Famous at Home

We asked families in our 22:6 Parenting audience this one question: What’s your #1 struggle as a parent? We had over 700 responses.

Last week we covered struggles 6-10. In part 2, we talk about the top 5 struggles of today's parents. We also offer some practical insights on how we can overcome these struggles.

In this episode, we talk about the top 5 struggles:

5. How do I disciple my kids?

4. I lose my patience.

3. I feel inadequate.

2. How can I get my kids to obey? (Discipline)

1. There's not enough time.

Also, we invite YOU to ask us questions and be on the podcast. We will have Q&A episodes this season. Just click here to ask your questions or submit your topic. 

Show Notes:

Be on the podcast! Submit your question / topic here!



Christi's article: A Shame-Free Approach to Teaching our Kids About Jesus written by Christi Straub

Safe House: How Emotional Safety is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well



Other books mentioned in this episode:

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

Welcome to season 3!

Last month, we asked families in our 22:6 Parenting audience this one question: What’s your #1 struggle as a parent? We had over 700 responses. Trust us when we say, you’re not alone.

In the first two episodes of season 3 we talk about the top 10 struggles of today's parents. We also offer some practical insights on how we can overcome these struggles.

In this episode, we talk about struggles 6-10:

10. Single parenting

9. Technology

8. Raising kids to be independent

7. Communication

6. Respect

Finally, in season 3, we are going to focus on topics YOU deal with in your family. That's why we want to invite YOU to ask us questions and be on the podcast. We will have Q&A episodes this season as well. Just click here to ask your questions or submit your topic. 

Show Notes:

Be on the podcast! Submit your question / topic here!



You can download the electronic nuptial agreement by clicking here.

You can also check out The Screen-Balanced Family workbook and digital video series written and produced by Josh + Christi. Click here for the videos + workbook ($29.97).

Click here for just the workbook ($14.97).

Welcome to our 40th episode!

What an incredible and fun year it's been for the podcast.

Having not yet been at this a year, we have learned a lot from each of you. Thank you for becoming a part of our family and making this journey so enjoyable.

We thought it would be fitting to close out season 2 by talking about ways we can prioritize our family in the New Year. As the saying goes, "The days are long, but the years are short."

In this episode, we light-heartedly go behind our own crooked picture frame to discuss how we have prioritized--or failed at prioritizing--one another. Throughout the discussion, we also offer practical ways you can have fun with your spouse and make memories with your children in the New Year. In addition, we offer tons of bonuses in the show notes to help you get started.

As a fun addition for season 3, we will have specific episodes where we answer listener questions. Therefore, we invite you to ask questions, give us feedback on topics you'd like to hear about, and share the podcast with your friends and family.

It is an honor being in this with you!

Show Notes: 

Receive 20% off The Screen-Balanced Family Digital Videos and Workbook when you use the code: JCPODCAST.



Sign up to receive 40 Date Night Ideas + 216 Questions. Click here.



To download FREE the 100 Commonly Held Values List, click here. 

To download FREE the Marital Electronic Nuptial Agreement, click here.



Podcast Sponsors: 

Become a digital mentor to your kids. Try Forcefield FREE for 30 days. Click here to learn more. 



We would LOVE to have you join our 22:6 Parenting Community! Get monthly discipleship tools, coaching, and a community of like-minded parents. To learn more, click here!

When is the last time you and your spouse argued about being too busy? Or maybe you didn't argue. Perhaps the busyness meant you just passed one another by, like ships in the night. That's how overcommitment usually begins in our home. It's not until we feel the stress of trying to manage it all that we begin to argue. That's when we "see" one another floating by.

Let's face it, overcommitment is plaguing today's families. Unfortunately, the first casualty is usually our marriage. Whether it's finances, work, kid's school activities, or even church, we all feel stretched. Without intentionality, our family life will simply go wherever the winds take it.

That's why we decided to make this episode a special one!

We were invited to talk about overcommitment in marriage as a part of "marriage week" on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. This is a conversation we want to invite you in on, especially with the demands of the holiday season upon us.

Our hope is that after you listen, you and your spouse are able to recognize and talk more openly about when saying yes is adding too much stress.

Podcast Sponsors: 

Become a digital mentor to your kids today. Try Forcefield FREE for 30 days. Click here. 



Struggle with finding time to disciple your kids? 22:6 Parenting gives you the tools you need without adding anything to your already busy day. Click here to subscribe today!

There is nothing we want more than to experience the joy of Christmas. Unfortunately, Christmas can leave our time feeling pressed and our wallets stressed. In addition, the holiday also brings along with it some baggage, especially when it comes to our children and the traditions we hold dear.

In this episode, we go behind the lens of our own crooked picture frame to discuss some Christmas hot topics. We tell stories about how we were raised and what we implement today in our own family. We also discuss topics like:

* Is my gift-giving out of control?
* What does an entitled child look like?
* Is it okay to lie to my kids about Santa Claus?
* What will my kids really remember about Christmas?
* How can we truly make it about Jesus' birth?
* Is the attitude I'm modeling for my kids at the holidays one of gratitude or grumbling?
* What role do traditions play in our family?

As you listen to this episode, think about your own family traditions, values, and what you model for and teach your kids. And be sure to engage the conversation. Tell us stories from your own picture frame. We love learning from you.

Podcast Sponsors:

If you buy screens at Christmas, consider a 30-day FREE trial of Forcefield. Click here to learn more about becoming a digital mentor to your kids. 



To make the most of the time you have with your kids with creative discipleship tools, subscribe today to the 22:6 Parenting community!

Over one-third of Americans live in, or are a part of, a blended family. So many questions abound for stepparents. Fortunately, in this week's episode, our dear friend and expert on blended families, Ron Deal, answers many of these questions.

Ron serves as Director of Family Life Blended and is the author of The Smart Stepfamily, The Smart Stepmom, The Smart Stepfamily Marriage, and The Smart Stepdad. After listening to this episode, you'll realize he's smart too. What's even better, his approach to blended families is honest, but full of grace. He answers questions like:

* What does the Bible say about stepfamilies?
* I'm trying to instill good values with my kids but my ex-spouse doesn't. How do I handle that?
* What do I tell my kids when they have a new aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc.
* How do we deal with loss during the holidays in our family?
* We just divorced and now we are both getting remarried. What do we tell our kids to call our new spouses?
* How do we decide whose house to go to for the holidays?
* And many more!

This episode is rich and full of wisdom. If you live in a blended family, grew up in a blended family, or are now raising kids in a blended family, Ron will bless you.

Show Notes: 

For more information including articles and links to Family Life Blended events, click here.



To purchase The Smart StepFamily, click here.



For the article, 13 Ideas to Manage Holiday Step-Stress, click here.

Podcast Sponsors: 

A Parenting Community for Busy Parents. Click here for more information. 



Forcefield: For a FREE 30-Day Trial, click here.

Cooler weather. Peppermint mochas. Hallmark movies. The holidays. For many, it’s wonderful. For others, this time of year can be quite chaotic. The pressure of figuring out what to buy. Making travel arrangements. Deciding which family members to spend the holidays with.

We try—emphasis on “try”—to talk about the upcoming holidays ahead of time. We pray and think through how we can make the most of it as a family. Having little kids can make it a bit more chaotic for us, but it can also make it a lot more precious too.

What #TeamStraub has found out is that, without a plan, it’s too easy to allow the chaos and busyness to rob us from being truly present with those we love most, especially one another.

In this week's episode, we talk through the acronym E.N.J.O.Y.I.N.G., and discuss eight proactive ways we can enjoy the upcoming holiday season as family. Some of the topics we discuss include:

* When and how to say "no"
* How to navigate Christmas gatherings with extended family
* Ways we can be proactive with potentially awkward family interactions
* How to simplify our lives
* Ways to take care of yourself during the holidays

Show Notes:

Podcast Exclusive Offer: Sign up and receive the 25 Characters of the Christmas Story: An Advent Experience for Families, in your inbox each day beginning December 1st! Click here to sign up. 



Podcast Sponsors:

Click here to join 22:6 Parenting! We'd love to journey with you!



To become a digital mentor to your kids, try Forcefield FREE for 30 days! Click here to learn more.

Do you sometimes feel like you live in a fishbowl? Especially as a parent of young kids, your every move feeling scrutinized by glaring eyes in the grocery store. Or your teenager's every post on social media a reflection of how you parent?

For many of us, the peanut gallery just adds insult to injury. We don't need the added pressure of the critics or the perfect family on social media to feel like we're not living up to the expectations we have of ourselves. One person who lives with these feelings heightened to the nth degree is our friend and America's beloved "DJ Tanner," Candace Cameron Bure.

In spite of living in the fishbowl of Hollywood, Candace lives, loves, and leads with a confidence so many admire. In this episode, she graciously invites us behind the picture frame of her own family. With candor, Candace describes how she filters out the noise of the critics and who she allows to have access to her heart.

Based on her new book, Staying Stylish: Cultivating a Confident Look, Style, and Attitude, Candace talks about how she cultivates confidence. However, as you'll learn, this didn't happen overnight. Candace details for us:

* What she learned living "in the invisible" as a stay-at-home mom for 10 years while her kids were little
* How she decides who can have access to her heart
* Why it's important for moms and wives to feel good about themselves (and their style) and how to do it
* How she and her husband, Val, navigate raising three teenagers in a social media driven world
* The single biggest factor for her in maintaining confidence as a wife, mom, and actor

Show Notes:

To preorder Staying Stylish: Cultivating a Confident Look, Style, and Attitude, click here.



Podcast Sponsors:

22:6 Parenting--Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love Others



Forcefield: Screen Time Done Right.

Nobody can really prepare us for the chaos, unpredictability, and self-imposed guilt that accompany becoming a parent. Well-intentioned people may try to prepare you for the sleepless nights, colic, and grocery store tantrums, but let’s be honest, you can’t really be prepared until you encounter them.

Instead, it was something subtler, yet much deeper, that nearly took me (Christi) out as a momma. Something nobody else warned me about—I lost my identity.

In this episode, we talk about what taking care of ourselves as parents looks like from our own picture frame. Rather than remaining stuck in the ongoing cycle of guilt, shame and feelings of depression, together, we are finding a way out. The reason this is so important to us is because research consistently shows that it's not necessarily what we know about parenting that matters most for how our kids turn out, but who we are becoming as adults.

If you too have lost yourself in parenting, this is a conversation we think you’ll find quite refreshing. We not only share our own journey, but we offer realistic and practical ways we can all come alive and rediscover ourselves, even in the midst of parenthood. Because the reality is: the healthier we are, the healthier our kids will be.

Show Notes:

For the FREE PDF Download: 7 Ways to Disciple Your Kids, click here.

For Christi's blogpost, 11 Ways to Reclaim Yourself in the Midst of Parenthood, click here.

For the book, The Slight Edge, click here. 



Podcast Sponsors:

22:6 Parenting--Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love Others



Forcefield: Screen Time Done Right.

Education is one of the most challenging topics for many parents. Do we homeschool our kids? Is it okay to send them to public school? Or should we invest in private school?

What about a parent's role in their child's education? How much responsibility should we shoulder versus the school itself?

These are questions we tackle in this episode with Mr. Stuart Tutler, the Headmaster of New Hope Academy in Franklin, TN.

We describe Mr. Tutler as a student of pedagogy. He has a passion for learning about the methods of teaching. In other words, in this episode, Mr. Tutler shares with us what he's learning to be the best ways to teach kids.

Encouraging parents, he answers for us a few questions:

* Who's responsible for a child's education?
* How important is it that my child gets good grades?
* What is the role of experience in a child's education?
* How do we navigate the private, homeschool, or public school discussion?
* Why and how should we emphasize wellness (i.e. nutrition, movement, rest, etc.) in our child's education?
* How can we educate our children--and ourselves--about the history and issues related to both racial reconciliation and empowering the poor?

Speaking of these latter two topics, one of the reasons we love New Hope Academy is because they are committed to providing an excellent, Christ-centered education to all students while intentionally reserving 40 to 50 percent of their seats for children from low-income households. With an emphasis on economic and racial diversity, the heart is to teach kids to love all people.

Our discussion in this episode ends with ways we as parents can help our children do just that. No matter your choice of schooling, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Show Notes: 

For more information about New Hope Academy, click here.



Podcast Sponsors:

22:6 Parenting--Tools for Raising Kids Who Love God and Love Others



Forcefield: Screen Time Done Right.