(An excerpt from Karen Broadhead’s book, Momma Trauma. Order ebook HERE)

Hello fellow parent! I am Karen Broadhead, a warrior for Jesus Christ and a Mother Who Knows.

If you are feeling like you are in a mess, I say with confidence…you are not alone, there are thousands of other parents who can relate to the pain you are feeling and are searching for healing for their child too.

After ten years of experience with parents, and under the tutelage of Maurice Harker, I hope to share some vital things I have learned over the years to be of consistent value to parents, especially to mothers.

The true teachers

I desire to give all the credit to the Lord. He is the best tutor and mentor.

Anything I say or do which speaks truth or inspires is because He is the author of it. I truly am a flawed person seeking to do amazing things in a very broken way because heaven is helping me (and all of us).

I have come to learn the Holy Ghost is truly our teacher. As we learn to listen with the Spirit, we can discern those things that will be right for OUR family and OUR situation, unique to each of us.

Our stories may all be a little different, but we can definitely learn from each other and we will find our stories really are the same in many ways—we are all fighting the same enemy and we all seek to win with the Lord’s help.

There is so much to learn and understand when you discover complicated issues in your family. It is easy to feel like you just don’t know what you are doing.

As parents in a panic to find resources and recovery for our child, we rarely consider we also have a need for recovery from the trauma caused by the situation and the many wounds we sustain as our loved ones fight their battles to win.

The mission of Mothers Who Know

Mothers Who Know was started with the goal to bring mothers/parents out of the darkness of despair and fear and into the light of hope. We facilitate a weekly online group, Warrior Mothers Who Know, where mothers across the country can join in support of each other, as well as come to learn tools and principles to best support their son or daughter.

These groups provide free education in a webinar classroom format to empower you to stand strong against the opposition of our day.

We shine light on the tactics used by the adversary to discourage women and threaten families. (Note: Mothers Who Know is open to everyone. You do not need to have a child in one of our Life Changing Services programs to participate.)

Our mission in Mothers Who Know is to encourage all to find the strength they need through the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We specialize in supporting mothers whose son or daughter has therapeutic needs due to being caught in the trap of addiction or other difficult challenges of our day.

Only one enemy

Satan knows how dangerous women standing in the truth of their divine identity and purpose are; he will do all in his power to confuse us.

He knows he can’t take us out; we are far too strong for that. But he can make us cry, doubt, fear or lose our confidence. He can take away our voice and courage, until we are numb and confused. 

Satan knows he can more easily accomplish his destructive mission of misery if good women are asleep with their eyes open (meaning, you may look awake and present, but on the inside, you are full of turmoil, numbness, pain, confusion, hurt and betrayal).

Often, we are convinced that staying in isolation is the only way to handle our pain and maintain sanity. We are going through the motions, but have a loss of hope, drive or spirituality. Those who are isolated and stay in the dark get very sick and wounded in the war.

Two empowering things

Two empowering things happened for my son when he got involved in Sons of Helaman.

First, he came out of isolation and realized he was not the only good person struggling.

Second, he could see and feel increased light and hope in his battle. 

He could see evidence the training worked as he applied it for himself. He also watched and gained strength from others who had gone before him. He noticed their successes as they were applying their training. Simply put, my son needed support and training. 

My son needed a place where he was focused on the war he was fighting and where he could realize he has a real enemy determined to destroy his dreams and hopes for the future. He needed to know he was not in this fight alone. Others were winning…and with training and discipline, SO COULD HE. 

Most importantly, he needed to take all the shame he had built up over years of losing battles and defining himself falsely because of it, and focus all this shame and anger on the real enemy.

There was great power when my son could stop fighting with himself, thinking he was his own worst enemy, and start protecting himself at many levels…spiritually, physically and emotionally from the real enemy. 

Parents need to learn to do the same.  For more information and tools specific to mothers, read Momma Trauma, by Karen Broadhead.