Adam Griffin, Cassie Bryant, and Chelsea Griffin are joined by David Thomas from Raising boys and Girls to discuss what it looks like to raise emotionally strong children in today’s culture.

Questions Covered in This Episode:

• For those who don’t know you, David, would you introduce yourself and tell us about you, your family, and your ministry?
• What’s been your favorite episode of Season 4 of the Raising Boys and Girls Podcast?
• Can you give us a little bit of the story of where this book came from? 
• Can you tell us about the emotional health we see in Jesus? How can we all model that when our culture is going in the other direction?
• In the book, you talk about what it might be like if we prioritized emotional health the way we prioritize youth sports or academics. What would it look like in our families if we were doing that? What would have to change?
• Can you help us understand the three “R’s” that you talk about, “Recognize, Regulate, and Repair”?
• When it comes to regulating, how do you know when to encourage which strategy? i.e. go work it out physically or go breathe.
• One of my favorite lines in your book is “In life, we’ve been promised struggle, but we’ve also been guaranteed hope.” Please talk to us about that. What is the hope?
• You talk about being on a mission to bring back journaling. How do you see that as an important part of dealing with our emotions?
• If someone doesn’t journal and they want to start, how would you advise them to start?
• What are the scriptures you lean on the most when you’re helping families think about raising kids that are emotionally strong?
• At the conclusion of the book, you encourage the readers to stop asking kids “what do you want to do?” and to start asking “who do you want to be?” Can you help us understand what you mean by that?
• If our listeners want to pray for you and your family, what can they ask God for on your behalf?

Guest Bio:

David Thomas is the Director of Family Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, TN. He is the co-author of ten books, including the best-selling Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys and Are My Kids on Track? The 12 Emotional, Social & Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach as well as his two latest titles Raising Emotionally Strong Boys and Strong and Smart: A Boy’s Guide to Building Healthy Emotions. He is a frequent guest on national television and podcasts, including his own called Raising Boys and Girls, has been featured in publications like The Washington Post and USA Today, and speaks across the country. He and his wife, Connie, have a daughter, twin sons, and a yellow lab named Owen. You can follow him on social media @raisingboysandgirls and find the latest parenting resources at raisingboysandgirls.com.

Helpful Definitions:

• Recognize: Paying attention to the signs and signals my body is going to give me when I am having an emotional response.
• Regulate: Employing healthy coping skills to help me get from stress to settled.
• Repair: Taking ownership and doing any needed relational work.
• Blame: Discharged pain.
• Shame: Self-contempt.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• “Raising Emotionally Strong Boys” by David Thomas
• Raising boys and Girls Podcast
• Hope Heals
• John 11, Matthew 26:36-46, Matthew 21:12 Isaiah 53:3, Romans 8:22-23, Romans 5:3-5, Ephesians 4:26, Titus 3:4-5

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