UR 148: Building a Custom Parenting Plan — Bethany Meadows

Traylor and Melody are joined by Bethany Meadows to talk parenting, faith, adoption, and the great news of the gospel. Bethany worked in youth ministry as a mother of one daughter and fell in love with teenagers. She called herself a mother to one with the heart of a big family. She ended up reading an article about an organization which ultimately led her to feeling called to adopt. Bethany and her husband ended up adopting 4 siblings despite being overwhelmed and lining up every excuse she could find.   With the addition of four children, Bethany was forced to revaluate her parenting style and discipline techniques all while teaching about God’s love and grace.   Getting a Grip is structured to take the reader through the process of developing their own parenting plan. It is a framework upon which a parent can establish and build customized methods for discipline, setting rules and guidelines and even identifying spiritual objectives. Throughout the book, Bethany uses stories and examples from her own parenting journey to illustrate and support each section. In just 10 simple chapters, she guides the reader step-by-step to discover a new way of parenting—a way that is flexible enough to change as needs change.   As a former teen runaway, Bethany did not have an easy or typical start. However, those early experiences as a rebellious teen brought her valuable insights when she adopted a sibling group of four children from the foster care system. Her story includes many challenges and personal struggles, including an alcoholic spouse, divorce, single motherhood and even the loss of her home to a fire in 2015. She credits her ability to process past loss and overcome trials to an unwavering faith in a loving God. As a response to bullying, Bethany began homeschooling her biological child in 2001. She continued to homeschool post-adoption with all five children until the youngest graduated from high school.  Bethany began her own marketing firm in 2008 to allow her the flexibility she needed to homeschool and care for her children as a single mother. The agency is aptly named after her motto to “stay vertical” in her faith. Vertical Solutions Media has since grown from a one-woman marketing firm to a full-service marketing agency with a team of six marketing professionals. When she’s not working, Bethany and her husband, Jeff, love to travel, play on the lake and watch movies. In their spare time, they buy rundown homes in their community and renovate them for resale. No matter how busy, Sunday evenings are always set aside for their big blended family to come together for a meal, love and lots of laughter.