Heart Focused Parenting

#71 :   Social media is here to stay so it is something that we as parents have to get our head around.  To be honest, regardless of what you think about social media, there is every likelihood that your teen will think something different.  How are you going to prepare them to walk wisely?  This whole topic is huge and can be daunting.  In this epiosode I'm talking about ways that help you naviga...

#70:   10 practical steps for intentional, relational, heart-focused christian parenting that you can start implementing today. I know that it is hard to stay intentional in the middle of all the chaos that happens in family life - but ironically intentionality is the key to overcoming the chaos.  Not aiming for perfect, but aiming to live life with purpose and in ways that honour and obey God.  W...

#69:  It is about this time of the year that I start going through a mental wrap up.  The end of the year is close, Christmas is pretty much sorted, and now my mind goes to planning next year. And we'll start to see a whole pile of whoo-ha about setting goals on our socials. How do you feel about that? Does this make you groan, knowing everyone is going to be talking about setting goals, but they...

#68 Thinking back over Christmases Past have you ever felt like you're juggling Christmas chaos, traditions and decorations and invitations - and your children's behaviour!  In the middle of all that chaos going on you just wish your kids had a different attitude and be making different choices.  Today I'm sharing 3 character traits that could totally spoil your christmas vibes if you aren't caref...

#67 : I want to end the year well - don't you?  And yet it is so busy, here in Australia we have the end of school, and with that comes concerts, and graduations, and parties.  We have Christmas - and all that comes with that. A lot of people head off on holidays to catch up with family or just visit somewhere new.  It is a crazy busy time of year. Oh yeah, and while all this happens, we still hav...

#66  Having time for a Christmas Bible study – that the whole family can do together is one way to keep Christmas about Jesus and to make it heart-focused. And yet ironically, or unfortunately, it is something that we often push to the side, and regret later that we didn't do something more specific about Jesus this year!  Today I'm sharing some tips on finding a bible study that will help you foc...

# 65 This week my one of my daughters shared her testimony at her mid-week Bible study which got me to thinking about the benefit of parents sharing their testimonies or God stories with their children.  Listen in as I share some of my reflections this week. Blog :  Do you talk about your Faith and Share your Testimonies with your kids   Join HEART-BOOSTERS (free) here . Weekly email digging deepe...

#64   I want to encourage you to start planning for Christmas early (and if you aren't celebrating - listen to the first little bit cause there's something you need to start thinking about too!)  For those who are celebrating - if we want to be intentional, relational, and heart focused we need to start planning now.  Today I'm sharing three different things for you to consider before it gets too...

#63 My mum used to talk about the little man sitting on my shoulder making me uncomfortable if I did something wrong, or was about to. This was my conscience. I define the conscience as the work of the heart telling me when my choices are about to go against what I believe is right. We need to teach our children about their conscience. We need to teach them to listen to it. This is what I'm talkin...

#62  Are you caught in the comparison trap, constantly measuring what happens in your family against others? That is not helpful and it needs to stop. This week I'm talking about living by our priorities as a parent - we can't do it all, let's just be honest - and instead work out what is important and put our full efforts into that!  I really want parents to create a fulfilling family life - and...

#61 Do you ever get frustrated when your kids just step over stuff and seemingly don't notice the mess? It doesn't matter how long something is on the floor or left undone, they'll just leave it there. It's as if they have a unique ability to ignore clutter. Well, you're not alone! In today's episode, I want to share what I did, back in the day, when I decided something needed to be done about thi...

#60:  As a Christian parent one of my strongest desires was for my children to know, love and obey God.  I knew that as their parent, I was called to disciple them.  So like we all do these days - we look for information, for the right information, for good information; resources that I could use to teach my children about God.  And yet time after time, God showed me that the best way to make my k...

#59 Though we all have many different reasons why we homeschool and how we homeschool I think there would be a common thread that we all want our kids to learn.  We may differ on the what to learn and the how to learn - but we want our kids to learn.  So when they start being really disinterested regardless of what we put in front of them it is a concern.  I homeschooled 4 kids, from prep to year...

#58:  Listening to our teenagers having different opinions is challenging but it helps them clarify their beliefs and it strengthens your relationship, in fact it is an important heart-focused parenting practice.  We must give our teenagers a voice (doesn't mean they are right, or don't have to learn more - but they do need to be able to speak it out.)   >>>FULL SHOW NOTES/BLOG:  Do you Allow your...

#57:  Sometimes it is the little things that go under the radar that we should be really concerned about as we parent our children. We tend to deal with the in-your-face arguments, temper tantrums, out and out lying, but attitude, now that is another thing. Attitudes are hard to define; they are hard to put a finger on. But if we don't deal with the attitudes (what is in the heart) then we will on...

 #56 How do we know that our child is growing spiritually?  It is the parents' privilege to disciple their child as a new Christian but don't make the mistake of making it about them doing all the good Christian things. >>>FULL SHOW NOTES/BLOG:    How to know if your Child is Growing Spiritually   >>>Join HEART-BOOSTERS (free) here . Weekly email digging deeper into the heart-focus topic so you ca...

#55: Looking back over our 20 years of homeschooling I share these 5 top lessons for homeschooling highschool. Highschool is about more than book learning. It starts with knowing your why - why are you homeschooling highschool and then are you making choices that will help you and your child reach that purpose and vision?    >>>FULL SHOW NOTES/BLOG:  Top 5 Lessons I taught in Homeschooling Highsch...

#54:  Are you looking to create deeper connections with your children in their faith journey? Join us on Episode #54 as we dive into a topic every parent can relate to: how to guide your kids in making their daily devotional time more meaningful.  And I've also got a special bonus for you— Heart Booster download with 5 prompts designed to help your child connect with God on a deeper level during t...

 #53:  Empathy in parenting is key to helping our children's emotions - it also builds trust and connection in the parent-child relationship. We have to slow down enough to show our children that we are there for them. >>>FULL SHOW NOTES/BLOG:  In that Moment Your Kids Need Empathy, not Solutions   >>>Join HEART-BOOSTERS (free) here . Weekly email digging deeper into the heart-focus topic so you c...

#52: Follow these tips to find Margin even though you live a busy life as a Mum.  It's important as it will give you the time and emotional space to be a heart-focused parent!   >>>FULL SHOW NOTES/BLOG:  The Importance of Margin in the Life of a Busy Mum Book mentioned in this episode:   Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson   >>...

#51: Homeschooling in pyjamas is easy to do but not always the best for our children and to be honest, not all homeschoolers stay in their pjays!  In our family we got dressed every morning and there was a good reason why - listen in as I talk about Why we didn't homeschool in our pyjamas!      >>>FULL SHOW NOTES/BLOG:  The Simple Reason Why we didn't Homeschool in our Pyjamas!    I mentioned  Fly...

#50: Celebrating 50 episodes of Heart-focused Parenting podcast so going off script to answer questions listeners sent in.  Questions about discipline, routine, children being bored, legalism, chores and money - so much in this episode.  Even if you didn't send in the question I am sure you've asked at least one of these questions yourself in your time as a parent!   >>>FULL SHOW NOTES/BLOG:  Hear...

Episode #49, we delve into a topic that may be uncomfortable but is crucial for us as parents to address. Bullying has become a prevalent subject in our society, often discussed in the context of schools and social media.. However, what often goes unnoticed is that bullying can happen within our own homes. We may not immediately recognize it, but believe me, it does happen. So today, I'm sharing m...

 Parents should have the goal to raise self-governing kids not independent kids. There is a difference and in the long run it will make a big difference. >>>FULL SHOW NOTES/BLOG:  #48:  When Raising Independent Kids is our Parenting Goal - there is a Problem   >>>Join HEART-BOOSTERS (free)  here . Weekly email digging deeper into the heart-focus topic so you can make real change in your family. PL...

Episode #46:  As mothers, we often find ourselves caught in the never-ending cycle of tasks and responsibilities. The never-ending to-do lists can easily consume our thoughts and leave us feeling overwhelmed. But what if we shift our perspective? What if we choose to focus on what truly matters?  Today we explore the timeless saying, "A mother's work is never done," and how that plays out in our f...