TRUSTED by your Teenager with Kristen Duke

From the beginning, I wanted Beyond Good Intentions to be a PARENTING podcast, not just for and about motherhood, but parenting suggestions for both mothers and fathers.

I knew I wanted to have men as guests, even though most of my interaction has been through mothers, and who I feel most comfortable interviewing. But men...FATHERS, I believe are a very integral part of raising children, and their perspective is very important to me as well.

I also knew I wanted to have my dad share early on because he is amazing in my eyes. He took his role as father very seriously, and I'm delighted to share HIM with YOU today. When you make it to the very end of this interview, and hear about the 50 year Harvard Study, you will know why he felt so reinforced in his role.

I feel like this is our first EXPERT, because truly my dad is a SCHOLAR OF LIFE. You'll hear him quote books and studies, this is the REAL DEAL my friends, it's truly my dad, off-the-cuff. It's all information just swimming around in his brain, no google searches, no notes to prepare him, he didn't know what I would be asking!

A lot of his parenting ideals stems from his desire to learn, to read, and to be better. This example has been my inspiration throughout my life. I love how at one point he shares a not so positive parenting example, and the guilt that followed, but how over time he learned he didn't have to be perfect, but to be striving to always better himself as a parent and learn from his mistakes.

One of my favorite lessons from him in my early parenting days is why we should never ask our kids rhetorical questions, you'll hear this explained as well.

Not only do we discuss his growing up in a small town and how he was disciplined according to the "spare the rod spoil the child" viewpoint, but also how he wanted to do things differently with his kids. We go from there to talking about teens dating, helping your child realize their potential if it's not academics (hint: that's me!), and biting your tongue in grandparent-hood with alternative suggestions to "telling your kids how to raise their kids."

This is part 1 of a 2 part episode, #6!

For my favorite quotes and links to the books he mentioned, head to this episode full show notes: Guilt Free Parenting on the Beyond Good Intentions section of my website. 

As always, iTunes reviews help SOOO much, so does interacting with us on Instagram and Facebook under the family picture, so come on over and share your thoughts and lingering questions!

In this episode, Brooke shares with me about her childhood growing up in a small town on a FARM.  She talks about how she learned the value of hard work and how she aims to instill that in her kids, though she isn't raising them on a farm.

She shares the challenges of raising two babies a year apart WHILE getting her masters degree, so IMPRESSIVE, but of course, hard.

She has some GREAT thoughts on the cell phone with kids conversation, which was a kick in the pants to me about how I need to change some things up with my children.

If you don't yet know Brooke, you'll see her MANY amazing home projects on her site, AllThingsThrify.com, she is a HANDY tool-wielding gal!

After listening to this episode, I'd love you to hop on over to Instagram (@capturingjoy.kristenduke) and Facebook and give Brooke some LOVE by telling her what you heard on this episode that inspired you or just something you loved learning.

You can also refer to episode #5 with Brooke in an iTunes review, and if you listen later, search for this episode through the #BeyondGoodIntentionsPodcast hashtag. All show notes for this episode and others are found on the Beyond Good Intentions home page. 

Free e-book: 10 Intentional Ways to Bring your Family Closer Together

"I decided I was ok to be the poster child for mental illness if it would help others feel ok about themselves."

"A goal in my life is to be more holy. I try to weed out things in my life that keep me from being in tune with God."

Cassidy is REAL and RAW as she discusses her own struggles with mental illness, and how it has blessed her as she is parenting children who struggle with mental illness as well. From a discussion on supporting your kids, to therapy to her thoughts on  medicating. She also discusses feelings of inferiority as she wasn't parenting how her mom did, and how she learned to be OK with being different.

There were tears shed, and I left with a feeling of gratitude for her sharing her heart so that I can better understand those with mental illness.

She gave up professionally performing to raise her family in the way she felt was best, even amidst disappointment from musical coaches.  I'm delighted she was willing to sing a snippet at the beginning and end so that you can hear a piece of her amazing voice.

She shares a sweet personal experience that she falls back on when times are tough, and where she finds strength, and how God has answered her prayers on how to help her raise her family.

Please come on over to Facebook and Instagram just after this episode goes LIVE to discuss your a-ha moments, and share your thoughts with Cassidy and the community of listeners.

Grateful for any reviews on itunes, mention episode #4 about Cassidy to share your insights on this interview. 

You can find all other podcast episodes and show notes on the Beyond Good Intentions home page. 

"The happiness in your life depends on the quality of your thoughts."    "Take responsibility for the energy you bring into your home"    "The price of anything is the amount you want to exchange for."

My friend Heather is a GEM, and I'm delighted to share with you today how she seeks to create HAPPY in her family. She truly exudes happiness, and is passionate about helping others to see the happy in families, and life in general.

You'll hear the unique story of how we met, then we discussed her growing up as one of 6 children in suburban Chicago. She then had a successful career and rubbed shoulders with a few famous people, and left it all to raise her babies without looking back.

She shared several thought provoking quotes that would be perfect to hang in your home, she also told a funny story of how motherhood is messy and wonderful you may squeal with laughter as I did, and we discussed for quite a while the importance of teaching our children social media etiquette.

Wait til the end when she gives the most thoughtful reason why her families favorite meal is her favorite. It really shed some new light to me on family meal time.

Join the follow up conversation on this episode on Capturing Joy Instagram and Facebook, and see more links and show notes for this interview with Heather here: Striving for Family Happiness through Simple Living

I'd LOVE for you to leave a review on iTunes if something specific resonated with you.

"Always be kinder than you feel."

"Remember who you are and the family name you bear."

"If people knew better, they'd do better."

Mique runs the successful website, ThirtyHandmadeDays.com, and she is the mom to 3 amazing children.  The first half of our discussion we talked a lot about raising her teenage son with Autism, and the grueling decisions she’s had to make.  We discuss the early days of realizing he wasn’t progressing like other kids, to his teen years, and I even got emotional as we discussed the challenge of giving adequate attention to her other children that don’t have special needs.

The second half of our conversation was about so many topics, including kids and cell phones. She told me about a great app to oversee your kids usage. We also discussed that we can't monitor everything, and how we can teach our kids to have their own internal filter. From home organization to kids working around the house, to the Santa talk about half way through (in case you have littles around, you might want to plug their ears!). I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did.

Head on over to the Beyond Good Intentions home page on Capturing Joy for the full show notes and details with links to her favorite games and recipes, and more from what we discussed. For this specific post notes, go here: Cell phones, family jobs, and Life through the Lens of an Autism Mom

Head on over to my Instagram and Facebook to share your thoughts on this episode, and you can always search the hashtag #BeyondGoodIntentionsPodcast for a follow up discussion on this episode. 

I'd LOVE for you to leave a review on iTunes if something specific resonated with you. 

Find Mique on Facebook and Instagram at @30daysblog 

"When kids are emotional, VALIDATE. Their feelings are real to them. "

"When you make a mistake in parenting, apologize to your kids."

I'm delighted to kick start my parenting podcast, Beyond Good Intentions, with an interview from my dear friend Linda. From infertility to raising teens, we talk about it all, and have a bunch of laughs along the way!

Linda now raises her family in Illinois, but for 5 years, she lived down the street from me in Texas.  We figured out the toddler parenting thing together. You’ll hear the story of how we met, but also Linda’s heart as she’s raising her 4 children amidst initial challenges with infertility.

Our conversations start with the story of her intense teen years growing up in a family with 8 kids.  She shares what her mother did that made all the difference. We continue on, discussing how she parents 3 teens herself (plus a younger child).  She and I discuss figuring out the different communication needs of each child and the importance of validating. We go on to discuss the zone system with household jobs, and the cell phone challenge that all parents deal with.

We may go off onto a few tangents, but I believe in those details are where the real stories take place.

You may get a kick out of why she called me LAZY, I’m curious if you side with her or me!  

See more details of our discussion and her favorites on the published post here: Infertility to Raising Teens

Head on over to my Instagram and Facebook to share your thoughts on this episode, and I'd LOVE for you to leave a review on iTunes if something specific resonated with you. 

Thanks for joining! You can always email me at [email protected] to nominate a remarkable parent or just to chat!

Starting a podcast wasn't exactly on my radar, but in this introduction episode, I share the "why" behind my pulling the trigger and going for it. I've got so many questions for other parents, and I share the interviews as we aim to strengthen families beyond good intentions.