As our children grow up, they may start to handle some things themselves. This could be chores, getting up on time, or saving up their allowance or earned money whenever they want a new toy.

This is a natural part of getting older, but as a parent, it can be difficult to navigate when to step in and when is it healthy to let your child fail. There are going to be times when “helping” is actually preventing our children from developing their independence and sense of responsibility. We’ve been going through this with our own son lately so this conversation hit home as we are asking ourselves if we were actually helping our son or if we are feeding an entitled spirit.

And this topic of entitlement can pop up in all kinds of areas such as how much to buy for our kids, how much we expect them to help out around the house, or even when it comes to birthdays and Christmas gifts.

Today’s guest, Kristen Welch, has wrestled through these questions in her own home. She is the author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World and the founder and CEO of Mercy House Global, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower marginalized communities with life-changing opportunities that create hope.

In this episode, Kristen shares :

• The connection between gratitude and happiness
• How to identify entitlement
• The danger of instant gratification
• And much more!

We hope you enjoy this conversation!

Show Notes: growinghometogether.com/kristen-welch-102

A number of years ago during one of our Michigan winters, our kids had a snow day off of school. What should have been a fun memory for our daughter became really scary since she suffered a sledding accident that put her in the hospital. She went through surgery and weeks at home in a wheelchair. To make matters worse, when she finally returned to school she was pushed out of her friend group by a bully who made the rest of her school year lonely and miserable.

For a time, these things affected her deeply until she healed and regained her strength. Yet for many children, traumatic events go beyond a single, difficult crisis. When kids experience ongoing abuse, neglect, and risk of harm, the effects can last for life. It’s no secret that traumatic events can have a profound impact on our kids’ lives. We all want to serve and love our kids well when they experience pain, and the awareness and understanding of the impact of trauma can make a world of difference.

That’s why we are so glad to welcome our guest, Jayne Schooler. Jayne is the author and co-author of many books including Caring for Kids from Hard Places. She’s an expert in Child Welfare, she’s an adoptive parent, and she has brought trauma-informed training worldwide to help adults care for kids in pain.

In this episode, Jayne shares :

• What trauma is and the different types
• Some of the behaviors children may display after a trauma
• How we can best support our children through the pain
• And much more!

This conversation has been so helpful in understanding how trauma can affect our children!

Show Notes: growinghometogether.com/jayne-schooler-101

This is an exciting podcast for us since it’s our 100th episode! Wow! We are so grateful for every one of our guests who have joined us to encourage us in our faith and in loving our family well. We are also truly grateful for all of you who have tuned in, listened, and supported the ministry of the Growing Home Together podcast.

We have the honor of welcoming some of our favorite people to the show for this very special episode—our oldest son, Josh, with his wife, Cassie, and our oldest daughter, Emma, and her husband, Adonis. They’ve given us some of the greatest gifts of our lives, our grandbabies, and they’re here to help us accomplish three goals:

1. We want to grow our empathy for young couples and parents in this season.
2. We want to learn how to serve as a support system.
3. And we want to gain some ideas for how to connect with our grandchildren as they grow.

Listen in as our family shares their wisdom and perspective on these topics and more. We hope you enjoy this special conversation! It was so fun!

Show Notes: growinghometogether.com/teigen-family-100