Pardon the Mess with Scarlet Hiltibidal - Christian Motherhood, Biblical Parenting, Raising Christian Kids

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 NLT) The Bible tells us that God is generous in sharing his wisdom with us—all we have to do is ask for it. Even more, he won’t rebuke us or be disappointed in us when we ask for his wisdom, he wants to give it to us! (James 1:5). We should never be embarrassed to ask God for help o...

Do you have daughters? Do you have some mom wounds? Are you facing some “mean girl” moments as you raise your daughters? Then, you cannot miss this one. I’m always amazed at the way Melanie Shankle cuts through the clutter of life and gets to the core of the issue. She’s one of my very favorite moms out there - I have always read her books, learned from her journey, admired her faith and soaked up...

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:11–12) Because we love our kids and want what’s best for them, we want them to grow up to be well-rounded, healthy, successful, godly people, so we establish boundaries in their lives and we reinforce them when they are broken. We...

Raise your hands if you are excited about talking with your teen about sexual integrity? Not me. These are hard, but necessary conversations we must have with our kids. I have the very best voices in this area, Jim Burns and Erin Mashaw, on the podcast today. In this episode, we discuss the complexities of parenting, particularly in relation to sexuality and communication. We talk about the import...

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT) One of our strong desires as parents is for our kids to find a place of belonging in the world. We want our kids to know that who they are and what they have to offer is important and valuable, and spiritual gifts are one of the ways God empowers us to find belonging...

This week’s episode is packed with insights and practical advice for navigating the complexities of parenting during the middle school years. I’m joined by Steph Thurling, and together we dive into balancing love, independence, and the continuous learning process of parenting. Here are four key takeaways from this episode: Parenting evolves as children grow, and middle school years often require c...

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9) Confession is not something that we are typically very comfortable with. No one likes to admit when they do something wrong, especially when it’s something hurtful or will cause someone to feel disappointed in them. Confessing is vulnerable, it’s revealing, and sometim...

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my church and pastor? Ron and I feel really grateful that we found a home at Compass Church. Drew Sherman (lead pastor at Compass) and his amazing wife Michelle are on the podcast today.  It all started with a sermon that he preached at the beginning of the year that was SO GOOD! Even Larson remarked that it was her favorite sermon he has ever done. We are t...

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:21 NLT) Most of us make it a priority to teach our little kids the difference between wants and needs.  “No, you don’t need a new Lego set, you want a new Lego set.” “I know you don’t want to help clean the house, but you need to.” Owning things and wanting things is not a bad thing in itself. What is bad is putti...

Are you raising athletes? Are you struggling with how to best support them? Are you thinking about how their faith impacts their sport - or informs their sport? We have two experts today on the podcast, Elisabeth and Sarah Hasselbeck - both are wives of former NFL players and moms of D1 athletes.  Listen to this episode with the entire family. Maybe sports is a place of disagreement in your family...

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it’” (Matthew 16:24–25) Denying ourselves might involve taking an inventory of those things we hold more important than God. This might mean choosing between two good things,...

I took a break from social media in December, and I could not believe the difference in my mood and clarity. This episode is not here to guilt us as parents - but to equip us! My guest, Niro Feliciano, is a psychotherapist, mom of four kids and regular contributor on The Today Show. She speaks in a language we can understand. She shares about brain science and how the dopamine high/low pattern is...

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14–15) Throughout scripture, Jesus is referred to not just as a good shepherd, but as the good shepherd. On top of all the things mentioned above, Jesus would and will lay down his life for his sheep. Not only that, but the good shepherd car...

This summer, I ran into a Pardon the Mess listener and asked her how I could support her parenting journey on this podcast. She said, “All of my friends talk about health and hormones every day. It’s a real struggle.” I did not disagree. Maybe it’s middle age or the fact that we have TONS of information overwhelming us on social media - but the topic of women’s health is often overwhelming. For ma...

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:3–4) We have probably all been hurt by trusting someone or something too much. As believing parents, we know that there is something better for our kids when they put their trust in Jesus. Trusting Jesus means surrendering every part of our st...

Happy New Year!!! I cannot believe it’s 2025. I've been thinking about this year for a long time because it’s the year my first child graduates from high school. Well, that went fast! Today’s episode is a special one for me, but also insanely practical for all of us. We have my brother, Drew McClure, on the show today to talk about “parent burnout.” Is it just the life of a mother to feel utte...

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33) As we inch towards a new year, many of us are considering our goals and priorities. Some of us are coming up with our word of the year. That seemed to be the trend that started a few years back—pick one word to focus on for the entire year. I’ve heard people choose words like love,...

Merry Christmas friends!!!! I wanted to end the year with some heartfelt encouragement to each of you. Try to get away from all the noise and distractions when you listen to this one. Sit with your eyes closed or go on a walk - and pray God would encourage your anxious and weary heart. It’s so easy to get to the end of a year and only think about the few things you didn’t do right or mistakes that...

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 ESV) It’s easy to get caught up in the to-dos and materialism of Christmas. There are so many activities and so many gifts to purchase. And while giving and receiving gifts is exciting, the gr...

Happy December!!!  I am so very delighted to introduce you to one of my favorite moms on the planet - Dana Sheheane! This episode is a simple, rambling and lighthearted chat with one of my real life mom friends. You will LOVE her! She’s one of us folks. I feel like we can raise amazing Christian kids - if we are wearing the right bra and our coffee stays warm. Amen? So let’s dive into some practic...

As parents, we know raising kids is the opposite of neat and tidy. Each day brings wins, losses and valuable lessons. Pardon the Mess is a place where we discuss parenting and faith in a biblical, approachable and relatable way. We may cry and laugh while we learn and grow together in our beautiful mess. Pardon the Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and sp...

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” ( Matthew 5:44) It’s one thing to love your neighbor as yourself, it’s a whole other thing to love your enemies. As believers, we aren’t called to ignore our enemies or to tolerate our enemies, we are called to love them and to pray for them. This is a radical teaching that goes against the norm in society because it is much...

I crave mentors and wisdom! I feel like I can spot wise women in any room. Lisa Clark is one of those mentors and I’m delighted to share her with you today. You will absolutely love hearing her “best and worst parenting advice” as she thinks back over her 35 years of parenting.  As a grandmother now, she is at a place in life where she can look back and assess what was true and what wasn’t. Some a...

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35) We are commanded to love others the way we love ourselves—which is kind of hard when we sometimes aren’t so nice to ourselves (we can pray against that for our kids). But we are also called to love others the...

What an absolute delight! If I could have dinner with 5 people (dead or alive) - it would be Jesus, Princess Diana, my grandmother, Mother Teresa and Bob Goff. What about you? Are there people in the world that have shaped your mind and heart? Bob’s first book, Love Does , had a significant impact on my faith and the way I parent my kids. So, you can imagine it was PURE JOY to have this conversati...