SO Many Ways to Mentor!
The girls in our family are true animal lovers. In fact, I once planned to be a veterinarian when I grew up until I figured out I’d have to deal with blood and pain. I can’t stand to see animals hurt! Unlike my daughters though, my husband and I live in a one dog home where our daughters each have zoos living in theirs!
Recently my daughter, Amanda Dugger posted the following “puppy” update on Facebook:
“So I have heard my mom say for years (since I was little) that it is so important for the older women to guide the younger women. I agree but I have always been the younger woman so that comment was always in the very distant future. Much to my dismay after telling my nephew to keep his dog away from Hattie, I came home to her being pregnant after a trip. This morning Hattie was overwhelmed and all 7 one-day old puppies were whining. Hattie was whimpering, pacing and unsure where to start. She is a new mom and while recuperating from giving birth to this litter she hasn’t rested much at all. She was trying to be supermom and tend to all her babies. Wow, I have been there. Not with 7, but I could relate! I made Hattie lay down and brought her each baby, one at a time. They all began to nurse and Hattie was at last content and peaceful. She hasn’t had all of them demanding her time and attention at once before. But as an older mom I could look at the situation and know that it was a simple fix for this new mom.
Motherhood is wonderful, but one of the most overwhelming jobs at times. My daughter Lauryn is pregnant with her first baby. She has been going to a new mom’s class at our church. It is taught by older moms and I am so grateful that she is building a network of resources from all these moms of different ages and different stages of motherhood! Of course I can’t wait to help her when she needs me once my first grandbaby gets here! “
I told Amanda she was getting ready to be a wonderful YaYa (grandmother) to her first grandchild with this experience. And I know she would help her daughter through her mothering experience just like she helped Hattie with hers!
So mentoring is sometimes as simple as sharing how to not be overwhelmed in motherhood. It can be sharing how you plan a project at work with a new employee. Perhaps it’s sharing with someone in crisis how God pulled you through a similar one.
So, here’s my challenge for you:
- List who you are currently mentoring. Do not limit only to those in a formal setting, think about who you connect with spontaneously.
- List who is currently mentoring you. Again, think outside the box we sometimes put mentoring in.
- List women you run into at least once a week.
- What would it take to turn those “chance” connections into a mentoring relationship, with you as either mentor or mentee?
- List some life experiences, talents, strengths and gifts you have.
- How could you use them to encourage another woman through what God has done in your life?
- Pray and ask God how He wants to use you this year to learn from another woman and to pour into another woman.
- Be faithful to what ever He tells you!
I pray this is beneficial and encouraging to you on this topic of mentoring, no matter your age!
Banner photo by Picsea on Unsplash
Our daughter Amanda lives in Kentucky and is care taker at a youth camp. She works so hard taking care of hundreds of campers and does so with an “I can take care of that” attitude. This is also how she is taking care of her “tribe” right now as well. You can see another post she put on FaceBook that I blogged on here: Prepared and Pursing. Her camp experiences are fodder for this blog!! Thanks, Amanda!
