No matter how old your kids get, you never really stop parenting - and raising the next generation of believers requires confidence, grace and intentionality like never before.

Battles with technology, a culture that is increasingly turning the things of God upside down inside out and an unrelenting assault against the innocence and future of our children can leave parents exhausted, fearful and uncertain in how to navigate it all.

We need Truth, we need counsel and we need an abundance of godly support as we daily take on the battle of raising our children in the Truth and knowledge of the Lord according to scripture.

This week on the Love Where You Are podcast is tackling the question: How Do I Deal With This? Raising My Kids During Such an Unimaginable Time?

 

Joining me for this conversation today is Monica Swanson. Monica is a blogger, the author of Boy Mom: What Your Son Needs Most From You and the host of the Boy Mom podcast.

 

This conversation is filled with practical advice, biblical wisdom and encouragement on:

• how to combat the enemy’s attacks against your children
• how to cultivate spiritual health in your home
• how to disciple your sons in biblical masculinity
• how to encourage your children to be confidently countercultural and still filled with grace

Connect with Monica on Instagram and at monicaswanson.com and check out the Boy Mom podcast!

Connect with Somer on Instagram, Facebook and at somercolbert.com

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FAVORITE TAKEAWAYS:

When screens began to be central to our lives, everything changed

 

The option of being elsewhere while being right here

 

I believe we live in a time that is culturally more antagonistic to the Christian faith and Christian values than ever before

 

Technology

Cultural antagonism toward the Christian faith

Political correctness

 

How to cultivate Christ-focused mental health in our homes:

 

1. Know who we are in the big picture

 

The more healthy we are in our identity we can pass that on to our kids

 

Our kids are seeing what we’re doing more than they are hearing what we’re saying especially in a culture that is so noisy

 

How can we disciple our sons in healthy masculinity?

Dads really need to rise up in this time and this is an important place for Dad’s to step up and really teach and model what true masculinity is. We need our men to be strong leaders, to be servant leaders.

 

I think sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed with the messages of our culture that we forget that there is still a lot of goodness and there are still examples so perhaps some of what we need to do is focus more on the truth and the good and teaching what there is and worry less about being on the defensive

 

Speak up and call out that emerging little man in front of you - do not think you have to squelch that and help them channel that in a healthy way

 

Remind them of the importance of being a gentleman

 

You need to speak these words to your kids before you necessarily feel them:

You’ve got this

You can handle this

I believe in you

 

The more healthy adventures you give your kids the less likely they are to go seeking adventures in unhealthy places

 

Mentally healthy moms = mentally healthy kids

 

There is a blatant attack on the innocence of our children, on the purity of our children and on the future of our children.

 

How Christian parents can combat the attacks of the enemy on their kids:

• Set boundaries as a family
• Focus more on what your kids can do than what they can’t do
• Be proactive
• Filters on every device
• Phones out of bedrooms at night and put off getting them phones at an early age

 

Our family culture does not have to look like the average family

 

Let’s do things as a family that build them up to the point that they’re going to look at the things of this world and just say: I’m not interested

 

We are digital immigrants as parents so we need to give ourselves grace

 

Extending grace and love is not the same as affirming or condoning behaviors or choices

 

It takes energy and intentionality and that’s good parenting