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

As we come to the end of another year, this is the perfect time to think about the year behind you and what you did or did not accomplish. Maybe you're wearily thinking that something has to change for 2023. Maybe you're looking forward in anticipation for this new year. Either way, I want to share with you some ideas for how to reflect and refocus for the new year during these finals days of this...

A friend recently suggested to me that I should talk to you about how God answers our prayers and specifically prayers of protection for our kids. Praying for your children is an important part of the spiritual development of your kids and for you as a parent.   In this episode, I share some recent experiences with prayer and the importance of praying for your children - not just praying for those...

We're moving into the holiday season with lots of parties, gatherings, and festivities! In this episode, I want to focus on creating traditions and holiday rituals your children will remember. How you do create memories and create traditions that your children will want to continue to do as they get older and desire to implement with their own families?   Tune into this episode to hear some activi...

We've experienced a lot of change in the last few years. Everywhere I turn, I'm reading or hearing about someone else in crisis. I've had seasons of crisis in my own life recently. Today, I thought it would be helpful to talk about how to help others in a crisis.   Whether it's the loss of a loved one, a medical diagnosis, the loss of a job, a wayward child, or just the concern about how to put fo...

  https://conniealbers.com/teaching-appreciation-to-kids   Love this episode? Please leave us a rating/review and share this episode with a friend!   Have a question? Interested in having Connie speak? Send an email to Connie here: https://conniealbers.com/contact/  

In the episode last week, I talked about resting vs quitting. So many of you contacted me asking about kids who have a tendency to give up on something too soon. How do you go about teaching kids not to quit?   It's really important to know each of your children as individuals. There tend to be a few basic reasons that kids want to quit and the way you go about helping and encouraging these kids i...

There's a difference between resting and quitting. Many times I feel like I want to quit. Today, I want to remind you that it's okay to rest, but it's not okay to quit.   In this episode, I'm being vulnerable and sharing some recent life events that have made me want to quit. I know I can't quit, but I also know that God is calling me to a season of rest for a while. I talk you through some helpfu...

I speak frequently about how to keep kids safe online. I've found two camps of parenting styles when it comes to technology and internet usage. On one side, some parents decide to give no access at all to technology. On the other side, they allow their kids near unrestricted access.   If you've been around the Equipped To Be Podcast for very long, you know that I'm not a proponent of restricting a...

In episode #134 , I told you that teaching kids to serve is a great way to help manage the impacts of stress. I mentioned the recent devastation in southwest Florida from Hurricane Ian and that Samaritan's Purse is an excellent ministry to give money to or to partner with for serving in person in a disaster area. This week, Shannon Dailley from Samaritan's Purse joins me to talk about the work tha...

It's a scary world out there. Humanistic culture is trying to take your kids and instill in them a worldview contrary to our biblical worldview. This week, Lee Ann Mancini is with me on the podcast talking about raising Christian kids and fighting against this evil worldview.   We talked about the story behind Lee Ann's children's books and the Sea Kids animated show plus much, much more! Read the...

This week on the podcast I'm doing something a little different. I'm answering some reader questions! Two types of questions that I receive regularly from parents center on stress and failure. So in this episode, I'm going to address how to manage the impacts of stress and failure for your kids.   I give you four steps to consider in managing stress as a parent and a list of questions to help you...

I'm excited to welcome Dr. Kathy Koch back to the podcast! Dr. Kathy has a new book about kids and resiliency. She's back to talk with me today about this book titled Resilient Kids and to define and expand upon resiliency. This is about so much more than the trauma of living through a pandemic!     I recently saw a statistic from Max Lucado that something like 80% of young people are feeling stre...

Parenting is hard. Deciding how to implement parenting advice can be even more difficult. There are a lot of parenting books out there. I even wrote one myself! Sadly, many parenting books can come across as being the only right way to parent your child. You might start to think, "What is wrong with my child?" when doing what the author says on page 76 isn't working.   In this episode, I want to e...

There's a new term in HR departments around the country: quiet quitters. It refers to people who don't want to overexert themselves. They do just enough to get their paycheck and not get fired. Your children have the opportunity to take the marketplace by storm in this quiet quitter culture!   In this episode, I talk about how to raise kids who pursue excellence and know how to put in a good day o...

Are you immersing yourself in today? Or are you wrapped up in taking pictures "so you won't forget?" Or consumed with what someone else is doing? Or thinking about work that needs to be done? I have the same temptations and I want to encourage you to focus more on immersing yourself in today rather than the cares of tomorrow.   This episode is sponsored by Homeschooling Today Magazine. Learn more,...

I've recently come through a very difficult season in my life. Trial after trial kept coming. I couldn't get through most days without at least a few tears or without feeling exhausted. For me, this season carried a lot of death and painful losses. For you, maybe it's saying goodbye to someone you love, a financial situation, or a wayward child. How do you get through trials?   In my 20s, I was fu...

Brittany Ann is with me in this episode to talk about how to follow God's will as well as her upcoming virtual conference, Called to Act. She was on the show a while back and I encourage you to listen to episode #48 to learn more about Brittany Ann and her ministry.   This time, Brittany Ann and I had a great conversation surrounding learning how to follow God's will. I think you'll be inspired an...

As a parent, it can be a tricky balance to decide how much to share or not to share with your parents about your homeschooling journey. You may have parents who are supportive or you may have parents who are not supportive of your schooling choice. I've had both experiences. Grandparents can be a great support for their homeschool grandkids if they make intentional choices.   I give a little advic...

What shapes family relationships? How can your kids grow up to be close friends? I wish I could tell you that you can build sibling relationships using a simple three-step formula. It can be simple, but it does take work and more than three steps to create an environment that will strengthen sibling relationships.   I love watching the relationships that have been built between my kids over the ye...

How does your child think? How do they process the world around them? If you have multiple children as I do, you have probably seen that one child can be extremely different from another child in your family. This is because each of your children is uniquely created by God!   This is episode eleven of a series I've been doing on my book, Parenting Beyond the Rules . From the beginning of parenting...

Ever have that desire to jump into the car for a very long drive... ALONE? Or feel the need to take a long walk by yourself rather than deal with another teenage drama or toddler meltdown? As a mom of 5, I know the feeling. But, you can't quit. Take a break, but remember it's always too soon to quit. Your kids need you to stay engaged! Yes, even those teens who act like they don't need you at time...

We have been gripped by fear for the last several years. The pandemic and waves of uncertainty hit us on top of the more common day-to-day fears. But, God says there's no place for fear in our lives! He tells us not to fear because He is with us (Isaiah 41:10). Do you believe that? Are you ready to squash fear?   In this ninth episode of the series we've been doing on my book Parenting Beyond the...

How many times have you said something and then wished you hadn't said those words? Have you reacted to something your child did without thinking and you snapped at them in the process? The power of your words can be a tool or a weapon.   This is the eighth episode in a series on my book, Parenting Beyond the Rules . Last week we talked about learning to listen and this week I want to pivot to mon...

I've worked with kids from little ones to college kids for over 30 years. The number one complaint I hear from parents is: "My kids don't talk to me!" On the other side, the number one complaint I hear from kids is: "My parents don't listen to me!" You want our kids to talk to you, but do you know how to listen to your child?   It's up to you as the parent to become a better listener. In this epis...

Have you ever felt like you're trying so hard but you're losing the battle to talk to your kids? First, I want to tell you that is a defeatist mindset and I invite you to change the way that you look at the situation. There are things you can do! Second, there are so many forces out there who are against you and trying to speak into your child's life. Don't give up! You have to learn how to unders...