What do you do when your child falls into sin? Erica Campbell’s mom ‘Ms. Honey’ knows
Article By Stephanie Newman // EEW Magazine Parenting
Every Christian parent hopes their children will follow in the footsteps of Jesus and adhere to biblically sound teaching. But what do you do when your child falls into sin?
Well, Thomasina Atkins, biological mother of GRAMMY® Award-winning sister duo, Mary Mary, is giving us a wonderful example of how to handle our children’s slipups with grace, love and tenderness.
In a recent sit down with the Oprah Winfrey Network, Erica Campbell shared how her mom, affectionately known as “Ms. Honey,” discovered Erica’s premarital sex life, but didn’t shame her.
“I wish I could say when I got married I abstained and everything was great, and I had never had sex,” admitted the host of the nationally syndicated radio program, Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell.
But things didn’t go that way.
Erica, 46, got tied up in a sexual relationship outside the confines of marriage in her youth and a friend outed her. “I’m just so scared. I don’t want Erica to get pregnant. I don’t want her to have a disease,” the unnamed friend is quoted as saying to Ms. Honey, essentially ratting Erica out.
After hearing that, Ms. Honey confronted Erica with the information. “She said, ‘Tell me it’s not true baby,’” Erica recalled.
Unfortunately, it was true.
Erica confessed to the allegations.
“I remember that conversation I had in the car with you and I remember that you didn’t make me feel judged,” an emotional Erica said, while strolling down memory lane. “I just knew I was going to feel some sense of shame from you and I never, ever did, and that made me want to follow what you taught me even more."
Ms. Honey chose compassion instead of judgment paving the way for a stronger relationship with her daughter.
Erica added, “When I realized how much you loved me, I wanted to give that love back to you by following your rules.”
It appears that Ms. Honey’s name isn’t the only thing that’s sweet. She knows something all moms would do well to learn: kindness and compassion are far better than harshness and criticism.
As Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”