All things being equal, what can a family do to raise children rooted in Christ and in the Church? We bring them to church services regularly, and we serve to show our example. Is that enough?

Madona and I unpack this complex topic and try to see what factors make for faithful kids.

Don’t forget to send us your opinion via email at [email protected] or via IG @madona_writes or @copticlaura

When a teachable moment happens, we have a few options as parents for how to deal with it. There’s a range of choices from ignoring it completely and letting it slide to sitting our kids down for a formal conversation.

Recently, Madona had a strange experience at Wal-mart that she couldn’t let slide. She felt compelled to process it with her kids—but not directly. Listen in to see how the conversation went and our takeaways.

Don’t forget to send us your opinion via email at [email protected] or via IG @madona_writes or @copticlaura

As parents, especially parents on social media, we’re constantly bombarded with tidbits of advice about how to be better parents—and the mental health damage we could be inflicting on our kids with things we say. In this episode, Madona and I talk about when enough is enough.

Madona just came back from a long and, in many ways exhausting, vacation… We chat about whether it’s worth it to take our kids with us on our adventures.

This week, Raising Up Copts gets two special guests, the hosts of the Australian-based MAMI podcast, Mirette and Marina. We talk about the surprisingly confusing and controversial terrain of self-care—from a Christian perspective.

Madona and I reflect on our episodes last year about Holy Week. We also take a close look at how our week is shaping up quite differently this year.

Resources We Love:

Joy in Play Life: https://campsite.bio/joyinplaylife and https://www.instagram.com/joyinplaylife/

Kids Christian Prints: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/kidschristianprints and https://www.instagram.com/kidschristianprints/

We the Copts

Anastasis: The Harrowing of Hades (affiliate link)

Mireille’s Newest Book (affiliate link)

This week, Phoebe Farag Mikhail, author of Putting Joy into Practice, joins us to talk about how we can truly love our neighbors and obey the Golden Rule. There are a lot of great resources mentioned in this episode, and you can find the links to them below!

Great Lent Children’s Picture Book Guide

Film: St. Abraam, Friend of the Poor (Arabic)

Kids Show: Emergency Q (Arabic)

Article: Lessons From Marie Bassili Assaad and Mother Irene

Book: A Ride to Remember (affiliate link)

Book: Desmond and the Very Mean Word (affiliate link)

Oriental Orthodox Solidarity Project

Michelle Sous Foundation

Are there any family traditions you DON’T want to pass on to your kids? Madona and I discuss a few we’re hoping to shed in this generation.

Share your responses with us at [email protected]

Madona and I are joined by Mary Attallah of @unclutteryourworld. This instagram decluttering guru shares her best tips for a neat space! You won’t want to miss this episode full of great ideas and shortcuts to making decluttering more fun for the whole family!

Are there ways to bulletproof your marriage? To sidestep divorce? Can you tell how people’s marriages are going from the outside? Are there things to watch out for in your own relationship?

Madona and Laura have an open conversation about their fears and (mis)perceptions around successful marriages.

If you have advice or want to add something to this conversation, this is a part 1 with a promised future part 2 and we would love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]