Anyone else tired of hearing how awful kids are today? It’s like our youth has mysteriously mutated into crazy virus infected monsters, all under the watchful eyes of parents…. Can we really blame society for how our kids turn out? Do we really believe it’s on society to raise our kids? As parents are we held hostage? Hands tied? Do we really believe our influence is less than societies?

In this podcast Luke dives into how take control and turn the tide... Stop talking, start acting!

What's your kids one behavior that drives you nuts? Frustrates you to no end! Not only happens daily, but seems like it never stops! Is it that constant persistence when you've already said no 100 times? A child's, what seems like, endless supply of energy? Our kids aggressive, independent, every man for themselves attitude? No matter the behavior, how do we help our kids develop, manage and utilize this for good? Many times these behaviors can be huge differentiators if they learn how to harness and properly manage them as they get older. Jena and Luke dive into this subject and share what's happening in the James household. The good, the bad and the ugly! Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud.

Our kids are so much more resilient than we even know. Capable of overcoming insurmountable odds. Jena and I are so thankful for our middle daughter Presley everyday, but every year on her birthday we remember the NICU doctor telling us to call a Pastor because Presley was born with a rare birth defect that was likely to be fatal. This little girl defeated the odds and reminds us to count our blessings and thank God everyday! We share her story in this podcast and encourage all parents to remember that kids can be so resilient with our support.

No doubt it’s important to spend time with our kids, but we also have to balance this with letting them entertain themselves. Jena and Luke dive into this topic and share our struggles and thoughts...

As parents we’re bombarded with information on parenting. Don’t do this, you have to do this, if you do this you’re going to mess your kid up, if you don’t do this you’re a terrible parent, and on and on....

There’s a lot of really good information out there and there’s a lot of really bad. Most of us overthink what it takes to connect and raise our kids. Just like in other areas of our life we look for the easy way out or the quick fix, none of which exist with parenting. In this podcast I dive into my number one tip for parenting. Check it out I hope you enjoy! Also check on my feature on the Des Moines Parents blog, https://desmoinesparent.com/des-moines-parent-spotlight-luke-james/

Jena and Luke dive into the top 2 challenges of 2018 and what we learned. We also share a few “can’t make this up” stories from the last couple months. We dust of the rust and really hit our stride at minute 18, hang on you won’t regret it!

Our kids are our responsibility. Everything they do while living under our roof is on us. We can’t blame society, other kids or anything/one else for how they develop. We must take max ownership of this! This is our opportunity to develop young leaders that will shape the world...

Our kids have many influences in their lives. Friends, family, tv, their parents to name a few. We can control a lot of what they are exposed to and what they're not, but some things are out of our control. Just because we can control these things doesn't mean we could be controlling. Making every decision and sheltering our kids from every challenging situation will not benefit them. Our kids need guidance and direction, but also need to be allowed to experience life and make their own decisions. This will prepare them for life by developing their confidence and conflict resolution skills. In this podcast we dive into this subject and share stories from our kids.

Want to know a simple way to standout in today? Something we can all model for our kids with no extra effort? Something all of our kids can easily learn? Manners and respect! That's it! So simple, yet so rare... Kids, and adults, with manners standout today AND to become a successful leader you have to treat others respectfully.

Feel alone? You're not! We've all felt like we're stranded on an island with our crazy family. From hating your spouse to regretting having kids, we've all felt these emotions and it's OK, BUT DON'T go at it all alone!

In the latest episode of Madhouse Parents Podcast Jena and Luke discuss surviving the seasons of parenting. The good, the bad, & the UGLY! Through 3 kids over 7 years & 10+ years of marriage we’ve had our UPS & DOWNS. Listen in as we share our experiences and thoughts on surviving the seasons of parenting.