In this powerful episode, Jennifer explores the third pillar of the Enough Mom framework: Calling. Through insights on leadership, child development, and spiritual wisdom, she reveals how motherhood is a calling to influence—not through authoritative control, but through understanding your child's unique personality and meeting them where they are.
This episode is for every mama who questions whether she's doing enough, struggles with outside expectations, or wonders if she has what it takes to lead her children well. You'll discover what leadership truly means in motherhood, why you have the right to make decisions for your family, how to avoid projecting your fears onto your kids, and how to let go of the idols that steal your joy and your calling.
Timestamps00:00 - Welcome to Episode 104: The Calling of Motherhood
00:05 - Introduction: The Third Pillar of the Enough Mom Framework
01:00 - Courage, Confidence, and Calling Working Together
02:00 - Getting Moms Back to Thinking Clearly About Themselves
03:00 - You Are Called to Motherhood—An Enormous Responsibility
04:00 - Equipping Yourself Within the Boundaries of Being a Mom
05:00 - The Calling of Motherhood is a Calling to Leadership
06:00 - Rethinking What Leadership Actually Is
07:00 - Your Earliest Authority Figures and Images of Leaders
08:00 - Being a Leader to Your Own Children
09:00 - You Have the Right and Ability to Make Decisions for Your Family
10:00 - Understanding Child Development and Behavioral Science
11:00 - Harnessing Your Strengths to Inspire Personal Growth
12:00 - You Are an Autonomous Person with Choices
13:00 - What You Allow to Influence Your Thoughts Influences Your Children
14:00 - Taking the 16 Personalities Test to Know Yourself Better
15:00 - Understanding Your Child's Unique Personality
16:00 - Loving the Child in Front of You vs. the Child You Wish You Had
17:00 - Don't Put Outside Expectations on Your Children Before Knowing Them
18:00 - Navigating Seasons of Motherhood with Grace—Stay Curious
19:00 - When Your Kids Won't Bow to Your Idols
20:00 - The Idol of Cleanliness and Control
21:00 - The Idol of Success and Academic Achievement
22:00 - The Idol of Reputation and What Others Think
23:00 - The Desire to Do Well in This Calling
24:00 - You Can Control Your Input, Not the Outcome
25:00 - When They Feel Safe, They Trust You to Lead Them
25:30 - Closing & Next Steps
Key Takeaways ✨ Motherhood is a calling to leadership—a position of influence where you can confidently use your strengths
✨ True leadership isn't about control or big personalities—it's about meeting your child where they are
✨ You are an autonomous person with choices about what influences your thoughts and your children
✨ Understanding your personality and your child's personality helps you lead them according to who they really are
✨ Don't love the child you wish you had—love the child in front of you
✨ Our fear is often projected onto our kids when we don't feel like we're doing enough as a parent
✨ Beware of the idols of motherhood: cleanliness, success, and reputation
✨ The more pressure put on kids to achieve academically, the higher their mental stress
✨ You can control your input (love, care, support, listening), but you cannot control the outcome
✨ When children feel safe with you and trust you, they will respond better to your leadership
Episode Highlights On the Calling of Motherhood "If you are a mother, you are called to this special position of influence and you can confidently use your strengths to lead your children according to their unique personality and learning styles."
On Leadership "If you don't feel like a natural leader, maybe we need to rethink what leadership actually is and what it should look like."
On Autonomy and Choice "You are an autonomous person and you have choices about what you allow to influence your thoughts and your brain and therefore what you allow to influence your children."
On Knowing Your Child "Please do not put outside expectations onto your children before you actually get to know your children. Please, please start with just spending time with them."
On Control vs. Growth "That control is more about you getting your way instead of allowing the child in front of you to grow and develop as they need to grow and develop."
On Academic Pressure "Studies show that the more pressure is put on kids to achieve academically, the higher their mental stress level will become. And you do not want to be the creator of that mama."
On Being a Safe Place "Your kids need you to be a safe place for them. And sometimes we need to really, really question our own expectations."
On Comparison "Comparison will not allow you to walk in the calling that you were called to do, the mother you were called to be, and to raise the child who is in front of you."
On Letting Go "The more we can let go and relax and just accept our part in the life of our child, the more relaxed your children will be, the better they will respond to you, the safer they will feel with you, and the more they will trust you to lead them."
On Trust and Leadership "You can be an excellent leader of your children when they know they're safe with you, when they know they can trust you, and when you allow them to have a voice into their own childhood experience."
About the Host Jennifer Bryant is an educational leader, having worked in every sector of school from public to private to homeschool. She is a California girl living in Hawaii, homeschool mama to teenagers, and recovering perfectionist. As an ADHD mom and former authoritative parent turned compassionate parent, she brings raw honesty and deep insight to conversations about maternal mental health. With a background in child development and adolescent development as a trained teacher in various systems, Jennifer is passionate about helping mothers find courage, build confidence, and walk boldly in their calling.
Resources & Links Take the 16 Personalities Test: https://www.16personalities.com/
Practical Family Podcast Episode 031 - The Secret Idols of Parenting: https://practicalfamily.org/episode-031-the-secret-idols-of-parenting/
Instagram: @jennifer_bryant_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLoganBryant
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Website: jenniferbryant.com
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*Disclaimer: Jennifer Bryant is not a licensed professional counselor. The content shared on this podcast is based on personal experience and educational research. All medical and scientific information is credited to appropriate sources. For professional mental health support, please consult a licensed therapist or counselor.*
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