Today we will hear from Jeff Duenke, our Technical Director, as he shares his journey of adapting his parenting styles for each of his children as they grew older.

Jeff met his wife Becky and, after two years of marriage, they felt ready to start their family. Twenty-seven years later, they have three sons and one daughter.  Jeff was raised to not display his emotions and was often praised for being “even-keeled”.  Listen as Jeff describes his journey of recognizing and admitting parenting mistakes, loving and raising his sons and daughter uniquely, and adapting his parenting style as he strove to teach his children to not only make healthy decisions, but also to grow knowing God’s love for them.

If you are a new parent or want to be a parent, this episode is for you as Jeff addresses the unique role a father has in raising both sons and daughters as well as the importance of affirming your children in both the big and small moments.

Enjoy! Check out our FREE resources! https://gracebible.church/nextgenresources

Today we will hear from Melanie Lee, our Executive Director of NextGen and Local Outreach, as she shares her journey of perseverance both to and in motherhood.

Melanie met her husband Michael later in life and, after two years of marriage, they felt ready to start their family. After trying for a while, they sought the counsel of medical professionals and learned their ability to have children would not be easy.  At one point, a doctor even told them they may need to consider “child-free living”.  Listen as Melanie describes their multi-year journey that included several rounds of IVF and ended in the adoption of their daughter Marley Grace.

Her story, though, does not end there.  Adopting Marley Grace was only the beginning as Melanie talks about navigating those initial years along with balancing the challenges of transracial adoption. 

If you are a new parent, want to be a parent, or are single and have friends that are parents, this episode is for you as Melanie addresses how the support of others and their encouragement, along with her faith, helped her and Michael navigate their journey of parenthood. 

Check out our FREE resources! https://gracebible.church/nextgenresources

Today we are super excited to be spending time with Peter and Megan. They've been married for almost eight years in December.

Peter works full-time, and Megan left her job as a teacher to stay home with their three boys. They are parenting three under four years old, and I think she used the word "rollercoaster" to describe it. 

I feel really strongly that after spending time with them and listening to them that whether you're married, single, or a different type of parent, I think you'll learn a lot from Peter and Megan.

Enjoy!

Enjoy our free resources: https://gracebible.church/nextgenresources

This week we had a conversation with Beth Hunter, a mental health therapist and a parent to three grown children. She's going to talk to us about how we can help our kids manage anxiety and about three different types of anxiety, ranging from stress all the way through to depression and anger.

She gives some great steps to us parents on how to manage the anxiety our children are dealing with intentionally. So we hope that this episode will work as a translator of sorts for parents to realize, oh, my kid is experiencing this emotion because of X, Y, and Z or ABC., and there are ways that I can validate that and learn to interpret that. This episode offers parents the hope that it is never too late to have a positive relationship with your family. 

Enjoy our free resources: https://gracebible.church/nextgenresources

This week’s guest on The Parent Club is Vanessa Clinton. She is a mom, an educator, and an amazing woman who brings a fresh perspective to parenting little people. Vanessa, a black woman, was raised by two white parents, and in this episode, she leans into her experiences about what that's like and how it impacts her while raising her own three kids.

We wanted parents to hear her story because it is real example of how complicated life can be and how our family of origin influences our own parenting.  Regardless of whether you are a diverse family, a white family, a two parent family or single parent, Vanessa's stories and perspective will spark something in you.

We hope it helps you to think about being more intentional in your interactions in all things, while raising your little humans. Enjoy!

Enjoy our free resources: https://gracebible.church/nextgenresources

In today’s episode, we talk to Jason & Emily Brown, brand-new parents to Kennedy! we’ll unpack what surprised The Browns the most about becoming parents,  how to handle guilt in parenting, balancing work/home life, and why working on your marriage is the best thing you can do as a parent.  One theme that comes out in today’s episode is to remember that “It’s Just a Phase…so don’t miss it!

Enjoy our free resources: https://gracebible.church/nextgenresources

Today we talked to single parent Emily Wells. She had such amazing gems for us that can take some of the parenting perfection guilt off of us all, whether we are part of a couple or not. Community is very important to her as a single parent and she talks about how they are even more important for single parents. It all comes down to the fact that Emily loves Jesus and His people and it is highlighted in this amazing conversation. 

Subscribe and share if you love this conversation!

Go get our resources at https://gracebible.church/nextgenresources

In Part 2 of our chat with Eric and Ashleigh, we’re chatting about parenting teenagers…how to build influence with them, practical ways to fight for relationships with them, and the value of admitting when you’re wrong.  We also have some great resources to share with you!

Eric and Ashleigh have been married for almost 25 years and have 5 children. Three of their children are biological and two are adopted, and their ages range from college down to middle school. 

Eric and Ashleigh have been married for almost 25 years and have 5 children. Three of their children are biological and two are adopted, and their ages range from college down to middle school. They have been through many of the stages parents deal with, so are the perfect first guests for us in The Parent Club.

Key Takeaways

Parenting fails and successes

Parenting with community

Postpartum depression

Practical ways to parent your kids through discipline

Welcome to The Parent Club.  In our pilot episode, we’d love for you to get to know our podcast hosts: Leslie Horton, Melanie Lee, and Matt Love.  

Leslie is the lead Kids Director at Grace Bible Church, wife to Bill and mom of two adult boys and a brand new mother-in-law.  

Melanie Lee is the Executive Director of NextGen (kids and students and families) at Grace Bible Church,  wife to Michael, and mom to a preschool-aged daughter who loves to sing at the top of her lungs.  

Matt Love is a Students Director at Grace Bible Church and a husband and girl dad of a one and half year old daughter.  

Welcome to The Parent Club!