Parenting Counter-Intuitively

What difference does it make what we do when our kids can't see us? In this episode, we take a look at the importance of consistent character and how building consistent habits make us better parents.What's something that you do occasionally that would make you a better person and a better parent if you did it consistently? Your kids really will be able to tell the difference and it will impact who they are becoming. If you’d like to provide feedback, please contact us through our ...

In season 1 episode 4, Tammy and Josh talked about prioritizing your purpose and your marriage ahead of your kids so that you would be equipped to be an even better parent.This time, for the first time, we’ll have an episode without Tammy and instead Josh is joined by his longtime mentor and friend Tim.This topic is specifically for the guys, so ladies, you can tune out for this one and just recommend this episode to some of the men in your life.This is a podcast about parenting, so why would...

While most of us would say that truth-telling is intuitive, sometimes we still tell "little white lies" or worse, and by our reactions, we as parents can unintentionally incentivize our kids to bend the truth. In this episode, we'll expand the definition of a lie and advocate for the idea of being absolutist in modeling and insisting on truth-telling.We'll unpack this counterintuitive topic, provide some examples, including an interview with our 14 year old grandson, and leave you with some p...

Aren’t strangers supposed to be avoided for real safety reasons? Yes and no. Kids definitely need to be wary of strangers handing out free candy from a van a half a block from the school, but saying that kids shouldn’t accept rides from strangers or that they should be wary of anything that seems too good to be true is different from not TALKING to strangers.We'll unpack this counterintuitive topic, provide some examples, including an interview with our 30 year old entrepreneurial daugh...

Don't set rules for Dating?!? That sounds disastrous! If we don’t set rules, they’ll do all kinds of crazy out-of-bounds stuff, won’t they? Yes, without any rules, it would be crazy, but we don’t say there shouldn’t BE rules, but that as parents there are big questions like when to start dating that we need to coach them into creating their OWN rules for.Our guests in this episode are the authors of "Protecting His Workmanship", a practical interactive and thoroughly Biblical stud...

Aren't we supposed to provide the things our kids want and need?!? How are they going to be good kids if we don't manage their finances for them?In this episode we unpack some of the difficulties and benefits of setting up our kids to make their own economic decisions.Our Son and his wife will join us as a guest on this episode, and discuss how principles of economic responsibility have benefited them as adults and as a married couple.Finally, we’ll leave you with a couple of practical ways y...

Aren't we supposed to help our kids solve their problems?!? How are they going to function if they don't get their problems solved?In this episode we unpack some of the benefits of coaching our kids to learn to try and solve their own problems before bringing those issues to mom or dad.Our granddaughter will join us as a guest on this episode, and discuss how her mom and dad (our daughter) puts this into practice in their family and how it works out from her perspective.Finally, we’ll leave y...

Aren't we supposed to shelter our kids from embarrassment?!?In this episode we unpack some of the benefits of inoculating your kids against embarrassment and long term confidence that can be built with the right intentional support.Our 29 year old daughter will join us as a guest on this episode, and discuss how we embarrassed her and how that helped her in high school and beyond, along with how she's putting this principle into practice with her own kids.Finally, we’ll leave you with a coupl...

Is it wise to feed our kids appetite for attention? If so when, and what are the consequences if we're not intentional about it?We'll answer these questions with some examples from our 3 decades of parenting and other resources, then provide some specific ways that you can make some simple improvements that don't even take any extra time.As always, we don’t expect everyone to agree that this concept is correct or is right for your family but if it gets you thinking and more intentional ...

This month, we unpack the benefits of airing your dirty laundry for your kids to learn from.After a brief explanation of the concept, we’re joined by our 22 year old son for some real-life application of how this has helped him from his perspective growing up.Finally, we’ll leave you with a couple of practical suggestions for how you can put this counter-intuitive concept into practice in your family.As always, we don’t expect everyone to agree that this concept is correct or is right for you...