One Parent to Another

There comes a time for all of us parents when we realize that our kids are growing up. If you are anything like me, that realization hit you upside the head when you were least prepared for it. One day you have this sweet little chubby cheeked angel with a kool-aid smile and sticky fingers. Then the next day you have this gangling, moody, prickly teenager. You begin to wonder where the pod could be, and what could have happened to your little angel. For surely this is not the same child.

It is at times like this when every parent needs backup!

I have been blessed with a few wonderful friends who help me when the going gets rough. They are women here at HCC who have taken the risk to be real with me. They have shared openly their experiences, struggles, and mistakes without caring about how they may come off in the story. They have reassured me that “this too shall pass”. They have prayed and laughed with me. They showed me I was not alone.

I pray that as parents of EDGE kids we will come together in unity and support not only for the kids and the ministry, but for each other too. Please join me in that prayer and take the risk to be real.


Carol Ann Utrup
a.k.a. Maddie’s Mom