First-time mothers usually stock up on pregnancy books and read whatever they can to prepare for childbirth, but reality star Jessa Duggar Seewald from the cancelled show "19 Kids and Counting" does not need to do so because she has tons of people who can help her out.
"I haven't been reading a whole lot of parenting books, but I definitely have been studying the matter a whole lot," she said in the Duggar Family Blog. "I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful women and mothers, and I often find myself asking questions and taking note of things I respect about the way they parent."
Aside from her sister Jill, who is also a certified midwife, Jessa has been getting help from her good friend Sierra, who already has four children on her own and another one on the way. Jessa actually looks up to Sierra as far as being a great mother is concerned.
"I have noticed in one close friend, Sierra, how she is always looking for teachable moments. She is purposeful in her parenting and is never too busy to stop what she's doing and take a moment to calmly address a situation. When one of her kids acts up, she doesn't merely correct the outward action, but she goes directly to the wrong heart attitude," shared Jessa.
Instead of reprimanding her child and instructing her children what to do, Sierra addresses the situation with an "inward attitude of an unkind and selfish heart."
"She calls the misbehaving child aside, and they have a little hear-to-heart talk right then and there," Jessa said. "Instead of just saying 'Don't yell at your brother!' she addresses the inward attitude of an angry heart. She's taught her children the Scriptures from a young age, so it's not uncommon to hear 'What does the Bible say?'and her little two or three-year-old reciting, 'Be kind to one another' (Ephesians 4:32) or 'A soft answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger' (Proverbs 15:1)."
Both Jessa and her husband Ben want their first born child, already nicknamed Quincy to grow up into a God-loving person, so Jessa is happy to have family members and friends who are good role models as far as parenting is concerned.
Ben and Jessa still insist on keeping their baby's gender a secret, and it will be revealed once Jessa gives birth this November.
