#LightTheWorld Podcast: We Are Mothers Who Know

LISTEN HERE to our #LightTheWorld Podcast: “We Are Mothers Who Know”

“Am I the only one who feels worn down by the Adversary’s attacks on my family? Between my kids’ struggles and my own frequent feelings of discouragement, I fear I am failing as a mother. Is there someone I can talk to who can help heal my broken heart?”

In this podcast Karen Broadhead, founder of  Life Changing Services’ parent support group, Mothers Who Know, interviews 12 women who have experienced healing through the Atonement of Jesus Christ after various trials and heartaches. They describe the peace and power that come from sharing burdens within a supportive community for “Blessed are they that mourn.” Matthew 5:4

Led by Karen Broadhead, Mothers Who Know began as a support group for women who had a son or daughter battling pornography addiction. Mothers Who Know has now grown into a free online training program for women in all stages and situations who desire to stand strong in the opposition of our day.

Karen Broadhead is a certified Life Changing Services Life Coach, has taught hundreds of students as an Eternal Warriors Mentor with Life Changing Services, and has over 400 hours of class recordings available for free download on the Mothers Who Know blog.

Our mission at Life Changing Services is to provide training and healing for the WHOLE FAMILY when a family member needs instruction to overcome sexual misbehavior. We provide impactful therapeutic programs for LDS men, women, young men and young women and FREE SUPPORT programs for their family members such as Mothers Who Know. Please email us (generaloffice@lifechangingservices.org) or call 1-877-HERO-877 for more information.

A Mother's Hope: Fighting Pre-Mission Porn Addiction

Courtesy of LDS Missionaries

On a recent trip to the temple, a newly called missionary and his parents sat a few rows ahead of me in the chapel. The young man slid over so his parents could sit next to each other and then waited reverently for the session to begin. As I sat by myself in an otherwise empty pew, I was surprised by the picture that came to my mind. My son would someday sit in that temple next to me. My son. The one who is addicted to pornography.

My son is a warrior so I must be a warrior’s mother. I am a Warrior Mother.


What, you might ask, is a Warrior Mother? She’s a mother like YOU, who loves her family, loves the Lord, and is seeking guidance for a child who is facing tremendous challenges. She is a mother who fights for her family.
Have you ever wondered if your son is battling an addiction to pornography and/or sexual compulsions? This is a scary thought and a very lonely one. You are worried that your son may have his mission delayed, or worse yet, be unable to serve a mission entirely. Looking a few years ahead, you—ten times more than his father or your bishop— know how much pain it will cause your son’s wife if he doesn’t overpower this addiction before he is married.  Most of all, your heart aches for HIM.

What did you do wrong? NOTHING. What is wrong with your son? NOTHING!

Instead, think of it this way. Your son has been correctly identified by the adversary as a “noble and great one,” a future leader in the Kingdom of God. A battle with pornography is a sign of how big an army Satan is sending to thwart the Plan of Salvation in the last days. Why is he attacking your son? Because he is afraid of your son’s potential for good. Your son is a WARRIOR who is facing the battle of his life! YOU, his dear mother, are a Warrior Mother, a “Mother Who Knows.” You have taught your son about the redeeming love and mercy of Jesus Christ. All you want to know now is, “What can I do to help my son?”

Please know you are not alone. You are not the only mother who is worried, your son (or daughter) is not the only one struggling. I invite you to learn how you and your child can fight back…and win.

My son is enrolled in an online Sons of Helaman program through Life Changing Services. This service has been an answer to my prayers. My son’s heart is changing as he has learned tools and techniques that train him to fight back against temptation “as if with the strength of God” (Alma 56:56).

Picturing my son in the temple was surprising not because I could picture him there, but because in picturing him there, I wasn’t surprised.

There is hope. If you are looking for help for your son or daughter and don’t know what to do, start with one of the ten things I have been doing with my son. Perhaps you will find hope and healing through the programs offered by Life Changing Services just like we did.

Yours in the Fight,
A Warrior Mom

 

Hope & Healing: Lisa's Story

When I found out that my son was struggling with an addiction to masturbation and pornography, I was devastated. I felt desperate to get it fixed right away. I felt like a terrible mother. About the same time we had an older son choose to turn his back on our beliefs and live his life exactly opposite in every way from what he had been taught his whole life. I must have done something wrong to have 2 sons in trouble.


I was so desperate for our son to get fixed that I would sit up at night with him so he wouldn’t "lose". I would sit in with him on his individual counseling sessions. I was afraid that if I disciplined him in any way he would get angry, act out and lose and it would be my fault. I was just plain afraid. I was a good mom and I would prove it by being there and healing my son. I was a wreck. This went on for about 3 years. When we enrolled our son in Sons of Helaman, I still felt very desperate to be a part of my son getting better and held on to my former habits. I would also call the clinician and question him about my son’s fighting methods or about his progress.


After my son had been in the program about a year, I began attending the Warrior Mothers Who Know classes. There I gained some valuable insights. I learned that this was my son’s battle because Satan feared him. I learned that I was getting in the way of his healing and my own healing. This was very important for me to understand. I learned that right now does not define eternity. I learned that when I felt afraid that I should express confidence in his ability to be a man and overcome, rather than express my worry for him and baby him. I learned that I needed to cheer him on from the sidelines rather than be in the fight with him. I learned to encourage rather than worry. I learned to give him opportunities to brag or show his increasing confidence. I learned that my husband needed to be involved in the battle alongside my son. I learned that Satan wanted to make me cry and be afraid and weaken my family. When I learned that, things changed for me. I was not going to be made to cry.


Satan would not destroy my family. I would do what it took to become strong and to strengthen my family. I have come to know that if I want warriors for sons, I must be a warrior’s mother. I need to be strong. I must teach my children to rely upon God and the Holy Ghost for guidance and to put the atonement into practice each day. I must also rely upon God and my children must witness my reliance. I have come to know that though the battle may be difficult, God has promised a way to overcome. There are times that I feel worried or afraid. I have learned that I can share those with my husband or a trusted girlfriend. That helps me work it through so I can treat my son like a man.


I am so grateful for all of the things that I have learned and continue to learn. I am grateful for the things my son has learned and for the warrior he has become. It took about 18 months for my son to graduate. On Mother’s Day this year, he will have been clean for a full year. I can honestly say that even though this has been a most difficult challenge, I would do it all again to have the results that have come from it.


There is hope. There is recovery. There is relief from the pain. Heavenly Father loves my son and he loves me. He knows me personally. He knows how hard this is. He also knows that when we go through hard things, we will become better, if we allow it to happen. I have learned that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior. He understands my pain and he knows how to comfort.
-Lisa P.