1 hour, 4 minutes

Try as we might to prevent it, our children will be exposed to values that differ from our own. Sometimes they differ slightly and sometimes they are completely opposed. Sometimes the exposure comes from media and culture, and sometimes it’s as close as an aunt, uncle, or grandparent. How do we protect and preserve our child’s values when it’s impossible and unhealthy to shield them from the world? How do we balance our concern with what is truly best for them?

In this episode, Ben and Rachel talk about the different kinds of influences that come into our children’s worlds, how to manage our own feelings about this, and how to help our child develop and maintain a healthy set of values, even when faced with the differing values of others.

1 hour, 5 minutes

As parents, there are few things more difficult than seeing our children make mistakes or take on new responsibilities. When we allow them to experience the discomfort of failure and responsibility, it can feel like we are failing as parents and burdening our children unnecessarily.

Ben and Rachel tackle these topics head-on in an episode that is packed with encouraging and challenging thoughts for how we can give responsibility as a gift out of love, and use failure as our ally in teaching our children how to live better lives.

1 hour, 6 minutes

Every day more parents are taking the opportunity to work from home while their children are young. Even employers are seeing the benefit of making this option available to workers in certain industries. As glamorous as working from home with kids sounds, many find it frustrating or even impossible in reality.

Having worked from home for many years as their family has grown, Ben and Rachel bring experience and insight to this topic that will hopefully be challenging and encouraging, help you have realistic expectations, and get the most out of your working from home experience.

1 hour, 3 minutes

Listening is a skill that we develop and maintain throughout our lives. The ability to be a good listener comes into play at an early age and affects many areas of our lives including jobs and relationships. For a skill that is so vital, we often feel frustrated and stuck when it comes to getting our kids to listen well.

In this episode Rachel and I talk through some of the vital practices that will make your child a listening pro, while keeping the focus on the relationship and understanding how listening grows with your child's development.

59 minutes

There is a lot of information out there about personality types. You might see how learning more about personality types and how they relate to children could help you better understand your child, but maybe you're not really sure where to start or what to do with that information.

In this episode, Ben and Rachel talk about the different personality type frameworks, share a few things you can do before doing any research that will help provide more context, and provide a way of thinking about personality types and behaviors that shifts the focus away from the results and toward the relationship.

52 minutes

As a parent, should I apologize when I wrong my child? Should I talk to them about my mistakes and failures? Will it undermine my authority and cause them to feel less secure? Should I apologize every time I make a mistake? Would that make my apology seem inauthentic? Should I make my child apologize or hope that it will just happen naturally?

Ben and Rachel dive into these questions and talk about the role that apology and admitting our mistakes can play in our child's development and how these things influence our relationship with our children and the role we play in their lives.

60 minutes

Meltdowns aren't fun for anyone. Our oldest describes himself as a volcano when he doesn't get his way. As parents, it's hard to resist the temptation to give in or to ignore so that the meltdown will pass as soon as possible.

In this episode we talk about a healthy, potentially unconventional approach to meltdowns that will help your child work through their emotions, protect the bond you share while still maintaining your boundaries, and set them up for emotional health as they grow.

54 minutes

We know that reading plays an integral role in childhood development and is a part of setting a solid foundation for a successful future. How do we go beyond simply teaching our children to read and help them foster a love for reading?

In this episode, Ben and Rachel talk about approaching reading in different stages of life, and share the key to helping your kids fall in love with reading.

49 minutes

When we're raising a family, it can feel like we have no other choice but to put our dreams on the shelf. Ben and Rachel share from their personal experience about the discouragement and frustration they faced, and the mindset shift that helped them realize that not only can you pursue your dream while raising a family, but your family needs you to pursue your dream.

Through managing expectations, focusing on the long term, working in the season you're in, and finding fulfillment in the daily work, you can enjoy the satisfaction of pursuing your dream without sacrificing your family relationships.

56 minutes

Of all of the "transition times" in daily family life, the nighttime routine can be one of the most stressful. Many parents dread this time. Will my child put up a fight? Will they brush their teeth? Will they keep acting like wild animals? Will I get any time to myself?

This episode serves as a guide to a way of doing the nighttime routine that can help you begin to build a framework for your own nighttime routine. We talk about not just the practices, but the motivations behind the practices that help our wild bunch settle into their evening, provides space for the connection we desire with our children, and affords us the down time we need at the end of the day.