It's not a dad bod, it's a father figure. ;) We're approaching father's day this week, and our conversation digs into at a couple of very do-able dad things that can make a big difference in your child's life. Moms, feel free to forward this one along as an encouragement to the dads in the trenches with you!

Do you have a target in raising your children? If you don't know where you're aiming, you could wind far from where you intended. If you fail to aim, you aim to fail. We get into some practical life skills and character traits that kids need to learn to become competent, capable adults. Far too often, we underestimate our kids!

Here's a link to the "how adult are you" test we mentioned in the broadcast!

Just Ask Your Mom website

Much of mothering is sheer ordinariness: 2 am feedings, reading Good Night Moon AGAIN, and carpooling to soccer, band, or dance. Maybe we find ourselves yearning for "more," something more exciting or noteworthy. Somewhere along the way, "ordinary" became something to avoid or scoff at. But if we dig a little deeper, it just may be where all the best parts of life are found.

A fun twist on our format, 3 new moms turn the tables on us and WE are in the hot seat. Totally unscripted, this trio fired away with all kinds of topics they wanted answers for. We managed to sweat our way through the minefields and ended up with a fun, spontaneous conversation.

We're poking the bear a little here, questioning the old-fashioned Puritan "work ethic" our culture is bathed in. Where does this come from? As busy moms in a busy world, it's hard to hop off the merry-go-round, but there may be some profound things to learn by trying it out once in a while!

When a grandparent or another family member dies, it's only natural for kids to start asking questions. So how do we respond without confusing them? Perhaps some accounts of near-death-experiences could help. During a heart episode and 3+ minutes without a heartbeat, LaDonna Brown experienced something that she carries with her still and that has erased any fear about what is to come.

We're approaching graduation season, which means celebrating transitions of all kinds: preschool to elementary, elementary to middle school, and high school and college graduations. How are rites of passage important and how do we mark these milestones? From a public school & homeschool perspective, we weigh in on how things went while our kids were in school.

If you've got young children and don't live near family, odds are you'll need a sitter at some point. What do you look for? How do you find one? What do sitters expect and what should you expect in return? In this episode, we talk to two sisters who give us the down low on all that and more!

Join us for our conversation with two seasoned nannies, Merri Aydelott and Mary Hill. They've nannied for multiple families and walk us through what it's like from the Nanny's perspective. What goes into hiring a nanny? What things might you consider? What happens when kids age out of needing a nanny? We learned a lot in this conversation & you will, too!

Our guest, Nellie Harden, a mom to 4 teenaged daughters, talks with us about some of her favorite conversations to have with them to instill self esteem, self worth, and self-confidence. Nellie is an author and speaker and offers courses and resources on navigating the teen years at her site nellieharden.com.

40 Scriptures and Conversations to Have with Daughters

Daughter Decoder Masterclass