Every parent will face adversity. Some will feel overwhelming, even terrifying. The adversity may involve a terminal illness, a dramatic life-changing event, a job loss or a divorce. And when life turns tough, we have a choice about how we will respond. Will the hardship be our undoing or will it makes us stronger? Thinking about how we will respond is critical for our children because as we respond, they watch us. And more importantly, their security or fear will revolve around how we respond- what we say and what we express. Even in the midst of pain, we must lead our children and help them by allowing the difficulty to strengthen us, not make us weaker. This is the story of Cheryl Wilkinson, a mother of three children, who lived with breast cancer and battled it bravely. It is the story of hundreds of thousands of parents who have confronted life- threatening illness and fought hard. It is a story of strength, love and the blessings that came to her whole family. Dr. Meg shares her Points To Ponder and answers an email from a single mother about her son’s father. Send questions to [email protected] 0:00 – WELCOME Dr. Meg sets up the topic, including her conversation later in the episode with Cheryl Wilkinson, wife and mother of three children, who lived with breast cancer and battled it bravely. She also sets up her “Let’s Get Social” and her “Points To Ponder” segments. 3:01 – PARENTING TOOL – Dr. Meg’s Website Resource Section Go to megmeekermd.com and click on resources to see new online courses, tool kits, and books. 3:57 – POINTS TO PONDER Dr. Meg shares her three points for you about parenting through adversity. 9:48 – A CONVERSATION WITH CHERYL WILKINSON (PART 1) Dr. Meg talks to guest Cheryl Wilkinson about her battle with breast cancer as a mother and wife. 17:41 – TAKE THE SURVEY AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST podsurvey.com/meg. Take the survey and enter a monthly drawing to win a $100 Amazon gift card. 18:41 – GET HELLO FRESH Hello Fresh is a meal kit delivery service that makes cooking fun, easy, and convenient. Listeners of Parenting Great Kids can get $35 off your first week of deliveries. Go to hellofresh.com and enter MEG when you subscribe. 19:57 – A CONVERSATION WITH CHERYL WILKINSON (PART 2) Dr. Meg concludes her conversation with guest Cheryl Wilkinson about how she parented in the middle of breast cancer. 31:04 – LET’S GET SOCIAL Email Dr. Meg [email protected] or tweet her @megmeekermd. Dr. Meg answers an email question from a single mother. Her son is asking about his father and she isn’t sure telling her son about him is a good idea. 35:48 – PARENT PEP RALLY 36:57 – CALL TO ACTION Like Dr. Meg Meeker on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @megmeekermd Share the podcast, write an iTunes review, and click subscribe. We appreciate it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices