As we say farewell to all our listeners we are offering one final episode about vulnerability. Both John and Jo have been vulnerable through the past two seasons, but you too can be vulnerable and it’s critical to evangelization and developing strong relationships. Use your vulnerability to bring you closer to Christ and each other. It’s not about winning…it’s about the journey.

As parents we want our kids to be successful. There’s a debate out there about how much we should be involved in the process and setting the bar of success. Do we let our kids find their own motivation and drive, or do we guide their steps? Jo and John have different approaches that they will share, especially how it connects to college. Listen in! If your currently discerning your next steps, we hope our conversation will help.

I’m sure most of you are prepared for Christmas. If not, or your desperate for gift ideas for a teen in your life, listen in! Jo provides some ideas for both young men and women, with of course a little unexpected humor from John.

Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks to all those we know, and how they’ve positively impacted our lives. We can’t be too serious on this podcast, so why not thank our kids for the ways we’ve been challenged as parents. This list is meant to make you smile and bring a little humor to your day.

Holy and healthy dating…what parent could ask for anything more?? But what influence do we have as parents? The culture is sending messages to teens and young adults about marriage…you need to first be financially secure, you need to be a certain age, you need to settled in your career, etc. But if they follow the culture, they might be leaving God behind. This episode will discuss the arguments, principles and values so you can confidently guide your teens.

This episode is part 2 of our last conversation, which involved the value and importance of communication with our children. While our teens have free will to choose to listen and follow our guidance, it’s important to have developed a foundation of trust with them first. Once we’ve earned trust it is much easier to plant and root our relationship and communication going forward.

We also further our boundary discussion by discussing the influence of friends - why it’s important as parents that we model this for our kids, and how social media plays a critical role. Are our teens finding authentic friendships? What are a few practical things that parents can do to encourage their teens to use discernment in their search for friends?

Have you established boundaries in your family? Boundaries are healthy for all relationships, especially with our teens. John shares a story about recent events in his life that empowered him and his wife to define and follow through with boundaries. It’s sometimes hard to follow through on consequences, but doing it together can strengthen your bond as a couple and reclaim your family.

If you haven’t been there yet, brace yourself! When it’s time to teach our teens to drive it can be overwhelming and stressful. It’s also difficult to release your control of the pedals!! Listen in as Jo and John share their stories and advice.

We’re happy to be back! During our pause we decided to retarget future podcasts towards raising teens. We have a lot planned going forward, but this episode is dedicated to the value and importance of knowing theology of the body and sharing it with our teens so they can be strengthened against the pressures of society. There are so many connections we will make to the current culture and hope it will arm you and your future conversations.