Parents Making Time with Anthony & Jennifer Craiker | Intentional Parenting for Busy Parents

What happens when your child no longer needs you—but still needs you?

For years, you’ve guided, protected, corrected, and directed. You’ve worked hard to practice to intentionally parent your infant, toddler, teenager. But when your child becomes an adult, everything changes.

And here’s the mistake many busy parents make:
 We don’t adjust.

We keep controlling instead of influencing.
 We keep fixing instead of coaching.
 We hold on to being needed instead of embracing being chosen.

If we don’t make this shift, we risk damaging the very relationship we worked so hard to build.

In this episode of Parents Making Time, Anthony and Jennifer share a real-life story about their daughter navigating a major financial decision, and the difficult but necessary step they made of letting go. They unpack what intentional parenting looks like when your child is 18, 19, or beyond.

Because parenting adult children isn’t about letting go of love.
 It’s about changing how love looks.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• The 3 essential parenting shifts that help busy parents stay connected to adult children
• How to move from control to influence without losing your voice
• Why being chosen by your adult child is more powerful than being needed

If you want to build lasting family relationships without creating resentment, this episode will help you become the kind of parent your adult children still want to call, just because.

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify

What will your kids still have from you when you’re no longer there to guide them?

So many of us spend years chasing accomplishments, careers, and milestones.  We think we know what success looks like. But when you slow down and really think about it those aren’t the things your children will treasure most.

Here’s the hard truth:

 If you don’t intentionally capture your stories they will disappear.

Busy parents often assume journaling takes too much time, requires great writing skills, or just isn’t important enough to prioritize. So we put it off.

But the cost of “someday” is huge for you and for your kids.

Today, we’re sharing simple, realistic solutions that makes journaling doable in minutes a day, even for the busiest families, and how this small practice can become one of the greatest gifts you ever leave behind.

✅ BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• How 5–10 minutes of journaling can improve your mental health, clarity, and stress levels right now
• Easy, practical journaling methods that work for busy parents (voice memos, planners, apps, or pen & paper)
• How capturing your stories creates a lasting legacy that strengthens your children’s identity, resilience, and connection for generations

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify

Have you ever assumed your kids just know you love them even if you don’t always say it out loud?

As busy parents, it’s easy to focus on schedules, discipline, homework, and getting through the day only to miss the small, intentional words that actually build trust and connection.

Maybe you’ve lost your patience. Maybe pride made it hard to apologize.Maybe you thought, “They already know how I feel.”

But the truth is that unspoken love, unspoken gratitude, and unspoken repair slowly create distance in our relationships. And over time, those little missed moments add up.

In this episode of Parents Making Time, Anthony and Jennifer share three simple phrases that can completely transform your relationship with your kids — phrases backed by neuroscience, attachment research, and their own real-life parenting stories.

Because intentional parenting isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about being willing to say, “I’m sorry.”, “Thank you.”, and “I love you.” 

These small words create emotional safety, strengthen trust, and teach your kids how to build healthy relationships for the rest of their lives.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• How saying “I’m sorry” actually strengthens trust and respect with your kids
• Why gratitude and verbal affection rewire your child’s brain for safety and connection
• A simple daily mindset to help busy parents make more emotional deposits than withdrawals

If you’re a parent who wants to be more present, more connected, and more intentional without adding more to your already full plate, this episode will show you how three small phrases can make a lifelong impact.

When you finish listening, we’d love for you to connect with us on social media!

Follow us on Instagram and like our page on Facebook to keep the conversation going. It’s the best way to get quick tips, encouragement, and resources to help you make time for what matters most—your family.

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify

When you hand your child their first phone, are you trusting them or protecting them?

For many busy parents, giving kids a smartphone feels like a parenting milestone you’re never fully ready for. You want to build trust. You want to respect privacy. You don’t want to be “that parent.”

But today’s phones aren’t just phones. They’re constant access to social media, messaging apps, strangers, addictive algorithms, and content our kids’ developing brains aren’t prepared to handle alone. And if you’re trying to practice intentional parenting while juggling work, family life, and everything else on your plate, it’s easy to fall into a hands-off approach and hope for the best.

We did too. Until one night, everything changed.

In this episode of Parents Making Time, we share our personal parenting story about kids and cell phones, the mistake we made by leaning too heavily on trust, and why we now strongly believe that parental monitoring is a necessary part of modern parenting and digital safety. Not to spy. Not to control. But to protect, teach, and guide.

Because intentional parenting means being proactive, especially when it comes to technology.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• Why trusting your kids isn’t enough when it comes to smartphones and online safety
• How phone monitoring and screen time boundaries can actually strengthen parent-child communication
• Practical, realistic ways busy parents can protect their kids’ digital lives without constant conflict
  
  
  

If you’ve ever wondered, “Should I be checking my child’s phone?,” we’re giving you our honest answer. And yes, we believe it’s a clear one.

When you finish listening, we’d love for you to connect with us on social media!

Follow us on Instagram and like our page on Facebook to keep the conversation going. It’s the best way to get quick tips, encouragement, and resources to help you make time for what matters most—your family.

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify

Are you a busy parent who feels pressure to create “perfect” family moments—but still worries you’re missing what really matters in parenting?

In the middle of full schedules, work demands, and daily responsibilities, many busy parents believe meaningful memories require big trips, extra money, or elaborate planning. That mindset can quietly pull us away from intentional parenting and leave families feeling disconnected—even when everyone is technically together.

The truth is, some of the most powerful parenting moments happen in the small, ordinary experiences we tend to overlook. When we stop chasing big moments and start practicing intentional parenting, connection becomes easier, more natural, and far more sustainable for busy parents.

In this episode of Parents Making Time, we share three simple, realistic ways to create core memories through intentional parenting—without adding stress, time, or financial pressure to your already full life.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• Three practical ways busy parents can create lasting core memories through intentional parenting
• Why simple, everyday parenting moments often matter more than big, expensive experiences
• How being present—especially outdoors—strengthens connection, reduces stress, and deepens family relationships
  
  

If you’re a busy parent who wants to be more intentional in your parenting without burning out, this episode will help you start building meaningful family memories—one small moment at a time.

When you finish listening, we’d love for you to connect with us on social media!

Follow us on Instagram and like our page on Facebook to keep the conversation going. It’s the best way to get quick tips, encouragement, and resources to help you make time for what matters most—your family.

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify

What if the tension you’re feeling at home isn’t just about your kids, but about the connection you’ve lost with your spouse?

As parents, we spend so much time pouring into our children that our marriage often gets whatever is left over—if anything at all. Date nights feel inconvenient, expensive, or impossible, especially when life is busy and you’re already exhausted.

But here’s the truth: when your marriage relationship suffers, everything in your home feels harder. It affects your patience, your parenting, and even the emotional tone of your family.

In this episode of Parents Making Time, Anthony and Jennifer share a real season when parenting challenges with their youngest strained not just their energy, but their connection as a couple. What changed everything wasn’t a big breakthrough or perfect circumstances. It was intentional time together, even when it felt inconvenient, and the ripple effects were immediate.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• Why prioritizing your marriage actually makes you a better parent (and creates a healthier home for your kids)
• The hidden consequences of neglecting intentional time with your spouse, including emotional disconnection and transactional parenting
• Practical, realistic ways to make date night happen in every season of life, whether you’re short on time, money, babysitters, or energy
  
  
  

When you nurture your marriage, you’re not choosing your spouse over your kids—you’re choosing a stronger family culture for everyone. Sometimes the most powerful intentional parenting move you can make is a date night.

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify

What if the reason parenting feels so overwhelming isn’t because you’re doing it wrong, but because you’re chasing a version of “balance” that was never realistic to begin with?

So many busy parents feel like they’re failing because life doesn’t look perfectly balanced — work, kids, marriage, home, hobbies, all neatly managed at once. When reality doesn’t match that picture, guilt and stress creep in fast.

In today’s episode of Parents Making Time, we challenge the myth of balance in parenting and offer a healthier, more sustainable approach--an approach rooted in intentional parenting, presence, and priorities that actually work in real family life. Instead of chasing perfection, we invite you to trade balance for rhythm and learn how to ride the waves of parenting without burning out.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• Why the idea of “balance” often creates more pressure, guilt, and anxiety for busy parents
• How to reframe parenting as seasons and rhythms — not a checklist or a constant juggling act
• Practical ways to stay present with your kids and family, even during the most demanding seasons of life

Whether you’re navigating a demanding career, raising kids, managing a household, or simply trying to be more intentional with the time you have, this episode will help you release unrealistic expectations and find more joy, connection, and peace in your parenting journey.

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify

No new episode of Parents Making Time this week. Merry Christmas to you and your family! Make time to become the parent you want to be!

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify

What if the parenting stress you feel isn’t from parenting itself, but from being the only one holding everything together?

So many busy parents fall into the quiet habit of carrying the entire load—the dishes, the laundry, the dog, the clutter, the schedules—while hoping their kids will “just pitch in.” But without clear expectations, kids don’t know how to help, and parents end up exhausted, frustrated, and burned out.

In this episode, we’re sharing simple, practical strategies for teaching responsibility, building teamwork, and creating a strong family culture where everyone contributes. Not through power struggles or punishment, but through clarity, consistency, and intentional parenting practices that help your kids grow in confidence—and help you reclaim time, energy, and peace and stop feeling overwhelmed, avoiding mom guilt and dad guilt in the process. Effective parenting is more than time management; it's life management. 

WHILE LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• How to clearly communicate household expectations so your kids take ownership without nagging or conflict
• Practical tools like chore rotations, 30-minute cleanups, and predictable routines that boost responsibility and reduce parent burnout and parent anxiety
• How shared chores strengthen family relationships, support healthy time management for busy parents, and create meaningful family traditions

00:00 Introduction
00:28 The Burden of Household Chores
00:41 The Game-Changing Shift: Involving Kids in Chores
01:29 The Mom Rampage
02:17 Setting Clear Expectations
03:17 Effective Chore Strategies
04:46 The 30-Minute Cleanup
06:55 Rotations and Responsibility
09:33 The Family Dog: A Lesson in Responsibility
13:44 Conclusion and Next Episode Sneak Peek

When you finish listening, we’d love for you to connect with us on social media!

Follow the show on Instagram and  Facebook to keep the conversation going. It’s the best way to get quick tips, encouragement, and resources to help you make time for what matters most—your family.

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify

Parents, have you ever felt torn between expert parenting advice and your own motherly or fatherly instincts?

Recommendations that once felt like hard rules can completely reverse over the years. When advice changes, parenting can feel confusing and overwhelming. Parenting anxiety can be a real challenge.

So many parents rely solely on experts and forget the powerful intuition they already have. When advice constantly changes—from peanut butter rules to sleep positions to breastfeeding recommendations—it can create stress, anxiety, and fear that you're not doing motherhood or fatherhood "right."

In this episode, we share how to balance expert guidance with parental intuition, reduce stress, eliminate parent anxiety, and make confident decisions for your children—without the mom guilt or dad guilt.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• How to stop feeling overwhelmed (even when expert advice changes)
• How to confidently trust your own instincts (even when it feels scary)
• Practical ways to use expert information without letting it control you

Intentional parenting doesn't come with a manual—but you do have intuition, wisdom, and unique knowledge of your child. When you combine that with research and expert insights, you make grounded decisions that benefit both you and your kids.

00:00 Introduction and Free Resource Announcement

00:28 Navigating Conflicting Parenting Advice

02:18 Trusting Your Parental Instincts

04:11 Balancing Expert Advice and Intuition

07:14 Practical Examples and Personal Stories

10:18 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview

Follow the show on Instagram and  Facebook to keep the conversation going. It’s the best way to get quick tips, encouragement, and resources to help you make time for what matters most—your family.

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Please note, your question may be featured on the show).

For parenting inspiration, time management ideas, and encouragement for families, follow the hosts' individual accounts:

Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn

Jennifer Craiker: Instagram

Interested in joining our free online parenting community? Send us a DM to receive an invite!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/

Enjoy the show? Leave a rating & review: Apple | Spotify