While it doesn’t always feel like it, Motherhood is a sacred journey – one of the most important roles around. There is divine purpose in motherhood that transcends day-to-day burnout over slopped baby food, sleepless nights, sibling scuffles, and daunting piles of dirty laundry. Knowing this frees us up to focus on more lofty matters: showing our children that it’s safe to love and depend, winning our kids’ hearts, and in so doing, setting them up for giving their hearts to God when they’re ready. In this presentation I share practical ideas toward these goals – shaped by life experiences and grounded by developmental science and my studies as an authorized parent facilitator of the Neufeld Institute – for fostering connection, bridging separation, approaching discipline, and creating a culture of true play.