We live in an age of smart everything - smart phones, smart cars, smart homes, and smart kids. But what about us? Are we being smart in our parenting? 

Arlene's pastor Jeff Brawner is here to bring family changing principles from the book of Proverbs that will get you parenting smart according to the Word of God. In this message recorded at Bonita Valley Community Church, you'll learn: 

5:00 What does the Bible mean by “train up a child”?

10:00 How long am I supposed to train my kids?

12:30 These boundaries aren’t bad, they save lives

14:30 Your child has been pre-packed by God

17:45 Boys learn in different ways than girls

20:00 There’s no one size fits all - God has never created a child without purpose.

23:00 How can you provide security for your kids?

23:45 Lessons from the biosphere

27:00 Trust God’s promises when you don’t understand the plan

29:00 Deep convictions will keep your kids from falling

Pastor Jeff Brawner is the senior pastor of Bonita Valley Community Church in San Diego, California. He and his wife have two adult children who are serving in ministry. Learn more at BonitaValley.com 

Get Arlene's recommended reading list for kids and teens at Happy Home University. Just subscribe to Arlene's monthly free resource for instant access! happyhomeuniversity.com

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

Loving your kids is very important, but so is loving your spouse. How can you invest in your marriage this week? It’s worth the effort to get closer to your spouse because a strong marriage makes a strong family. It can be easier to talk about parenting and sweep your marriage issues under the rug. On today's episode, Arlene shares a few things she has learned about marriage.  

You'll learn:  

3:40 Here’s the weird thing that happened to me in spin class

6:20 Providing stability to your kids 

7:25 We don’t live in a committed culture 

9:00 Think of commitment like this, not that 

11:40 I would be considerate to my spouse if he was considerate to me…

15:00 What’s one thing you could do for your spouse today? 

16:00 But my spouse is no longer novel or interesting…

18:00 My husband’s glucose kick

19:50 Create more wonder in your marriage like this (check out Bill Farrel’s interview in the archives) 

22:00 Advice for stepfamilies (check out past interviews with Ron Deal and/or Laura Petherbridge in the archives) 

24:00 Dropping off our oldest to college with tears

If you want to learn more, read Arlene's book 31 Days to a Happy Husband. 

You can also take the masterclass here: happyhomeuniversity.com/happyhusband

Arlene Pellicane is the host of the Happy Home podcast, speaker, and author of several books including Parents Rising and Screen Kids.

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

Do you feel stuck in an endless cycle of meeting everyone else's needs? When you are also nourishing yourself, you bring the best of you into the family. How can you tell the difference between being selfish and self-care? Dr. Alison Cook is here to help with powerful truths from her new book, The Best of You. During today's conversation you'll learn:

2:30 You don’t always have to sacrifice

3:50 Is it selfish to ask “what do I want”?

6:10 Selfishness, Selfhood or Selflessness

7:40 If you put yourself aside to an extreme, it’s not healthy for you or your loved ones

9:10 Examples of selfhood from Jesus

10:30 Motive checks - am I pleasing people or being kind?

12:00 How can we help our middle schoolers be true to themselves (not conform for others)?

15:00 Open conversations like this for teens

16:10 Moms who are spiritually strong but emotionally struggling

17:40 Codependency compared to healthy dependence

20:00 The two extremes “I need you to approve of me” and “I’m good”

21:30 The connection between trauma and mental health

22:31 Trauma defined as “unwitnessed pain”

25:30 Your presence, your nonverbals - why is this important for kids?

27:00 Guardrails against narcissism

Dr. Alison Cook has been a therapist for more than 20 years. She’s brought faith and psychology together to help thousands of women reclaim their confidence and find purpose.

Find out about her new book, "The Best of You: Break Free from Painful Patterns, Mend Your Past and Discover Your True Self in God" on her website. 

Learn more about Arlene's book Screen Kids and the masterclass at Happy Home University 

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

According to today's guest, a father is the most important person in a young girl's life. That's what Dr. Meg Meeker has been seeing again and again in her practice as a pediatrician. Learn why this connection is so important and how to strengthen these bonds, no matter what your current situation. On today's podcast based on Dr. Meeker's bestselling book, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, you'll learn: 

2:40 The importance of a dad’s words - the sentence that changed Dr. Meeker’s life 

4:20 What are the main differences between a dad and a mom? 

6:55 If you think it’s too late to build a strong relationship with your daughter, it’s not. Take ten minutes and do this…

8:10 Children get cues from parents - if mom or dad is upset or anxious, kids will be too 

10:40 What inspired you to write your book, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters? 

12:10 What’s it like seeing your book made into a movie? 

14:20 Why did you include humility as a chapter in your book? How do dads show humility to daughters in a healthy way? 

15:50 Daughters crave for their dad to protect them (even if they say otherwise) 

18:10 Do this dad when your daughter comes home from a date 

20:40 Set the rules of dress and dating beforehand 

22:30 What differences are you seeing in your teen patients in the last five years because of technology? 

24:10 Why is social media so dangerous for girls?  

Dr. Meeker is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She's written 7 books and a mother of four and grandmother of six. Her bestselling book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters (which has sold more than half a million copies) has just been adapted into a movie on Pure Flix. 

Watch the movie Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters on Pure Flix 

Find out more about Dr. Meeker on her website meekerparenting.com

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

You're raising tiny disciples. Whether you have young ones or teens, Melissa Swain is here to help us write God's Word on our children's hearts. Family discipleship made simple. How do we do this in a way that our kids embrace? Today you'll learn: 

3:45 What can Alexander the Great teach us about culture today? What is vulture culture?

5:50 The urgency of parenting…we have limited time

7:10 This isn’t an easy fix

7:50 How can you test how much popular culture is influencing your child?

10:30 Disciplining younger kids looks like this

11:50 How can I get my 18 year old to obey house rules?

14:50 You don’t have to have a huge chunk of time to disciple

17:10 The difference between connecting with a moment and connecting with your child

19:40 Try these creative s'mores

21:30 What NOT to do with your kids

24:10 A different way to hold your kids accountable

26:55 How might a family start a discipleship plan at home?

28:45 Help for the single mom (or for the mom who is the only Christian in the home)

Guest Melissa Swain is the co-author of Write It On Their Hearts (authored with her late husband Chris). Melissa has spent nearly 23 years as a pastor’s wife and is a mom, homeschool teacher, writer, and editor.  

To learn more, go to Melissa's website writeitontheirhearts.com

Take the quiz, Is your child getting too much screen time? at happyhomeuniversity.com

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

You've probably heard of the Enneagram - can it actually help you understand your kids or your spouse? Enneagram coach Beth McCord is teaching how this tool can aid spiritual and relational growth in your home. You'll see how the Enneagram can help you navigate disagreements better with your spouse and more. In today's conversation, we'll talk about:

2:40 - These are the 4 core motivations for every person

3:50 - Be alert of your weaknesses

9:20 - Seeing through your spouse's lens

11:20 - How do you find out your Enneagram?

13:00 - How can you appreciate and leverage how you’re wired

15:00 - What if your Enneagram is in direct conflict with your spouse’s?

20:30 - Discovery is not recovery

25:00 - What this picture reveals about God our Good Shepherd

Beth McCord is the bestselling author and co-founder with her husband Jeff of "Your Enneagram Coach," one of the largest Enneagram platforms in the world and the only one of its size to that teaches people how to use the Enneagram from a faith based perspective. More than 2 million people have taken their online Enneagram type assessment. Beth and her husband Jeff have a new book, "More Than Your Number: A Christ-Centered Enneagram Approach to Becoming Aware of Your Internal World."

Learn more on their website Your Enneagram Coach yourenneagramcoach.com

Learn more about Arlene's book 31 Days to a Happy Husband. arlenepellicane.com

Learn more about the masterclass. happyhomeuniversity.com/happyhusband

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

My husband James and I dropped our oldest child off at college a few weeks ago. Launching adults is hard. Author of Empty Nest, Marci Seither, is here to help us prepare for the next stage of parenting, wherever you are on the parenting journey. Marci has lots of experience as a mother of six! On today's podcast you'll learn:

3:50 How do you prepare to enter a new season with your kids? 

6:10 The gap between our six kids - one in drivers training and one in potty training at the same time 

7:30 Tight ring years - what does this mean? 

12:00 Arlene sending off her oldest to college 

13:10 How can we help prepare siblings for when their brother or sister leaves home? 

17:45 What if you’re worried that your child isn’t ready to launch? What if you’re almost relieved that he or she is leaving because they cause stress in the home?  

20:25 How did you cope with kids leaving home…stress knitting! It’s okay to grieve…

23:00 Finding a rhythm of rest - a quieting that you can create space for something new 

26:45 “I feel like the best years of my life are over….” - how do you reinvent yourself after the empty nest? 

30:45 How to parent your college child - what’s too much? What’s too little? 

32:20 How to keep your marriage interesting 

Marci Seither is the author of Empty Nest and a beautiful new devotional, Lakeside Retreat. She has been featured on Focus on the Family, Guideposts magazine, and in hundreds of articles. Find out more at MarciSeither.com

Get Arlene's book 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Wife at ArlenePellicane.com

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/HappyHome.

If you listen to Christian music, you've probably heard songs by today's guest Colton Dixon. This award winning musician is here to talk about becoming a father, the miracle he experienced with his twin baby girl, and how you can experience more of the supernatural in your family. Colton is featured on LIVE + LOCAL, a new show on Pure Flix. In today's interview, you'll learn:

2:30 Being on American Idol compared to becoming a father

4:30 Delivering the twins - we had huge complications

7:00 Needing a family miracle, blocking out fear, choosing faith

10:20 A funny place Arlene heard Colton’s song Miracles…

11:00 The story behind Colton’s new song, Build a Boat

12:50 If you’re going through a dry season as a family…

14:00 Highs and lows in Colton’s career, how can we help our kids with disappointment?

18:50 Colton’s confession about taping for a new show, LIVE + LOCAL on Pure Flix

20:45 Working with Dave Coulier, Uncle Joey from Full House

22:30 Teens expressing themselves through fashion - what’s okay? What’s too much?

24:30 What can we do as parents about music with bad lyrics?

28:00 My daughters Athens and Dior living up to their names

Colton Dixon has released three No1 albums and his music has been streamed more than 100 million times. He's been awarded 2 Dove Awards and KLOVE nominations. You can watch Colton guest star on the show LIVE + LOCAL, now streaming on Pure Flix. 

Learn more about Colton Dixon on his website coltondixon.com

Find more about Arlene Pellicane's book and masterclass, Screen Kids happyhomeuniversity.com

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/HappyHome

The ideal mom is often portrayed in an impossible light, leaving the rest of us feeling lost and inferior. There are myths that moms are pressured into believing. On today's podcast, Arlene Pellicane shares three myths moms tend to fall for. You'll learn how to spot these myths and debunk them. Living in the light of God's truth makes your heart lighter - and that's going to bless your children. In today's message originally given at the Sisterhood Summit with GEMS Girls Clubs, you'll learn: 

3:00 Arlene's childhood bully at recess 

3:30 Myth #1: I am not beautiful. 

5:30 What you are going to say to yourself when you look in the mirror 

6:00 Findings from a study of girls about their ideas of beauty 

11:50 Social media is dangerous when we compare and despair 

13:50 Myth #2: I have a terrible body. 

16:00 Arlene's confession about stealing her son's cookies 

22:10 Myth #3: I don't have enough time. 

26:30 How to save time on social media 

27:50 Ask this question before you grab your phone, laptop, device 

31:00 It's not about time management, it's about energy management 

Learn more about GEMS Girls Clubs at gemsgc.org

Get Arlene's book, 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Mom at arlenepellicane.com

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/HappyHome

"Emotionally mature" may not be the words you use to describe your son. Maybe your boy is prone to outbursts, or rarely says more than one sentence at a time. Counselor and author David Thomas is here to help us nurture and raise emotionally strong boys. In today's conversation, you'll learn: 

2:30 How can we understand our boys better by using the Incredible Hulk? 

5:00 Teach these three R’s to your kids so they can regulate themselves, going from stressed to settled 

7:00 Work things out for yourself out loud so your child can hear how you manage stress and problems without angry outbursts

9:10 Boys funnel emotions through anger; they are more physical than girls (hitting walls, biting, etc) 

11:00 How a walk, run, and movement can help your son regulate emotions 

13:30 How to respond according to research when your boy says, “But I want to play my video game, it helps me calm down.” 

15:00 Creating a top five list of regulation strategies 

17:20 Emotional vocabulary chart - how to get one for free 

19:45 The difference between saying “I am depressed” versus “I feel sad” 

22:30 Suicidal ideations - how can you tell if your child is serious? 

24:30 Adult men lead some of the scariest stats out there - including suicide 

27:50 Practice this exercise to put events in perspective (so they know losing homework isn’t the end of the world) 

David Thomas is the director of family counseling at Daystar Counseling in Nashville, TN and the coauthor of 10 books. He and his fellow counselor Sissy Goff co-host the podcast Raising Boys and Girls. David’s newest book is Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son Can Build on for Life.  

Find out more about David Thomas and his book Raising Emotionally Strong Boys at RaisingBoysandGirls.com

Take the free quiz, "Is my child getting too much screen time?" at HappyHomeUniversity.org

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/HappyHome