As difficult as parenting is, winter has a way of making it more so. It's a time of rest for the earth. It can also be, if we're not careful, a time where we relax our efforts a bit (or a lot). Before you know it, we're in a parenting rut. If this sounds familiar, just know this episode is for you and also know you're not alone. Also in this episode we'll talk about 3 incredibly important things you must do this year to strengthen your home for the days ahead.

In episode 36 we discussed how toddler obedience is often the viewed as the holy grail of parenting. Many parents aren't aware of this, but not all obedience is the same and its quality largely depends on the way you go about training it. In this episode we'll examine the two errant child training paths parents often take and how that, despite our best intentions, they actually lead to disobedience, and worst of all, idolatry.

If someone was to ask you what your number one job is as your toddler's mother or father, aside from keeping them alive (lol), what would your answer be? That's what this episode attempts to answer and, spoiler alert, it has little to nothing to do with teaching them to obey.

The world around us and everything in it seems to be crumbling. We're not sure what's on the horizon but it doesn't look friendly. Reports of economic distress and looming war abound and that's on top of the duress each home is directly experiencing. We ask ourselves, "What can I do about it? What difference could I and my insignificant home make in the face of such powerful forces?" This episode attempts to answer that question and to remind you that your home, serving Christ within your humble domain, is far more powerful, far more important, than you realize.

Links mentioned in this episode: The Well Ordered Day Planner - purchase here: https://www.thewellorderedhomeschool.com/products/the-well-ordered-day-planner-2026-edition

The world and everything in it (everyone, too often!) is growing increasingly fake. Science, politics, social media, causes, personalities, food, medicine - all of it is becoming less real by the day. That's not to say that truth no longer exists in any or all of these arenas, it's just that it's becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish the truth from the lies. We, as adults, are often unsuccessful at discerning the truth. How much more difficult do you think it is and will be for our children? This episode is a call to turn away from the lies that surround us and grow more prevalent by the day and to equip our children to embrace the truth and defend it to the death.

We've said it many times - raising children is hard. Like discouragingly hard at times. Sometimes that discouragement comes from the mouths of our children. They see the disfunction in our lives and they call it out and openly wonder why we can't get our act together. What they fail to appreciate (and at their age, you really can't fault them) is that while it's true that we're failing to some degree, it's also true that we're trying. What this ultimately says is that we care and also that we ultimately expect to succeed. This perseverance, despite the pressures committed to our failure, is the very example they will look back on to help them persevere through their own struggles later in life.

Here's a nearly universal truth recognized among parents - every child is different. If that's true (and it is) then shouldn't the child training methods you apply to each child be different too? The obvious answer is 'yes' but parent's are hesitant to admit it. Why? In this episode we examine the answer to this question and what the appropriate response to the uniqueness of our children should be as parents.

Raising children can be quite distressing, especially when you feel you don't have any answers to the struggles you're facing. In truth, the answers are all around us, we simply don't have eyes to see them. In this episode we talk about a truth that many parents are either unaware of or have forgotten altogether and it very well could be the key to dramatically altering your relationship with your child for the better.

In the midst of the recent tragedy that we're still processing and many of us can't quite get over, there's a question that keeps sounding in my ears - what are you going to do about it? I imagine many of you are hearing it too. There's an obvious answer and they're staring directly up into our faces.

Thoughts on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the legacy of his extraordinary commitment to not only his home, but to millions outside of it. He was among the very few who have been strong enough to work a good work on two fronts and yet not allow one to detract from the other. May he rest in peace.