Raising Mentally Healthy Kids with Michelle Nietert

This week on Raising Brave Beauties, Lynn Cowell and I are joined by expert Katie Reid and her 16-year-old daughter Brooklyn!

Katie lives in central Michigan with her five kids and husband Adam. She is the author of Made like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Stuff Done, as well as a blogger, singer, and speaker.

We're talking about:

👂 Being an active listener for your daughter

❓ Important follow-up questions to ask when they confide in you

⚖ Balancing their desire for independence with your desire to connect

🎀 Seeing your child as God created them uniquely, instead of an extension of yourself

Listen via the link in bio or wherever you listen to your podcasts!

And be sure to check out our book "Loved and Cherished" available for pre-order on Amazon, shipping early September! 🌸✨📚

This week on Raising Brave Beauties, Lynn Cowell and I are joined by expert Erin Weidemann and her daughter Rooney!

Erin lives in San Diego, California with Rooney and her husband Brent, and is the publisher of the Bible Belle series as well as founder of Truth Becomes Her, an online education platform for moms and mentors of the next generation!

We're talking about:

🧠 Knowing when to give your children space but to not assume either

💒 Relying on the Holy Spirit to make the family the supportive unit he intended it to be

✍🏻 As a parent, it's okay to be flexible and pivot your position on something

📆 The importance of reflection and remembering what God brought you through

Listen via the link in bio or wherever you listen to your podcasts!

And be sure to check out our book "Loved and Cherished" available for pre-order on Amazon, shipping early September! 🌸✨📚

This week on Raising Brave Beauties, @lynncowell and I are joined by expert @karikampakis.

She lives with her husband and four daughters in Birmingham, Alabama. She is an author, blogger, and national speaker and her latest book "Love Her Well: 10 Ways to Find Joy and Connection with your Teenage Daughter" is available for pre-order at http://www.karikampakis.com

We're talking about:

🕰Choosing your timing and words carefully when speaking to your daughter

👍🏼 Being an empathic parent and validating their experiences

👂Giving your child the option to ask for help vs just a listening ear

🌈The effects of reading and expressing emotions in a healthy way

Listen via the link in bio or wherever you listen to your podcasts!

And be sure to check out our book "Loved and Cherished" available for pre-order on Amazon, shipping early September! 🌸✨📚

On this episode of Raising Brave Beauties, Lynn Cowell and I speak with Cindy Bultema and her teen daughter Amanda.

Cindy is the executive director of GEMS Girls' Clubs gemsgc.org, as well as a speaker, author, and Bible teacher. For more information visit cindybultema.com.

We're talking about:

👯‍♀Friendship difficulties in the middle and high school years.

🎓The option for your daughter to decide which school environment works best for them.

👨‍👩‍👧Parenting within your personality and your child's.

👂The "Three L's": Lean in, Listen, and Love.

And be sure to check out my book "Loved and Cherished" available for pre-order on Amazon to be shipped in early September! 🌸✨📚

This week on Raising Brave Beauties, we're talking with Lee Nienhuis and her daughter Lexi Beth of leenienhuis.com.

She is the host of Moms in Prayer podcast https://momsinprayer.org/resources/podcast/ and author of Countercultural Parenting: Building Character in a World of Compromise.

We're talking about:

😞How to handle disappointment in your child's life and taking mental health days.

🌻Cultivating each child for who they are.

👏🏻How to support your highly motivated children.

🏃🏻‍♀️Perseverance in your faith journey.

🌱Recognize when your child is growing and when is the stretch too much.

Please help us spread the word by subscribing and leaving a review.

And be sure to check out our book "Loved and Cherished" available for pre-order on Amazon to be shipped in early September! bit.ly/LovedandCherished

We'd love to hear from you! Whether you have a question for one of us, have a guest recommendation or topic suggestion. You can connect with us at https://lovedandcherished.me/

Today I wanted to introduce to you the latest season of my podcast, Raising Brave Beauties, with Lynn Cowell! We hope to empower mothers and daughters listening together to find the love and confidence that comes through Christ.

We're going to cover:

👩🏻‍🦱 Instilling the values of being a Brave Beauty in your adolescent daughter.

👩‍👧 Handling hard days, friendships, and having fun together.

📅 Preparing for life instead of reacting to it.

❤️ Determining our worth by the unconditional love of Christ.

Also, be sure to preorder our latest book "Loved and Cherished: 100 Devotions for Girls" available on Amazon. bit.ly/LovedandCherished

We'd love to hear from you! Whether you have a question for one of us, have a guest recommendation or topic suggestion. You can connect with us at https://lovedandcherished.me/

The holiday season often brings festive activities and get-togethers for many, but it also means that finding time to rest can pose as a challenge. Join Michelle Nietert as she speaks with author and sister, Melissa Spoelstra of Total Family Makeover, on what Scripture says about rest and what restorative activities may look like for you and your family, especially during the busy holiday season.

Melissa explores what true rest may look like for families and how modeling restorative activities for your children can impact not only them, but the entire family as well. More importantly, she places importance on finding rest in your relationship with Jesus and how he modeled that for us. Jesus took time to rest during his ministry and so should you!

Why is rest so important? What does it look like in your family? Rest often gets the most pushback from children—but it's essential to create that margin that works for your family to allow your soul to be restored through rest.

God took the last day to rest when he created the world—he modeled rest for us! The fourth commandment also told us to take Sabbath. Jesus was never racing from one thing to another and had a relaxed attitude toward life. Even though we're not bound to Sabbath by law since Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath, it's still important to take time to rest.

We need to value rest in a culture that values productivity. Don't confuse rest with leisure. Ask yourself, does my soul feel restored? Is it just escape or truly restful? Find what works!

Proverbs 14:30 states a relaxed attitude lengthens life!

Does this activity draw me closer to the Lord or further?

How does this leave my mind, body, soul, and spirit at the end of it?

Did it produce anything? True rest doesn't produce anything but solely resting.

What are you modeling for your child?

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Has blending families proven to a much bigger challenge than you anticipated? The key to a harmonious life may just be a perspective shift away.

In this episode, Michelle and author Gayla Grace (stepparentingwithgrace.com) breakdown five myths about stepfamily life that can help adjust expectations and bring the contentment you've been searching for.

Links

5 Myths About Step Family Life Step Parenting with Grace

For additional show notes and resources discussed in this podcast, please visit michellenietert.com/podcast.

In this episode, Michelle and Dr. Michelle Bengtson discuss having a hope that prevails in the midst of depression. Visit Michelle's blog at MichelleNietert.com/blog for more details and resources.