the average child today? Are you feeling called to different family norms? Do you think about choosing less popular paths for your kids, but find yourself wondering if it would make your child “weird”? Perhaps, you have even been told by family or friends that you shouldn’t do xyz because it would make your kids feel different or be called weird by their peers.

What if being weird in the eyes of the world doesn’t have to be a bad thing? In the book, The Call of the Wild and Free, the author Ainsley Arment spoke right to my heart in the follow excerpt:

“I am weird. You are weird. Our children are weird. And we wouldn’t have it any other way because weirdness births dreamers and artists, authors and poets, mathematicians and scientists, and those who see the world through a different lens. Weird, as it turns out, is wonderful.”

Isn’t that a refreshing perspective?? We are all weird! Everyone is a unique person with beautifully different quirks and characteristics. This has been a resource that aligned with thoughts I couldn’t quite put into words yet. Maybe weird is wonderful!! Maybe our society needs more people embracing their ‘weird’. More people being true to their values and calling. More people who slow down and say no to the rat race that life can turn into if we aren’t careful.

While listening to one of my favorite podcasts, 1000 Hours Outside, I heard from an author named Jessica Smartt. In episode 123, The Cost of Preserving Childhood, Smartt shared about some choices she made that felt right for her family, but might not align with her children’s peers. Her approach was using these things to create family culture and belonging. She explained how we can take something others might say would make our children feel like outsiders, and flip it around to create a greater sense of belonging within our home. Smartt said she will often say xyz is what we do in our family, it makes you a ‘Smartt’ (their last name). She referred to this as the “gift of being one of us.” That challenged me to think, what things and values do I want to make our children feel like a ‘York’ (our last name).

I want to wrap this up with some encouragement. Take some time to reflect on the goals for your family. Do you feel a calling to do something different than what others might expect? My friend recently said, “You know what is best for your family.” This has really empowered me! No one knows your family and your children like you. I have taken this simple phrase and made it a mental mantra. Something I repeat to myself often when I begin to question myself or start wondering what others might think. I invite you to do the same! Here is your permission to make decisions freely for the sake of your family. Let go of what others might say. Let go of the notion that there is one right way and the rest are wrong. Deny the thought that its one way versus another. Acknowledge that what is right for your family may not be right for another and vice vera. Take this reassurance to follow your family’s calling. Parenting is not black and white. It is a balance of taking advice, using your resources, and following your intuition as a mother or father. If you take anything from this, let it be that weird can be wonderful!!

Here’s to raising weird kids!

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About the Content Creator:

Mackenzie is a loving wife and caring mother to her two young girls, Baylor and Marley. She was born and raised in Columbus, IN. She has a master’s degree in social work and served in the child welfare field before deciding to pause her career to become a stay at home mother.

Mackenzie enjoys memory making with her family. This might look like family walks, finding special events in the community, or planning get togethers with friends. Her family also spends a lot of time serving and contributing to their local church. Mackenzie’s goal in life is to raise good humans who know Jesus and show her family what a gift they are to her every single day.