Mom To Mom Podcast

Our husbands have volunteered to be in the hot seat and we’ll be turning the mics over to them to give us all a peek at what it means to be a husband and father with intention and hopefully help us all as moms know how best to love, support, and partner with them in helpful ways. This is obviously the Mom to  Mom Podcast, so the episode is for you. But, if you’re married,  we’d encourage you to grab your spouse and listen together.

The term helicopter parent was derived from some parents' literal and continuous hovering over their children's every move. It is a fitting term for moms and dads who choose to oversee every detail of their children's lives. Even when kids are more than capable of doing things independently, helicopter parents can't help but swoop in and take matters into their own hands. In today’s episode, we are sifting through the pros and cons of micro-managing and parenting our children and the difference between being a protective parent or having a child-centered home.

Feelings of discontent sometimes feel unavoidable in this digital age, because unlike in the previous generations when the temptation to compare only came from face-to-face interaction or the occasional hand-written note in the mail, we have the blessing and burden of peering into the lives of others all the livelong day. Today, we want to flip the narrative. Instead of focusing on what we lack, let’s start focusing on what we offer--what makes us unique--what makes us awesome. If that phrase makes you squirm a bit, that’s understandable. We’re all so used to feeling down about ourselves that it can feel slightly uncomfortable acknowledging the good that God is working in us. Today we welcome Dr. Kathy Koch, founder of Celebrate Kids based in Fort Worth, Texas, popular national convention speaker, and author of several great books including 8 Great Smarts: Discover and Nurture Your Child’s Intelligences.

We know that motherhood makes high demands. Yet we know it’s worth it. Some days we may feel like no one sees us or wonder if our daily investments are even making a difference. Because let’s be honest; motherhood is not glamorous. Days and weeks can go by without an ounce of appreciation, without any special moments, without any “it’s all worth it!” epiphanies. Maybe you feel like some sort of defective woman who is selfish and like a fraud because you are feeling the weight and perhaps the disappointment of motherhood not being all that you expected it to be.

As moms, we are always on the lookout for ideas and shortcuts, tips, and tricks to make life easier. Today, we're sharing lots of fun and practical tips we think will help you and hopefully, make life a little bit easier for you. We have gathered loads of ideas, categories, some helpful links, and much more to inspire you.

Teaching our kids hospitality or generous living flows from our everyday lives and not just the singular stress-filled moments of hosting company or entertaining guests. It begins in the heart and how and what we think of others--how we view our own possessions and our actions. The only art to hospitality and generous living we can teach our children is the act of selfless giving and a posture of humility with what we have been given.

Raising children who love to learn is a goal of just about every parent but not every parent believes they have the tools to do it properly. But, by learning how to identify your child’s innate smarts, parents will have a unique advantage and a leg up on helping their kids recognize that they really are smart, no matter what the circumstances say. How children view themselves is so important! And as parents, we can help them view themselves correctly.

On the one hand, we want our kids to know what is going on in the world in order to process history in the making through a Biblical lens, on the other hand, we want to protect them from being crushed by it all. How do we prepare them today to be the leaders of tomorrow without overwhelming them with all devastation, corruption, and sorrow? Well, today, we’re going to be talking about age-appropriate ways to navigate current events with our kids.

September has arrived and school has begun all around the country. Kids are back in school and whether you homeschool or send your kids to public or private school, you’ve likely run into some issues in the morning or evening dealing with attitudes and habits that may have developed over the summer months. How do you get back into the rhythm of the school year without losing your cool and keeping your sanity at the same time?

Kids will fight. It’s simply the way of the world. But we can’t simply chalk it up to selfishness or “that’s just how kids are” and hope they grow out of it. Selfishness is something every single one of us battles. We each have to learn self-control and to put others' needs first. There are practical things parents can do to stop the squabbling and fighting, the yelling and constant bickering.

Our new normal after Covid 19 looks different and brings with it a new wave of disappointments, not just for us, but for our kids. But what if instead of looking at all these setbacks and frustrations as something to “slog through,” what if we as moms could see them as an opportunity to help our kids learn to walk well through disappointments. How would that change the landscape of our homes moving forward--regardless of how long this Covid craziness lasts? So today, we’d love for you to pull up a chair as we chat about how to help our kids walk through disappointment.

Every mom feels unprepared for motherhood at some point or another. This is especially true for the one who is mothering a child with special needs. She faces unique circumstances every day that often set her far apart from her friends' schedules, lives, and experiences. She's often lonely, exhausted, and full of fear. Mothering a different-by-design kid is an experience no one can feel prepared for. Today, we welcome Lisa Jacobson, a woman whose mothering story has changed the lives of thousands of moms who like her have raised a special child.

The statistics are slow in coming, but according to November 2020 findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between April and October 2020, hospital emergency departments saw an increase in the total number of visits that were from kids for mental health needs. And while that is true and terribly tragic, statistics also show that anxiety,  depression, and thoughts of suicide were already on the rise even before this global pandemic. One report from the ADAA (Anxiety & Depression Association of America) states that 1 in 20 kids struggle with mental health disorders each year. Today we hope to offer you some help. Our guest today is Crystal Paine. She’s the founder of MoneySavingMom.com, host of “The Crystal Paine Show” podcast, New York Times bestselling author of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, and author of Money-Making Mom. She’s just released a new book, Love-Centered Parenting that is quite a departure from her normal offerings. But she’s opening up about a very vulnerable piece

There is something deeply satisfying about planting seeds down in the soil and watching and waiting and seeing them spring up in God’s perfect timing and producing beautiful flowers and perfect vegetables every summer.  We're well aware that it takes time for things to grow and it takes time to learn the exact right moment to harvest. It takes time and maturity and patience. We know that to become excellent at anything takes years of practice and study.

It seems like 21st-century moms are spending way more time and energy on parenting and yet the quality of that time and energy is quite low. We’re there, but we’re not present. We’re giving partial attention all-the-live-long-day. We might always be present physically which in some ways inhibits our kids' growth towards autonomy, but can be rarely present emotionally or socially which inhibits their emotional and cognitive growth.

In this candid, Q&A-style episode, we're peeling back the curtain to give you a glimpse of our normal lives. We're recapping the last decade of our mothering, sharing some of our secrets for staying sane during a global pandemic, and discussing our own personal goals for the rest of the year.

Discipline, when given in love and covered in grace and truth, should lead to repentance, restoration, and right living. But for so many of us, disciplining our kids seems like a never-ending cycle of annoyance, frustration, and even anger. In fact, we don’t even like the word discipline.

"When we make Jesus our priority, we release to Him the burden of responsibility for our children’s future.” This quote from a seasonal Pray the Word Journal from Million Praying Moms surely conveys the exact message we hope to discuss and share with you in today’s episode as we chat with Brooke McGlothlin about how we can pray specifically for our children.

While some days of mothering and home keeping are really difficult and while it would obviously be easier to settle into the current status quo than to learn and grow in our role as moms. The fact of the matter is, if we aim for low, that’s the target we’ll hit. Instead, our guest today, Leslie Nunnery, would like to challenge us all to raise the bar and find value in the work God has given us to do.

The statistics of mom overwhelm are both staggering and heartbreaking. Our guest today, Hannah Keeley, says that most moms suffer from what she calls Mom Fog, or more aptly put Mom Fatigue Syndrome and that our feelings of helplessness are often the result of changes that occur after childbirth.