Are you parenting in the same way God parents you? This is one of the big questions Amanda Carrara asks in this episode. As a mother, writer, and parenting coach, she shares valuable knowledge and wisdom about how to create connection in your home by looking at parenting from a new perspective. 

 

Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation

 

Key Takeaways

 

• When your children successfully launch from your house, what characteristics do you want them to have? 
• Being a parent is an invitation to lean into a relationship with your Heavenly Father.
• You keep yourself from experiencing the joys of parenthood when you deny negative emotions such as frustration. 
• The #1 hidden parenting tool is to pause and acknowledge your child’s experiences. 
• Do you have margin in your life for sacred interruptions?

  Amanda Carrara

 

Amanda Carrara is a speaker, writer, and parenting coach passionate about helping others experience a parenting revival. Amanda and her husband have three children and live in Mahtomedi, Minnesota.

  Key Quotes

 

• 8:29 - "I always say that parenting begins within us. So I think about the scripture from 1 John 4 that we love because He first loved us. And so as a parent we actually don't have the capacity to show up for our kids the way that we really want the desire that we have until we've received that from the Father. And so being a parent is actually a gift and an invitation to lean in your relationship with your Heavenly Father. And so it's all of that outpouring of receiving from Him that we can give to our kids."
• 12:58 - "There is so much power in the pause. Your tool is noticing your child's experience."

  Links From Today's Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation 
• Revival Parenting Website
• How to start Revival Parenting

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Learn about our FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS events in 2023: https://f4f.bike/
• Follow @dadawesome on Instagram
• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME (tax-deductible)
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

 

In the second part of this conversation, Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield leans into the practical actions fathers can take to connect with their daughters. She analyzes how to make 1-on-1s more effective and breaks down three of the most important skills you can implement starting today.    Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation

 

Key Takeaways

 

• If your daughter is pushing you away or is estranged, put your love in writing. 
• Soften your tone by starting questions with the words, “I’m wondering…”. 
• Fight for your daughter by proactively putting positive, handwritten messages on her mirror. 
• Your anger has more destructive power than you’ll ever know. 

  Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield

 

Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield has dedicated the last 13 years to empowering fathers to turn their hearts toward their daughters. In addition to writing two books for dads of daughters, she is the founder of The Abba Project and has hosted The Dad Whisperer Podcast since 2016.

  Key Quotes

 

• 07:12 - "The power of your written word on her mirror, on the sticky note, or even just writing her little card. Your handwritten messages, in this time of technology, are things that that will... last the test of time."
• 21:38 - "Drop your anger. I know that's easier said than done, but, Dad, your anger will do more to shut down the core of who she is, to mar her spirit, to defeat her confidence, tear her down. Your anger has more destructive power than you'll ever know."

  Links From Today's Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation 
• Dr. Canfield's Website
• Dr. Canfield's Books
• The Dad Whisperer Podcast

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Learn about our FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS events in 2023: https://f4f.bike/
• Follow @dadawesome on Instagram
• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME (tax-deductible)
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

 

Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield recognizes that dads need to turn their hearts—not just their heads—towards their daughters. In this episode, she shares several tools you can add to your fatherhood toolbox to engage your daughter’s heart. 

 

Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation

 

Key Takeaways

 

• When you look into your child’s eyes, especially when you’re angry, you’ll respond differently. 
• Connect with your daughter’s heart each night by asking, "How have I been sharp with you today, and will you forgive me?” 
• You will never regret waiting to discipline your child until after you have calmed down. 
• The best antidote to saving your daughter from a dud is engaging her at the heart level. 
• Lead your daughter to laugh, love, look, lament, and listen.

  Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield

 

Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield has dedicated the last 13 years to empowering fathers to turn their hearts toward their daughters. In addition to writing two books for dads of daughters, she is the founder of The Abba Project and has hosted The Dad Whisperer Podcast since 2016.

  Key Quotes

 

• 7:44 - "But again, we all give out what we have. So if you are in a place where you don't know how to be gentle with yourself or quiet before the Lord to let Him convict you or speak to you, it's going to be harder to give that out. But it starts with you having times, I would say with God, where you listen and soften your heart. Because don't we love how Proverbs 15 says, a soft answer turns away wrath?"
• 12:29 - "The best antidote to saving your daughter from the dudes and the duds is you engage at a heart level by asking her questions. How did my response impact you? How did that make you feel? All those heart words."

  Links From Today's Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation 
• Dr. Canfield's Website
• Dr. Canfield's Books
• The Dad Whisperer Podcast

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Learn about our FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS events in 2023: https://f4f.bike/
• Follow @dadawesome on Instagram
• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME (tax-deductible)
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

 

As a mom to three adult children, Deborah Porter knows that small moments of intentionality can have a lifelong impact on children. In this episode, Deborah equips fathers with real-life examples and ideas to trust God, take leadership, and pursue work/life balance. 

 

Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Insert your presence into your family as much as possible, even if you’re not physically there. 
• If there is a riff between you and your child, be the one to reach out first.
• You never know what you’ll unlock when you willingly choose to forgive. 
• Dads can take leadership in three key areas: fun, prayer, and household chores. 
• Acknowledge your fear, but don’t parent out of fear.

  Deborah Porter

 

Deborah Porter is an influential voice and media contributor on parenting and motherhood. She and her husband, Clif, have been married for nearly 34 years and have three adult children. Deborah provides resources and coaching focused on the intersectionality of work, life, and family.

  Key Quotes

 

• 6:49 - "There are always going to be things that are going to want to pull you from your commitment from where your heart really wants to be. Just be really intentional of protecting what's really special."
• 17:16 - "We oftentimes don't know what we unlock when we willingly choose to forgive... So many times just the act of obedience just unlocks so much more that God has for us."

  Links From Today's Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation 
• Deborah's Website

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Learn about our FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS events in 2023: https://f4f.bike/
• Follow @dadawesome on Instagram
• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME (tax-deductible)
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

 

The words you say to your children have power. In this episode, Justin Hanneken shares how and why to speak blessings over your children. He also shares strategies for modeling missions to your family, pressing into prayer, and fasting for a breakthrough. 

 

Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Take your children on a 10-Year-Old Adventure so they can live their faith outside the walls of the church. 
• The words “always” and “never” become curses when you speak them negatively toward your children. 
• You can ask your spiritual father for his blessing over you. 
• When your children come to you with hurt or challenges, seize the moment to speak life into them. 
• Physical hunger can reveal spiritual hunger for believers of all ages.

  Justin Hanneken

 

Justin Hanneken and his wife, Karena, have been married for 18 years and have 5 children. Justin serves as the executive director of Ends of the Earth Cycling, which has hosted 34 Christ-centered cycling tours that have raised over $1 million for global youth ministry. 

  Key Quotes

 

• 29:09 - "Prayer is our first work. So basically, as Christians, we want to serve the Lord, we want to do things for God. But a lot of times we just jump right into those things and we haven't spent time in prayer. And so for dads that are listening, I just want to encourage you, pray for your family daily, pray for your your family by name."
• 34:30 - "If you're a follower of Jesus, he says in the New Testament, when you fast and then He talks about what we should do. It's not if you fast, it's basically assume that if you're Christian, fasting is going to be part of what you do."

  Links From Today's Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation 
• Ends of the Earth Cycling
• YouthHOPE website

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Learn about our FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS events in 2023: https://f4f.bike/
• Follow @dadawesome on Instagram
• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME (tax-deductible)
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

 

David Hirsch has spent over 28 years creating intentional resources for fathers. As he shares his story, he’ll inspire you to be present with your children physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually.

 

Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Be as actively involved in your child’s education as you can be.
• Instead of lamenting that a biological father can’t be involved with his children, help bridge the gap through mentoring or coaching. 
• “Who you are speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you’re saying.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• The most important thing a dad can do is be present physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually.

  David Hirsch

 

David Hirsch and his wife, Peggy, have been married for 39 years and have five adult children. David helped found the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative in 1997 and the 21st Century Dads Foundation in 2015. He is also a wealth manager, author, speaker, and host of the Special Fathers Network’s Dad to Dad Podcast.

  Key Quotes

 

• 4:49 - "When dads are involved in the educational lives of their kids, all the other stuff seems to take care of itself. So if there's one thing that I would suggest to any dad who might be listening is, especially dads of young kids, roll up your sleeves, be as actively involved in your child's education as you possibly can be."
• 29:05 - "What kids need and what they would benefit most from, is a father being present physically, in their lives, emotionally, which is meaning, don't be the stoic dad of yesteryear, but letting your sons and daughters know that, hey, dads have emotions, too."

  Links From Today's Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation 
• 21st Century Dads Website
• The Special Father's Network Dad to Dad Podcast
• Devoted: A Father's Love - Rick and Dick Hoyt
• Team Hoyt- I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe)
• Jessica's Essay Letter

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Learn about our FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS events in 2023: https://f4f.bike/
• Follow @dadawesome on Instagram
• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME (tax-deductible)
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

 

Stephen Hogue and his wife adopted ten children within ten years, and they cared for many more children in foster care along the way. In this episode, Stephen will encourage you to look at adoption—and your identity in Christ—in a new way.

 

Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation

 

Key Takeaways

 

• There is power in one family saying “yes” to a child who needs a home, whether temporarily or permanently. 
• The legal aspect of adoption is a picture of salvation.
• The most important role of a father is affirmation. 
• If you know who you are in Christ, nothing and no one can take away your joy or identity. 

  Stephen Hogue

 

Stephen Hogue is the executive director of OneFamily, a ministry that equips and empowers foster families through wholehearted community support. He and his wife, Sandra, have been married for 25 years and are adoptive parents to 10 children. 

  Key Quotes

 

• 22:03 - "The spirit of adoption, the legal aspect of adoption is a picture of salvation. And so believe it or not, if you think about it, Jesus went to court, stood before the Judge of the universe and said, Here's an orphaned planet that I want to adopt."
• 33:04 - "I see insecure, easily triggered, not confident men. And what God's calling us to be as men is not arrogant, I heard this word, Godfident, it's confident in who God made you to be and secure. Secure is I don't even need my wife to be who He is and that's the principle that has changed me. I don't need anybody. not a president, not a politician, not my wife, not my kids, not my pastor, no one to be who He is. If I'm good with Him and I know who I am and who He says I am, no matter what you do to me, it's not going to take my joy because I'm already good."

  Links From Today's Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation 
• OneFamily's Website

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Learn about our FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS events in 2023: https://f4f.bike/
• Follow @dadawesome on Instagram
• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME (tax-deductible)
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

 

A few years ago, Tanner Clark had a clear impression that he needed to focus on helping teenagers. He’s now a motivational speaker who teaches teenagers how to know their worth and reach their full potential. Tanner wants to help fathers do the same with the help of a simple but powerful tool.

 

Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation   Key Takeaways

 

• The One Second of Strength is an opportunity to hack your brain and take the best actions for your life and personal growth. 
• If you’re not present in your child’s life when they’re young, don’t expect them to allow you into their presence when they’re older. 
• Give yourself grace when you fall short because your kids aren’t holding on to your faults. 
• Five books every parent should read

 

Tanner Clark

 

Tanner Clark is a motivational speaker deeply passionate about helping teens be happy and reach their potential. He and his wife, Dani, live in Utah with their four children.

  Key Quotes

 

• 9:02 - "There are so many things that are standing between us and who we want to become. And the path forward is by recognizing what are the things that are holding us back, acknowledging them, and then being very intentional about moving forward beyond that. I call it finding your one second of strength. I believe that that there is a moment and if you look back at your life and all the great things that you've done there was a decision point. And in that decision point, one second of strength, is the opportunity to hack your brain, to do the thing that is going to be the best for you and give you that the the growth that you need."
• 28:56 - "You find that second of strength every time and you turn and kick to the side. Run away from those waters, get out of those waters, your life changes when you decide that you are that you are important enough to kick to the side. That's when life changes, when you recognize your value, when you recognize how important you are to this world, to other people, to the future people that you don't even know yet. When you recognize your value, it will compel you to turn and kick to the side so that you can become the person that you want to become because you need to be that person. And someone else needs you to be that person. That's the difference.

  Links from Today’s Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation 
• Tanner's Website
• The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults
• Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids And How To Break The Trance
• Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving The Growing Epidemic Of Unmotivated Boys And Underachieving Young Men
• Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed In Our All About Me World
• The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story Of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds And Our World 
•  

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME

• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team

• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

 

John Wyatt recently became an empty nester, but that doesn't mean he's forgotten any of the knowledge he learned as a dad to two daughters. In this episode, he's sharing all the things he wants others (including his future sons-in-law!) to know about fatherhood.

 

Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Will you choose to be right or choose the relationship?
• Being present for your children leads to trust and open communication. 
• Teaching your kids to listen to God and honor their parents is a worthwhile battle. 
• Audit your performance as a father with these three questions: Are my kids communicating with me? Are they spending time with me? Do they feel prioritized?

  John Wyatt

 

John Wyatt and his wife, Carrie, are newly empty nesters living in Jacksonville, Florida. They have been married for 25 years and successfully launched their two daughters into the world. John is an Associate Executive Pastor at Celebration Church.

  Key Quotes

 

• 3:13 - "You can't control them, they control themselves. So it's very difficult letting them be young adults and maybe they're making choices, whereas 25 years down the road you're like, that's not a very good decision. But you have to let them decide for themselves and love them through it."
• 4:51 - "We try to just love our kids through stuff. And the most important thing is relationship. You know, you can be right or you can have a relationship. So instead of trying to be right all the time and defend your decisions or defend, you need to do this, and here's why, because I know what I'm talking about. We didn't find that that worked very well with our kids."

  Links From Today's Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation  

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Learn about our FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS events in 2023: https://f4f.bike/
• Follow @dadawesome on Instagram
• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME (tax-deductible)
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

At 27 years old, Josh Taylor sat in a hospital room as his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. In an instant, their plans for the future came crashing down. But God showed up in miraculous ways to teach Josh the importance of trusting in His plan, even when you can’t see the full picture.  

 

Full SHOW NOTES for today's conversation

 

Key Takeaways

 

• The things you’re facing now will prepare you for challenges decades in the future. 
• You have to trust that God sees the whole picture of your life. 
• Mentorship and discipleship is someone saying, “You’re about to go through what I’ve already been through, and I am unwilling to let you get hurt worse than me.”
• In the midst of turmoil, things become very simple, and God uses that simplicity. 
• Just because you’re imperfect does not mean you’re disqualified from leading.

  Josh Taylor

 

Josh Taylor is a mentor, serial entrepreneur, and father to four daughters. He and his wife, Aly, have been married for 16 years. Despite facing cancer and infertility, they have experienced countless miracles and continue to walk in faith for God’s healing.

 

Key Quotes

 

• 18:01 - "You always look back and ten years removed from anything it looks way more planned out than when you're in the middle of it. And the truth is whether or not I liked what happened to me, what happened to me forced me to be a man, to be more of a man, to do what God had me do. And that then sets me up for ten years down the road that I don't know about. 
• 33:27 - "In some of our darkest moments, I've had more clarity on what I was supposed to do because I didn't have a ton of options. So in the worst of moments, I simply had to beg God to help and just say, God, I'm not this big, I'm not smart enough, I need you so bad that when I felt those moments, it actually gets very simple."

  Links From Today's Conversation

 

• Full Transcript of the Conversation 
• Josh & Aly's Website
• Radical Mentoring
• Book: Aly's Fight
• Book: How Cancer Made Me A Mommy
• Book: How My Wife's Cancer Healed Me
• Episode 76 with Regi Campbell (Founder of Radical Mentoring)
• Instagram: @alysfight

  Connect with dadAWESOME

 

• Learn about our FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS events in 2023: https://f4f.bike/
• Follow @dadawesome on Instagram
• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME (tax-deductible)
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618