Introduction

As a Christian mother, do you sometimes feel you could use a little encouragement? Do you sometimes wish you could sit down over a cup of tea with an older Christian woman who has lots of experience raising children and running a household, have your questions answered, and maybe pick up a few tips?

I'm Helen. (That's me in the picture, holding my sixth grandchild, Kelsey, born in February, 2005.) For nine years (1995 through 2003) I wrote The Mother's Companion to encourage Christian women in the art of mothering.

In The Mother's Companion I shared what I had learned of the art of mothering. I also invited other women to share their ideas, experiences, and wisdom. The setting for our thoughts was a potpourri of encouraging snippets: poems, timeless advice from past generations, simple recipes, time- and money-saving tips, and much more. The wisdom and encouragement The Mother's Companion has to offer continues to be made available today through this web site.

Titus 2:3-5 says: "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior... teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored." These verses imply that being a good mother isn't something which just happens automatically--it must be learned. In fact, godly mothering is an art, not an instinct. Like any art it cannot be reduced to one or two simple principles. It is a composite of theory and practice; a living skill which is acquired a little every day by observation, study, and experience.

God intended women to be instructed and encouraged by other Christian women in the high calling of mothering. He intended that we should receive affirmation and correction from those who have preceded us as we seek to master this God-ordained art.

Unfortunately, the art of mothering is being lost today. Due to the persistent belittling of motherhood by our culture, the loss of the close extended family, and the "me" generation's general disregard for the accumulated wisdom from the past, much of the art of mothering has failed to be transmitted to the present generation. This failure has had tragic consequences in many modern families. Sadly, Christian families have not been exempt.

That's why I wrote The Mother's Companion. I know I've benefited greatly from the godly advice and encouragement of older Christian women in my many years of mothering. In the pages of The Mother's Companion I pass on to you what I've learned and found to be beneficial and encouraging.