I love creating episodes of Raising Today’s Kids. It is a project that comes straight from my heart. I have learned and grown so much as I have interviewed guests, analyzed research, and shared my stories. Over the last couple of years I have also been working diligently on another project I am passionate about, called Project STAND. The mission of Project STAND is to prevent exploitation by empowering youth, parents, and school communities to STAND and thrive by using media in healthy ways....

If you are a regular listener, you know that I value science and spirituality in my episodes. And they both play a significant role in my parenting. I love learning about and sharing scientific research that can help us guide our children toward the best outcomes, and I love nurturing my children toward that spiritual wholeness that cannot be quantified, and joining you as you do the same for yours. Unfortunately, we live in a secular time when faith and religion are often forced to take a...

Everyone can learn to install an internal filter. As parents, we get to be on the frontlines of helping our kids with that process. This episode (Part 2 of 2) gives you concrete steps you can take to help your kids reach their potential through their use of technology. It outlines how to help our children use the power of questions, values, goals, and choices to be the best they can be with every click, swipe, post, play, or share.

Parents are the most important protective factor for their kids, but digital parenting doesn’t come with a handbook, and it is hard! I am so grateful for technology, but often feel like I am running to catch up with it and keep my kids safe. In this episode (Part 1 of 2) I will give you concrete steps you can take to put in the base layers of protection for your kids.

Jen’s painful, beautiful story will teach you about grief and how to help your kids process grief. She will teach you about finding joy during hard times, and something about the purpose of the hard times we go through. As you listen, you will sense the faith that radiates from her. It drives everything she does and gives her a reason to go on.

A tidal wave of harmful pornography is washing over our culture leaving devastation in its wake. Children are being victimized just through their exposure. What is to be done? Barb Winters recognizes the challenge parents are facing, yet she is filled with hope that the future is bright. Listen in as she shares her reassuring perspective.

In this episode, Chris McKenna from Protect Young Eyes, explains why kids are so drawn to screens, why filters don't work on their own, and how to approach tough conversations with our kids. You do not want to miss all of his incredible insights. You will go away with a lot to ponder, but with a very practical approach to taking action in your own family. My favorite takeaway is his idea of leveraging the tech skills my kids have in a way that will benefit our entire family. Thank you, Chris!

My guest, Tamra Dawn Hyde, is here to tell a raw and vulnerable story about how, as an adolescent, she placed her baby for adoption. And then how, in the midst of his trauma, she was reunited with him 16 years later. It is full of beauty and joy, but also intense pain and heartbreak. Above all, it is evidence of God’s role in our lives. Whether or not you approach parenting from a Christian perspective or have any personal connection with adoption, Tamra’s story will resonate with you.

For all those parents who haven't mastered the art of diaper changing, your lives are about to change forever!

I have fallen in love with setting goals! Almost a year ago, my family and I decided to start setting weekly goals in four categories (intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social). It has changed our lives. We are so much more productive, efficient, and happy since we started being more intentional with how we live our lives. In this episode I share how our family approaches goal-setting and give ideas about how to find what will work for your family!

There is so much uncharted territory to raising kids today. As we begin 2021, we are navigating life during a worldwide pandemic and heavy, unresolved social justice issues, while relying ever more on technology to connect. Technology is amazing, but with it comes many threats to children and families. Everything good can be turned into evil and used for destructive purposes. Today I want to talk about how to not let that happen!

Do you wish you were more efficient with your time? Do you struggle to teach your kids time management? Raising kids in a digital world with so much information and so many opportunities requires developing time management and organization skills in order to reach long-term goals. This episode gives a look into the mom skills of Chelsea Winterholler who has learned a thing (or twenty) about all of the above while allowing her kids to experience natural consequences and reinforcing positive...

It’s incredible how a little bit of knowledge and insight can be the difference between hopelessness and real hope. That's what family therapist, Matt Leavenworth is here to provide for us today. He takes a problem that seems insurmountable and breaks it down in a way that parents can tackle. He tells the truth about some of the leading causes of suicide and what parents can do to address it. It's a tough subject, but there's so much hope!

Authenticity and hope are essential pieces of Raising Today's Kids. So in this episode I am opening up my heart to share who I am at my core, and where my foundation of hope comes from. It has everything to do with a baby born in a stable over 2,000 years ago. Merry Christmas!

Raising kids has always been full of trials, but I have learned something about how to approach them through my friend, Lacee Nugent. She is a super intentional mother of a family built through adoption. In this episode she taught me that the best way to find the unexpected beauty is to be humble, to support and encourage others, and to fill your heart with love. Ready to be inspired? 

What if there was a simple solution to low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and other mental health struggles? Studies show that living in thanksgiving can stand alone in adding to our mental health. Gratitude is free, easily accessible, and has no side effects! In this episode I will share how I take my gratitude pills and help my kids take theirs :).

In this episode I'm so excited to introduce you to my parents, Mark and Tamra. They are two amazing individuals with abundant love for me and their other seven children. You will hear them talk about the importance of love and firm boundaries in parenting, and that's exactly what was at the heart of their parenting. I haven't always been grateful for those firm boundaries, but now that I'm grown up, I recognize their wisdom and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

You don’t have to look far to understand why 16 states have labeled pornography a public health hazard. That's why I dedicate so many episodes to addressing it. Today's perspective on the subject comes from Kristen Jenson, author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures. She will give us some tips on how to protect our kids' young minds and inoculate them against what could be a serious threat to their childhood.

Kids who recognize their innate value (self-esteem!) have the ability to be resilient. This is why it's so important to help kids get a sense of their inner, unique, individual worth, that is not open to interpretation, it just is! Tune in for some insight into how an intentional mom, Monica Hill, does this for her kids. Learn how she helps them clear their minds, focus on others, develop meaningful relationships, and have important conversations.

Today Aimee Rust focuses on creating healthy attachment with our kids. First she’ll define attachment, and then share things that can help you in your parenting, regardless of the stage you’re in. She talks about newborns through adolescence, and even discusses how attachment can affect us as adults in our relationships and with our children. She’ll discuss how to heal unhealthy attachment including in foster care and adoption situations.

School can be awesome, but it can also be tough! This episode is all about empowering your kids with hope, love, confidence, and encouragement as they step into a new school year, full of new challenges and opportunities. 

I love analogies. They can really help you see things from another perspective and be so empowering! So while on a challenging hike a few weeks ago, I came up with seven analogies about deciphering between good and bad advice, being the parent you want to be, asking for help when you are running on empty, seeing the beauty along the way, enduring when life is hard, and recognizing the progress you are making. 

I love being in nature! Turns out there are cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits of unstructured time outside. All those benefits are just out there waiting for our kids to claim. So let's get them out there! In this episode I outline what the research is saying about the importance of turning off electronics and playing outdoors. I also give some tips about how to make the most out of family hiking adventures. 

In this episode I want to introduce you to a tiny sampling of the army fighting to protect our kids. I met them at the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation's 2019 Global Summit in Washington D.C. These are moms and dads, survivors and advocates, students and teachers. Some have the opportunity to work full-time for this cause, while others can only give a few hours here and there. In many ways they are just like you and me, doing what they can to make the world a better place for raising...