Welcome to the Wild and Free Podcast, episode 83.

I'm Ainsley Arment, and this week we're talking with the founder of the peaceful press

and my fellow podcast host, Jennifer Pepito, about her new book, Mothering by the Book.

It's valid for us to be afraid for our children.

There's a lot of ways that it's valid, but fear makes us controlling,

it makes us manipulative, it makes us kind of miserable. And so doing whatever it takes to overcome

is going to bring us more joy, but it's also going to bring a lot more joy to our children as well.

Plus, we'll share about our new wild and free content bundle for the month of

August called Listen. So grab a cup of coffee and join us on the front porch. Let's get started.

The other day, I saw an Instagram post by a mother of grown children who confessed that she had wished their early years would have passed more quickly.

The sleepless nights, the temper tantrums, the turbulence of teenagedom.

But now she spends her days longing for her children to come home.

Did you know that we all have moments of regret, of not

appreciating time, of not savoring our moments? Time is greedy. That much is true. But grace is healing,

love, redeeming, and hope is calling us to try again another day. Oh, may we savor each

God-forsaken day of parenthood. May we bless every Lego block we encounter underfoot. And may we

filter out the barbs of their rebellion to hear their heartfelt pleas.

I'm thankful that children's spirits are resilient, that mercies are made new every morning,

and I cringe at having to need frequent reminders of my own values and passions.

But I do. We all do.

Let's face it, even on our best days, we mess up with our kids.

In the midst of relaxed rhythms and beautiful days, we still have moments that reveal our shortcomings.

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