The Monica Swanson Podcast - boy mom, build strong families, Biblical worldview, women’s wellness

7 years ago I wrote a blog post that was read by nearly 2 million people in 2 weeks. (that was a huge surprise!!)  That blog post led to many opportunities, including the chance for me to publish my book, Boy Mom: What Your Son Needs Most from You, and...launch the BOY MOM PODCAST!! This week the Boy Mom Book turns two, and I’m full of thankfulness and a bit of nostalgia. ❤️ On the podcast today I...

Research suggests that at least 60% of kids who grow up in a Christian home walk away from Christianity by their early twenties, largely in response to the intellectual challenges to their faith. 😮  In light of the specific challenges kids will encounter in today's world (especially in college, I can tell you from my boys' experience) it has never been more important for our kids to know what the...

Emily Lex – watercolor artist and popular blogger, joins me today for a candid conversation about her journey from insecurity and anxiety, to quiet confidence and peace.  Facing many of the emotions and struggles common to all of us, Emily found the reward in a renewed sense of identity and strength.  This conversation inspired me so much, and I think you’ll find so many golden nuggets that will b...

Brooke McGlothlin has become one of our favorite resources for all things praying for your kids.  Her interviews in episodes 27 and 42 were some of the most listened to here on the Boy Mom Podcast, and she is back with more inspiration today.  Brooke’s brand new book, Praying Mom: Making Prayer Your First and Best Response to Parenting, is about to come out and we get a sneak peek into some of the...

Friends this is such an important podcast episode!  As we are wrapping up my summer mini-series on Boys and Technology, today we dive into the most concerning issue related to boys and devices: Pornography.  Josh Glaser and Daniel Weiss, authors of Treading Boldly through a Pornographic World, join me to talk about how we can help our kids navigate in this hypersexualized, porn-friendly world we a...

I am beyond thrilled to finally have some answers for everyone who asks me about kids and video games! Liz Busby, a researcher and writer for the Protect Young Minds website, dedicated mom to four, and enthusiastic gamer, joins us today to talk all about kids and video games!  Liz shares the pros and cons of allowing our kids to use video games, precautions to take, resources to turn to, and so mu...

If your kids are on devices of any kind, then this is one episode you do not want to miss!  We continue our summer mini-series, “Boys and Technology”, with a chat that had me on the edge of my seat. Sean Clifford shares some eye-opening statistics, and also helps us understand what most internet filters do…as well as what they do NOT do (hold on, this might surprise you!)  He also shares a new typ...

This episode kicks of my summer series talking about boys and technology. I want to come at this topic from many angles, and today’s conversation is foundational. Kristen Jenson, author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures (check out episode 44) is back to talk about equipping our kids with what they need to make good choices online. The new Brain Defense Digital Safety Curriculum is an entertaining, vid...

It is so much fun to have my son, Jonah, home from college and here to co-host this all Q & A episode! I've been saving questions for some time now, and I've still only scratched the surface.  In today's chat Jonah and I cover everything from how to decide if your family is a good fit for homeschooling, to whether or not Dr. Dave recommends we (and our kids) should get the vaccine, to a list o...

This week we celebrate two years of the Boy Mom Podcast! Even more, this week the doors to the Character Training Course are open – for a (first-ever!) SUMMER SALE! In today’s episode I read a blog post from the archives -- sharing a story…of a regular Wednesday night in my home.  This is a little glimpse into what I believe is the heart of character training.  I hope you enjoy, and I hope it remi...

My recent interview with Korie Robertson on the Boy Mom Podcast was a favorite episode for a lot of listeners! Now today, Korie’s own mom, (also seen on Duck Dynasty!) Chrys Howard joins us to share all kinds of timeless parenting wisdom.  Chrys has so much wisdom to share and inspires me in so many ways! I love that true parenting Chattinwisdom does not come and go with trends…it is timeless!  Th...

Whether or not you’ve ever had anger issues before, Motherhood seems to reveal our hidden anger issues. While anger is a normal emotion, it can be handled in negative and destructive ways which can hurt our kids and our relationship with them.  This was a big struggle for me when my kids were young, and I’ve heard from so many moms who feel shame and sadness over how this has affected their parent...

When I met Liz Yeboah through a homeschool roundup on Instagram, I immediately became a fan of her and her intentional family life! Though the Yeboahs live in England, they have created a culture of curiosity, exploration, and globe-trotting adventures with their four sons and one daughter. In this episode, Liz shares some of the most magical trips her family has taken (hello South of France, and...

There is no doubt, Mothers’Day can be a mixed bag...While we often go into the holiday thinking we have low expectations, part way through the day we often realize that we had really just stuffed our expectations. ;) Moms are the orchestrators of all-things-family-and-celebration, so a holiday that is all about US...? Well, it can be tricky! In today’s episode I share a blog post that went viral y...

This episode is all about celebrating you, Moms. I wanted to kick off Mother's Day a bit early this year because history has proven (to me, at least) that a holiday like this comes and goes only too quickly...and if we aren’t thinking and planning ahead then we are likely to all but miss it! Today my online assistant, Morgan, joins me to share fun Mothers’ Day and Motherhood Facts, best parenting...

After their teenage son’s traumatic brain injury from a hard hit in a football scrimmage, Pat and Tammy McLeod’s world turned upside down. In this powerful interview, they share about the months and years that followed their unexpected heartbreak, how they came to understand “ambiguous loss” and some of the things that helped keep their marriage, family, and faith together through the hardest of t...

After a frightening wake-up call with one of her children, Crystal Paine began to explore where things went wrong and how she might fix it.  When a therapist suggested she take a different approach – one of focusing more on her relationship with her children than trying to fix them – everything began to change. Crystal discovered root issues – lies she had believed about herself and her parenting....

I am so grateful to all of you who have listened to The Boy Mom podcast, spread the word about it, and helped make this community so special. In today’s show, we look back over the last 99 episodes, sharing clips from the 7 most downloaded episodes, and giveaways from each of the authors featured.  I hope you enjoy this celebration and I hope you know how grateful I am for all of you!!  Join the p...

I decided to delay on sharing Episode #100 because that is going to be a big party-of-an-episode, with giveaways, clips from the most popular episodes, maybe some dancing and 🎉 confetti.  (we’ll see 😉 )  But this week happens to be HOLY WEEK…and it just felt wrong to put a bunch of hype on anything but...Jesus.  So, today I’m keeping things brief, and I’m inviting you all to join me for this sho...

Recently I did some Instagram stories talking about Bible Devotions and I had a lot of people ask me to share recommendations for boys’ devotionals.   I put together a list and shared it with my email subscribers, but I knew there was a lot more to talk about on this subject!  Moms asked how to best get started doing devotions with their sons.  Some had never read the Bible with their kids and wan...

This episode is for every mom who wants to raise her son to be emotionally intelligent and resilient…boys who are strong and empathetic, who are self-aware, and also…aware of others.  While every boy is unique, they all need our help growing up to embrace these qualities in the world today. Today's guest, Colleen Kessler, shares from her extensive research, as well as raising her own four, differe...

If you have followed the Robertson family since Duck Dynasty became a major hit, you might have wondered, “How did they do it?” - How have they raised such amazing children and stayed so close as a family while being in the crazy spotlight of reality television?  In today’s conversation, Korie Robertson answers that question with honesty and humility.  Korie shares a bit from her book, “Strong and...

I'm excited to kick off quarterly Q and A episodes this week, and I'm especially excited to have my husband, Dave, join me for this one!  It's a casual chat covering all kinds of things -- from how to handle eye rolling/disrespect, to helping kids develop their own faith, updates on Dave's tropical garden, fitting workouts into busy homeschool days, and much more.  You can always send questions in...

Ginger Hubbard is a best-selling author and sought-after speaker, and her books, “Don’t Make me Count to Three” and “I Can’t Believe You Just Said That!” shaped my early parenting years.  It is so great to have Ginger on the Podcast this week to share practical advice and encouragement on redirecting our kids’ behavior, from the heart.  This chat focuses on verbal frustrations (whining, lying, com...

After such great feedback on the recent mini-series on Birth Order (Episodes, 90, 91, and 92) I wanted to continue the conversation about all of the things that make our boys unique. So, I invited my friend, Heather MacFadyen - host of the Don't Mom Alone Podcast, and four-boy-momma, to join me for today’s episode. Heather and her husband Bruce have a lot of experience with the Strength Finders te...