Raising children can be frustrating - terribly frustrating. Often we feel the need to unburden our frustrations on others. "Can you believe they said that?!" or, " Who do they think they are?" or, "You wouldn't believe what I'm going through," and on and on. But we rarely stop to think about the degree to which our actions are responsible for their actions. We don't have to look very far to realize that many of the struggles we see in our children's lives are there as a result of our unwillingness to sacrifice for them. Or more specifically that there's a particular level of sacrifice that we've deemed a road too far. This begs the question - just how far are you willing to go?

I'm not sure that you would characterize this generation as aimless. It's just that so many of our aims are wrong. Mainly, the one that directs us to serve ourselves exclusively. That's not why we're here. Nor is it why your family is here, together, at this particular time. You and your family have a mission - you just might not know it yet. But that mission needs to be discovered and it needs to be communicated to your children so they can take part. The truth is, children actually like work as long as they can sense the purpose in it. And there's no more purposeful work than the work you engage in, together, for the benefit of others.

Links mentioned in this episode:

⁠The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner ⁠

⁠Chalk Full of Design⁠ - Handcrafted, Educational chalkboards for children! Enjoy screen free learning!

This episode is dedicated to mothers and the inestimably valuable sacrifices they make on behalf of their families. We cannot thank you enough for all that you do.

Isn't it strange how things of little to no importance have a way of crowding out the truly important? Take for instance the inordinate amount of time we spend bickering with other people or fretting about the future or worse - engaging in both of these activities on social media. All the while life - beautiful, real, soul reviving life - is going on around us. But what if we don't have eyes to see it? What if we're so engrossed in the things we see while we're looking down we've lost the ability to look up? May it not be so with us parents, for of all people, when it comes to beauty, we have the most to lose.

Mentioned In This Podcast:

⁠The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner ⁠

⁠Character Badges ⁠ - Character and Habit program for children ages 3-13

⁠Chalk Full of Design⁠ - Handcrafted, Educational chalkboards for children! Enjoy screen free learning!

Over the course of our parenting journey it is certain that we will make mistakes along the way. Regret is waiting to greet us as we make our way to the finish line and he's there to collect a debt. Our job to make sure that we owe him as little as possible. How do we do this? By learning from our mistakes and perceiving the true value of our short time with our children. In this way, though our mistakes be many, our regrets will be few. Then we'll recognize that this process of refinement, this process of stumbling and course correcting, is what enabled us to reach our destination.

Yelling is a quick fix with a short shelf-life. What’s worse, it rarely reaches the heart of our children for good. In this episode we'll look at the signs that might indicate you yell too much as well as the reasons why parents feel compelled to yell. We'll also discuss some of the damaging effects it can have on our relationship with our children.

Christian parents are quite familiar with Ephesians 6:1 - 2, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise;" We may have trotted this verse out in moments of disobedience or when we felt our children were being disrespectful. Of course, as it applies to our children the second verse is true, no matter the circumstances. The Lord expects them to honor us as their parents. But applied to us? The question should undoubtably be raised - are we the sort of parents that deserve this honor? While it's true that these verses present our children with an important commandment, (arguably the most important of their years at home) it's also true that we, as their parents, can represent the greatest obstacle to their keeping it. May that not be the case. May we endeavor to deserve the honor and respect that the Lord says is our due.

We live in a day where our children, and everything they represent, is under constant threat. The time is long past for us as parents to become clear eyed with respect to these threats and to fight, every single day, on our children's behalf. It's a fight that requires sacrifice, perhaps for some even the ultimate sacrifice, but how could we give our children anything less?