Hi there! I’m Shelley.
Thanks for clicking over!
Like you, my children are my highest priority.
Let’s pretend for a moment that you want to build a treehouse.
To build a fantastic treehouse, you’re going to need a hammer and some nails. What if all you had to use as a hammer was an ax?
You may be able to get a nail or two into the wood, but it’s not going to be pretty, and everyone involved is likely to get beat-up and bloody!
Mama Duck Parenting is here to put the knowledge, skills, and “parenting equipment” (know-how) into the hands, hearts, and minds of mothers who treasure and cherish their role as Mommy and seek to give their children the best upbringing possible!
We exist to equip the mother who’s favorite name is “Mommy!”
The mom who wants nothing more than to connect meaningfully with her children and provide them with a solid foundation for a successful and fulfilling life.
That is Mama Duck Parenting.
What you’ll find on MDParenting:
- Clear steps to train up your child.
Great kids aren’t born. They’re raised by parents who care deeply about the outcome of their children’s lives. This can range from training your baby how to get a good night’s sleep for proper health, all the way to prepping your teenager to nail his first job interview!
- Powerful and effective steps to connect with your child!
Correction without connection leads to conflict. The ONLY influence you have over your child long term lies within the connection you have with him or her. A meaningful relationship is at the core of every loving, intact, well-bonded family you have ever met.
- Firmly-positive-authoritative (not to be confused with oppressive) discipline methods and strategies that will reinforce all the efforts you put forth into training and connecting!
My discipline philosophy is a proactive one. I firmly believe you can parent in such a way that little discipline is actually necessary. This approach has worked with all four of my children. Both boys AND girls. Sensory sensitive and typical. Compliant and strong-willed!
Additionally, I’ve also seen it work for countless other moms who have put forth the effort and reaped a blessed harvest as a result.
- Support.
Some days are more difficult than others. Life has a lot to it! I will listen to you, hug you, and maybe even cry with you. Then we’ll put our boots on together and formulate a plan for a better tomorrow!
- Dry humor.
I’ve been told I’m funny. I don’t know, maybe it’s true. I think the fact that I don’t realize I am being funny when I am is what cracks people up! Regardless, I do hope you’ll laugh a bit while you’re here!
What you WON’T find on MDParenting:
🙅♀️ Jokes about hiding in the closet with a glass of wine until bedtime.
This type of satire is damaging and is creating a cultural influence that will produce heartbreaking results if it continues. With these types of memes, videos, blog posts, and social media EVERYWHERE, it’s difficult to feel proud or compelled to strive to be a good mom.
🙅♀️ A place to complain.
There are rough days in motherhood. Children are human, and humans are sinful. As such, there will always be challenges, problems, and parenting obstacles to overcome. However, this site is dedicated to equipping you with the skills and tools you need to overcome them, not to run parenting through the mud or hop on some bandwagon of mockery and sarcasm.
🙅♀️ Negativity.
I approach parenting (and life in general) with a can-do attitude. I’ve been through enough difficulty in life to know that optimism is a choice, and by goodness, life is fleeting. So I am going to press on while making the very most of each day because we are not promised more!
Motherhood is a Gift!
The first time I held my oldest child in my arms, I was overwhelmed with humility and gratitude for the enormous task I was given. Likely you felt the same way!
To be entrusted with such a precious gift summoned a massive amount of determination within me. I knew that I didn’t want just to be a mom, I wanted to be an amazing mom!
That’s what I’m all about here, mama friend… giving you all I have to give, so you can be equipped to do this mama thing with excellence, confidence, and gratitude!
Need to know more about my qualifications? Keep reading!
A Bit of Backstory
I have been a stay-at-home (homeschooling) mom for over 13 years, where I have completed much in-depth study, research, and home implementation of child development as it relates to parenting through a Christian Worldview.
The unique skill set you’ll find among my work here at Mama Duck Parenting is that while many professionals are highly knowledgeable and well-educated, the time they have spent doing so has called them away from home. Most are doctors, psychologists, or psychiatrists who have not been at home all day in the trenches of the day-to-day of raising four children.
Mama Duck readers love that I am a balanced blend of both.
I am also an AACC Board Certified Advanced Christian Life Coach with a Specialty in Parenting and Family.
Prior to staying home and making parenting my full-time job, my career experience was in pediatrics.
And many moons ago, my collegiate study was as a Child Psychology major, although I did not complete my degree.
Last but not least, I’m the second youngest of seven siblings. I sang a baby to sleep for the first time when I was six. To say that raising children has been the mantra of my entire life would be no exaggeration.
Truth is, I have a lot of backstory. A lot of childhood pain and turmoil that I could share with you. And while I’m sure it has shaped the way that I parent to some degree, the most significant way it has done so is by giving me a whole lotta experience and a relentless determination to give my children the unbreakable family bond I didn’t have.
I’ve done it and you can too!
Many blessings,
Shelley
Shelley lives in the great state of Georgia, on a mini-farm, with her husband of 17 years, their four beautiful children, and a hodgepodge of animals. When she’s not homeschooling, playing with the kids, coaching another mom, or blogging, she likes snuggling with her hubby, reading a good book, and baking!
