Terry: TEMPER TANTRUMS,

CRYING SPELLS, AND POWER

STRUGGLES, ALL OF THESE ADD

UP TO ONE BIG MOMMYC:

MELTDOWN, ESPECIALLY IF

MOMMY IS STRIECH STRIVING

TO BE THE, QUOTE,"PERFECT

PARENT."

Reporter: AS THE MOTHER

OF THREE BOYS, JEANNIE

CUNNION SAYS SHE WAS

DETERMINED TO BE THE PERFECT

MOM AND HAVE THE PERFECT

KIDS.

BUT HER PERFECT PLAN

UNRAVELED WHEN THE TEMPER

TANTRUMS AND CRYING BECAME

OVERWHELMING.

AND SHE STARTED USING HER

BIG VOICE MORE THAN SHE

WANTED.

JEANNIE SAYS WE ALL NEED TO

BE REMINDED THAT NEITHER WE,

NOR OUR KIDS, ARE PERFECT.

IN "PARENTING THE

WHOLEHEARTED CHILD," JEANNIE

GIVES YOU PRACTICAL IDEAS IN

LEARNING HOW TO PARENT WITH

GRACE.

Terry: PLEASE WELCOME

TO "THE 700 CLUB," JEANNIE

CUNNION.

IT GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Terry: AS THE MOTHER OF

SMALL CHILDREN, EVERYONE WHO

HAS HAD KIDS UNDERSTANDS THE

PULL AND THE TUG AND THE

RESPONSIBILITY AND THE

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS.

YES.

Terry: HOW DID YOU

ORIGINALLY PARENT YOUR

CHILDREN?

HONESTLY, TERRY, MY GOAL

WAS TO BE A PERFECT MOM, TO

RAISE PERFECT KIDS.

I THOUGHT, I HAVE ONE SHOT

AT THIS.

I WANT TO BE PERFECTLY

PATIENT, PERFECTLY LOVING,

AND PERFECTLY KIND.

Terry:PRACTICALLY

PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.

YES.

THAT INTENSITY OF LOVE YOU

HAVE FOR YOUR KIDS AND YOU

WANT TO GIVE THEM SO MUCH.

Terry: AND I THINK

YOU'RE SO AWARE OF YOUR

SHORTCOMINGS, ALL OF US AS

PARENTS ARE, AND YOU SAID, I

DON'T WANT TO BLOW THIS.

YOU GET ONE CHANCE.

IT WAS ACTUALLY YOUR

DAUGHTER, WHO IS ADORABLE,

BY THE WAY, WHO HAD A CLASS

PROJECT THAT KIND OF SHOWED

YOU YOU NEEDED TO MAKE SOME

MY SON WAS FOUR YEARS

OLD, AND THEY DID A CLASS

PROJECT.

AND ON THE FRONT, IT

SAID, "MY FAMILY."

I OPENED IT UP THINKING THIS

IS GOING TO BE SUCH A SWEET

CARD AND WE'LL ALL HUG AND

TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT WE

ARE.

AND I OPENED THE CAR, AND IT

ESSENTIALLY SAID, MY BROTHER

CRIES A LOT, MY MOM SCREAMS

A LOT, AND SHE ALSO

2"TiTáUES LOOKS AT THE(

AND THAT'S THE ENDyOF MY

STORY.

Terry: WOW!

WHAT DID YOU FEEL AFTER ALL

YOU WERE INVESTING?

I THOUGHT, THAT'S NOT MY

CHILD.

I'M TRYING SO HARD TO GET IT

RIGHT, THAT CAN'T BE MY

CHILD'S STORY.

AND GOD USED THAT CARD TO

OPEN UP MY EYES TO THE FACT

THAT PERFECTION HAD BECOME

ANIDOL IN MY EYES.

AND IT HADSTOLEN THE JOY

AND THE ADVENTURE AND THE

WONDER OUT OF MY PARENTING.

Terry: ANYONE, I THINK,

WOULD SEE RELIANCE AS A

POSITIVE THING.

WE TRY TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN

TO BECOME SELF-RELENIENT,

BU RELIANT.

BUT THENTO BEEEDS

UNDERSTANDING.I IMMEDIATELY THINK OF

THEVERSE IN CORINTHIANS,

WHERE GOD SAYS, "MY GRACE IS

SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, AND MY

POWERIS MADE PERFECT IN

YOUR WEAKNESS.

MY GRA GRACE IS ALL YOU

NEED."

THE WORLD TELLSUS TO BE

SELF-RELIANT.

AND GRACE REMINDS ME IT IS

NOT ALL UP TOME, AND THAT

GRACE COVERS MY MISTAKES AS

A MOM.

Terry: BUT THERE HAD TO

BE, ALSO, A SURRENDERING OF

SOME THINGS THAT HAD BECOME

TRAITS IN THE MIDST OF JUST

THE PANDEMONIUM OF

PARENTING.

THERE WAS YELLING GOING ON

IN YOUR HOUSE.

HOW DID GOD BEGIN TO WORK IN

YOUR HEART TOCHANGE

BEHAVIOR PATTERNS?

HESHOWED ME HOW I HAD

SPENT SO MUCH TIMETEACHING

MY CHILDREN ABOUT WHAT THEY

AND I SPENT SO LITTLE TIME

TEACHINGJESUS HAD

ALREADY DONE FORTHEM.

ANDAN IMPORTANT PART OF

RAISINGCHILDREN, IS RAISING

CHILDREN IN THEFREEDOM.

IN ORDER TODO THAT, WE

FIRST, AS PARENTS, HAVE TO

ACCEPT THAT GRACE.

WE CAN'T GIVE WHAT WE

HAVEN'T RECEIVED.

SO GOD BEGAN TO OPEN MY EYES

TO HIS GRACE,(%áejTJT)URJá LOVE FOR ME.

Terry: FOR YOU, NOT AS

A MOM.

YES.

I WASIN THE EARLY DAYS OF

PARENTHOOD, IN THE TRENCHES,

AND IT IS EXHAUSTING AND

CHAOTIC.

AND GOD OPENED MYEYES TO

HIS LOVE FOR ME.

IN MYWORST MOMMY MOMENTS

ANDIN MY BEST MOMMY

MOMENTS, HE HELPED ME ACCEPT

THE FACT THAT HIS LOVE FOR

ME NEVER WAIVERS.

Terry: WHAT ARE SOME

PRACTICAL WAYS YOU WERE ABLE

TO TAKE THATTRUTH THAT GOD

WASTEACHING YOU AND APPLY

IT TO YOUR PARENTING.

I THINK IT IS THE DAILY

SURRENDERING OF GOD'S LOVE

TO ME.

AND FOR RAISING A

WHOLEHEARTED CHILD, YOU NEED

TO NURTURE THEIR LOVE FOR

CHRIST, AND THAT GODIS NOT

ONLY THEIR PERFECT, LOVING

FATHER, BUT HE ISALSO THEIR

VERY BEST FRIEND.

ANDNURTURING THAT IN THEIR

HEARTS.

AND TEACHING THEM ABOUT

GOD'S LOVE FOR THEMIN THEIR

BEST AND WORST MOMENTS.

I THINK THERE IS A FREEDOM

FROM HAVING TO PERFORM FOR

ONE ANOTHER.

FROM HAVING TO PRETEND WE'RE

PERFECT.

WHEN WE REMEMBER THAT GOD'S

LOVE FOR US NEVER WAIVERS.

Terry: THE WHOLE POINT

OF FORGIVENESS, SUCH A HUGE

ISSUE.

AS YOU SHARED ALL OF THIS

WITH YOUR CHILDREN, HOW DID

ITCHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR?

I THINK FORGIVENESS IS

ONE OFTHE MOST WONDERFUL

THINGS THAT HAS HAPPENED IN

OUR FAMILY.

WEENJOYING THE GIFT

THAT GOD GIVESUS IN CHRIST,

THROUGH FORGIVENESS.

I USED TO THINK THAT MY

PRIMARY ROLE OF A PARENT WAS

TOBE A PERFECT EXAMPLE FOR

MY KIDS TO FOLLOW.

AND WHAT THE LORD IS HELPING

ME UNDERSTAND ON A DAILY

BASIS IS THAT ACTUALLY MY

ROLE AS AIS TO POINT

THEM TO GOD, THEIR HEAVENLY

FATHER, THEIR ONLY PERFECT

PARENT.

MY JOB IS TO LET THEM SEE MY

IMPERFECTION, MY NEED FOR

CHRIST, AND MY TRUST IN HIS

GRACE.

I HAVE SEEN THAT INFLUENCE

THEM.

THEY ARE BOYS, THEY ARE

PHYSICAL.

THEY ARE HUMAN.

AND THEY GET IT WRONG, JUST

AS I GET ITWRONG.

YET WHATWE HAVE EXPERIENCED

IN OUR FAMILY IS THE ABILITY

TO ENJOY FORGIVENESS.

WHEN THEY SEE ME SAY, GUYS,

I'M SORRY.

MOMMY IS NOT THE MOM SHE

WANTS TO BE TODAY.

AND THEYSHOWS THEM ALTHOUGH

THEY MAKE MISTAKES, THEY CAN

SAY TO EACH OTHER, I'M SORRY

I JUST HIT YOU.

I SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT.

WILL YOU FORGIVE ME?

Terry: AND TO

UNDERSTAND THAT GOD RECEIVES

US TO HIMSELF AND GIVES US

BRAND NEW BEGINNINGS DAY

AFTER DAY AFTER DAY.

IT IS A WONDERFUL BOOK.

IF YOU'RE IN THE MIDST OF

PARENTING OR GRANDPARENTING,

IT IS A WONDERFUL BOOK TO

READ.

JEANNIE'S BOOK IS CALLED

"PARENTING THE WHOLEHEARTED

CHILD."

IT IS AN ENCOURAGING MESSAGE

FOR PARENTS.