The Happy Home Podcast with Arlene Pellicane

Because kids experience and express grief differently than adults, we can feel unprepared to handle our kids' emotions. We hardly know how to grieve ourselves, so how can we help our kids through the death of a loved one or divorce?  Arlene talks with counselor and New York Times Bestselling Author, Sissy Goff about her new book, Helping Kids Through Grief: A Parent's Guide for Making Sense o...

For many kids (especially boys), life revolves around video games. "Wake me when it's the weekend" is the attitude of many kids who aren't interested in school, responsibility, or family bonding when there are video games to be played.  Child and adolescent psychologist Dr. Richard Freed joins Arlene to explain why video games are so sticky. He breaks down persuasive design, the science tech...

If exposed regularly to AI, how will kids tell the difference between the real world and what is artificial? A tech reset is needed - moving from a screen-based childhood to a play-based childhood. Going into nature instead of sitting on a couch.  Author Eryn Lynum knows a lot about the benefits of being in God's creation. She's the host of the Nat Theo podcast, but even her family needed to...

Arlene's children were not allowed to have social media, play video games, or have personal phones or tablets until their senior year of high school. What did the kids think about this??? Noelle (the middle child of three) is here to represent the kids! Was she left out of friend groups at school because she wasn't on social media? Did she struggle with anxiety as a result? Noelle addresses common...

Technology promises to make life better, boost productivity, connect us, and help us learn. But what does it do to childhood?  Where is the evidence that a screen-based childhood is best for kids?  We all know that sitting still, staring at screens, watching who-knows-what is not good for healthy child development. And it's time for parents to rebel against this tsunami of technology.&nb...

The pressure to be endlessly happy is leaving the next generation more anxious and isolated than ever.  In his new book, The Happiness Crisis: How Adversity Can Build a Resilient and Joyful Next Generation, Dr. Jonathan Eckert calls for a culture shift that we can begin at home. How do we embrace adversity and see the value of challenges, instead of becoming parents who make everything too ea...

Do your parents offer too much parenting advice? Too little? Lori Wildenberg, author of Grandparents Make Grand Partners , joins Arlene to talk about grandparent and adult-child relationships. They cover how to invite an under-involved grandparent to do more, and how to address a grandparent who offers too much unsolicited advice. Lori shares how she and her husband stay close to their adult daugh...

Sleep can sometimes feel unproductive, but believe it or not, sleep is valuable in more ways than we realize!  Sure there are many physical benefits, but there are also important spiritual benefits.  Brett McCracken, author of  The Wisdom of Sleep: How Rest Reveals God's Truth and Revives Weary Souls , joins Arlene to explore why God designed humans to need sleep at all. They discus...

Do you ever wonder, Will my kids turn out okay? Am I messing them up?  Get ready to be encouraged and empowered by today's conversation with mom, nana, and bestselling author of 60+ books Pam Farrel. You're going to learn how to be a proactive, unworried, confident parent as we head into a new school year. Pam explains the Learner-Leader framework she and her husband Bill developed to raise t...

Sometimes God's presence and glory seems separated from everyday life, but what if daily grace can be experienced in the mundane?   In this episode, Arlene talks with beloved author and artist Ruth Chou Simons about her new book,  This Moment Matters: 100 Ways to Cultivate a Grace-Laced Life . Ruth shares how raising six boys reshaped her expectations of motherhood, and how she turn...

What heroes do your kids look up to?  Boys and girls need better examples than secular YouTube celebrities and pop music stars. They need real heroes that will inspire courage, truth, charity, and perseverance.  The popularity of the Odyssey shows us how we long for moral heroes. The ultimate place to find heroes is in the Bible.  How can we help Biblical heroes come alive for boys...

Why does God allow us to suffer?  Glenna Marshall spent six years chasing a diagnosis and sixteen years living with a painful autoimmune disease before writing  Praying in Pain . In this conversation, she explores this question and walks us through what God has taught her through it all. Glenna talks through the four-part pattern of the biblical lament psalms — cry out, remember, r...

What if the secret to raising a confident, faith-filled learner has been sitting in history books all along?  Jennifer Pepito, host of Restoration Home and author of The Inspired Homeschool , joins Arlene to explore how homeschooled figures from history — including Leonardo da Vinci, C.S. Lewis, and Laura Ingalls Wilder — offer a roadmap for joyful, confident learning today. Jenni...

It seems like technology is always bad, especially when it comes to impacting the hearts of kids. But is there a way to use technology to strengthen your family values?  Jess Wolstenholm, VP of Education and Research at Minno, joins Arlene to talk about how parents can use media intentionally during the most formative years of a child's faith. They dig into the "4 to 14 window," why young chi...

When faced with parenting crises, special-needs challenges, fear, and exhaustion, how do you keep moving forward? Today's guest Sarah Walton is an author, wife, and mom of four whose family has faced chronic illness, a son with severe behavioral episodes, and years of uncertainty without answers. In this conversation, Sarah talks about what it looked like to survive the hardest seasons of motherho...

Life isn't all about us. But have you tried teaching that to your kids?! Pastor, author, and super dad Dave Stone will help you raise kids who are humble, generous, and others-focused. He's raised three kids and can walk alongside us, guiding us through stages of parenting, from discipline to friendship. He encourages parents in the hard seasons and reminds us that our family investment is never w...

Larry McCall has been married to his high school sweetheart for more than 50 years and pastored the same church for over 40. He knows firsthand what it takes to enjoy a marriage that lasts. He's also seen the bad things that happen to marriages in the middle and later years. In his book  A Seasoned Marriage , he walks couples through the seasons that can quietly undo a marriage: empty nests,...

Guest favorite Dr. Kathy Koch joins Arlene to explain the changes that happen when your kids grow up. Dr. Kathy's book Resolve Conflict and Find Peace and Hope with Adult Children walks parents through the hard work of releasing control, grieving unmet expectations, and learning to communicate in ways that actually keep the door open. They cover topics like helicoptering through the teen years, us...

There's a lot being said and shown about sex in our culture. Algorithms aren't delivering messages of sexual purity, freedom and health to teenagers. Quite the opposite. Yet purity is not an outdated idea, but it has been misunderstood.  Dannah Gresh, founder of True Girl, is back to help us communicate to our kids with truth and grace about sex. She shares her freedom story of how God redeem...

Dallas Theological Seminary President, Dr. Mark Yarbrough, shares about keeping faith alive in the family. What does faith on fire look like?  What if your faith is waning?  Dr. Yarbrough talks about his new book The Rekindled Heart: 6 Essentials for Reviving Your Faith. He shares how humility shaped a major family decision, why intentional parenting requires a plan, and the campfire sto...

How can you pursue change as a mom without being crushed by guilt or shame?  Abbey Wedgeworth brings a needed message: We don't need more willpower.  We need the power of the Gospel.  Sharing from her book, Help, I'm Ruining My Kids , Abbey talks about her own experience with poor postpartum mental health, the pull between shame and blame, and why our weakness is not the enemy...

Moms carry a lot on their shoulders from meal planning to sports shuttling, boo-boo kissing to homework prodding. What would happen in the home if mom didn't do all the things?  In this Mother's Day episode, Arlene brings a message to make moms laugh and hopefully make them feel wildly appreciated. But she'll also share the dangers of being a helicopter mom and doing too much for your kids. Y...

Kristen Jenson, founder of Defend Young Minds and author of the bestselling Good Pictures, Bad Pictures series, joins Arlene to talk about her newest book written specifically for girls. She unpacks why girls are more vulnerable to pornography than most parents realize and how early, calm conversations are the most powerful protection a parent can give. This episode will give you the tools needed...

Kristy Graham (Billy Graham's granddaughter-in-law) has a front row seat to what God is doing around the world. She's the podcast host of On the Ground with Samaritan's Purse. Maybe you've packed a shoebox with Operation Christmas Child to send the Gospel and gifts to children around the world. How can we raise kids who give generously at Christmas AND as a way of life?   You'll hea...

They're back!  Beloved counselors and bestselling authors David Thomas and Sissy Goff join Arlene to talk about their new book, Capable: How to Teach Your Kids Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience . After 30+ years of counseling, they're sounding the alarm on a generation of kids who are increasingly averse to risk, effort, and discomfort. What if your child doesn't want to b...