Equipped To Be with Connie Albers: Christian Parenting, Homeschooling, and Family Life

Your tweens and teens have been through a lot of change. They need you to help them cope with these changes. Society at large says that they will be fine because they can handle more than their parents think they can handle, but can they? While kids are resilient, that doesn't mean that they don't have wounds from what happens to them. What they really need is a parent. Their parent. They need a p...

Dr. Chris Hughes from Citizens for America is back on the show today. He shares more about his background, what Citizens for America is, and encouragement for you as a believer in our current culture.   Tune in as well for a couple of exciting developments coming in 2022! Read the full show notes with links here: https://conniealbers.com/citizens-for-america/   Love this episode? Please leave us a...

We've heard so much about CRT in the last couple of years, but have you heard about the sexualization of America's children? Yes. You read that right. This is happening and it's being funded by the federal government. Dr. Chris Hughes joins me in this episode to talk about this important issue.   As parents, we are responsible for the education of our children. For some, this might mean sending yo...

The holidays can be hectic. The plays, parties, and gatherings. The decorating, shopping, and wrapping. What do you do around the holidays that are unique and repeated traditions for your family? The importance of family traditions comes out over time in the building of strong family relationships and connectedness.   Family traditions are important to creating strong family relationships. Connie...

Mentors are important and play a special role in our lives. Unfortunately, it is far too easy for mentors to replace mothers, or fathers, in a child's life. God has given parents a special calling and responsibility that mentors cannot replace in the life of a teen or young adult. What do you do when the mentor-mentee relationship lines have been blurred to the point that the mentee sees the mento...

Your older children are facing a world with so much chaos and conflicting information. If you're like me, you want them to know what you think. You want to protect them from failure or pain. But whether your older children are teens, college-aged, young adults, or older, there comes a point when you can't make them do or say the right thing. You can't force them to navigate a situation well. These...

Do you have kids who say things like this: "Mom, you just don't understand. You're always on my back. You constantly criticize and tell me what I do wrong." I want you to know that there is a way to build a relationship with your kids while enforcing the rules of your household. The key is to teach the principle behind the rules.   Listen in to this episode as Connie gives insight on finding the p...

What should you do when you have a rebellious child? When your child pulls away from you? When your adult child is estranged from you? We don't openly talk about these kinds of struggles or share these heartbreaking experiences readily on social media. The picture of life can become blurry during these kinds of painful seasons, but there are things that you can do. Let's talk about the possibiliti...

Tom and I did a lot over the years to cultivate close sibling relationships within our family. I hear frequently that this is an issue of importance and concern for you as you raise your kids. You want to build strong sibling relationships between your kids. So, what do you want to see for your relationship with your kids when they become adults? What do you want to see in the relationships betwee...

How can you learn to love struggles and trials? We are conditioned to ignore and suppress struggles and trials in order to not appear weak or vulnerable. But, God can use struggles and trials to grow and change you if follow His leading.   Listen in as Connie shares how she's learned to learned to love struggles and trials and why you should too! Read the full show notes with links here: https://c...

Grief is part of life. Death, loss, separation, trials, unmet needs, or unfulfilled expectations are a few things we find ourselves grieving over. How can you walk wisely through seasons of grief?   How we deal with grief can depend on our age, temperament, the ages of our children, faith or lack thereof, and the circumstances surrounding the situation. With all these factors to consider, walking...

There are so many different crises vying for your attention these day. As hard as you might try, you can do it all. You can't fight every battle at once. So, how do you pick the battle or battles that you will fight? How do you best fight for your family?   Connie shares 3 tips for determining on which battles to focus your limited time and attention to best fight for your family. Read the full sh...

Strong-willed children do not want to surrender; they want to have their way. Therefore, they often view your instructions as mere suggestions. If they win the argument or don't have to do what you tell them to do, then they win. The problem is that doesn't prepare them for life. You are the parent! So, how do you successfully raise a strong-willed child?   Listen into this episode for Connie's su...

Do you know how to create a positive digital footprint and why it matters to your child's future?   Most of us know what we shouldn't share online. We also know the sites we visit and that conversations aren't private. But children don't know this! Most children think what they do will vanish after a short time. The idea that every click and conversation is being archived or watched by big tech sc...

Parents are rightly concerned when it comes to technology. But unfortunately, devices are often the source of disagreements, threats, and angry outbursts in many families. Kids don't understand the dangers, and parents don't know how to navigate online usage. What do you need to know for raising tech-savvy kids?   In March of 2020, the number of hours children spent online drastically increased. M...

Does God want us to honor our parents? Or is that only for children?   The answer is yes! We need to honor our parents as we teach our children to honor us. The best way to teach your children to honor us is by example. When they see us honor our parents, they learn what honor means.   Listen in for 3 ways you can honor your parents and be a good example for your children! Read the full show notes...

Are your school-aged kids at risk? How will this back-and-forth sort of schooling impact our kids? First, the back and forth disrupts children's rhythm and routine. They don't know what to expect when things change from day to day. Some children can roll with the ebbs and flows with great ease, but the disruption throws them off for other children. So what can you do as a parent to keep your kids...

Parents, you have the opportunity to shape and create memorable moments your children will think about for years. A few years ago, I read The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. If you've read Parenting beyond the Rules, then you know I write about how we can create defining moments with our children. I was doing this when my children were young, which is why I enjoyed reading the book....

You can learn so much about your children from playtime. Playtime for children can be more revealing about who they are than talking or even watching them in a vocation as they get older.   When there is no test to pass, no educator to please, God-given strengths can flourish through playtime. So as parents, it's important to remember not to confuse an interest that your child has in something wit...

You know that your kids are watching you, right? They are watching and learning from you how to communicate from the time they are little and well past the teen years into young adulthood.   Last week we finished up the series  Knowing Your Strengths . We spent four episodes talking about what strengths are, how to discover your strengths, understanding your strengths, and how to use your strength...

Why does knowing your strengths, talents, and the domain order matter?   If you missed episodes #71,   #72 , or #73 , go back and listen to those first before jumping into this episode.   In this episode we dive into three reasons why you should utilize the Talent Theme Domains.   Read the full show notes: https://conniealbers.com/ knowing-your-strengths-part-4 /  

Where is your child going to school? Will it be public, private, or homeschool? You aren't alone. Millions of parents are making hard decisions back-to-school plans. Are you struggling with the transition from school to homeschool? In this episode, I share what I've learned from being in the education field for thirty years. If homeschool is your choice, this episode is for you!   Read the full sh...

Knowing your strengths and your child's strengths can bring great clarity to you and your child so that everyone can see the masterpiece God designed them to be. While many personality assessments are available, few have the research behind them that StrengthsFinder does. That is based on the work of Donald O. Clifton. The researchers at the Gallup Organization have spent over five decades develop...

Do you know your strengths? Have you spent time trying to discover what you are uniquely designed for? Do you know why you do what you do? Do you know why you think, feel, and behave in a certain way?   In this episode, I will go deeper into the world of strengths and how knowing your strengths can help you understand yourself and others with great clarity.   Read the full show notes with links he...

Do you know your strengths? Are you like most people who spend a good deal of time trying to strengthen your weaknesses? Do you dwell on what you aren't particularly good at doing?   Chances are you do. Most people do.   While that might make you feel better knowing other people struggle the way you do, that will not help you in the long run. It can't! Not if you want to become the person God crea...