Expanding on last week’s episode, Josh and Rachel Keller use role-plays to show how you can engage in a difficult conversation with your child. They offer insights for choosing a time and place that will help foster meaningful dialogue and highlight the importance of listening and empathy as you enter the conversation. If you’re feeling unsure about the weighty or awkward conversations you need to have, this episode will give you a boost in confidence and some practical ideas for a great, connected conversation with your child.

• Ep. 191: How to Talk to Your Child About Difficult Topics (Part 1)
• The Power of Questions online course – Less Arguing. More Wisdom.
• Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart online course

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Every donation, whether big or small, empowers another family to parent with confidence and lead with grace. Make a donation to Connected Families today!

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Josh and Rachel are a married duo from Central Minnesota. They have been married for 15 years, with three kids, one dog, a bunny, and a bird. After becoming CF Certified Parent Coaches, they launched The Freedom Center MN, a mental health practice in Willmar, MN.

That’s what you get with the Power of Questions online course.

Whether it’s swearing, sex, racism, or a loved one’s choice, talking about difficult topics is a requirement of parenting. Listen in as Josh and Rachel Keller, MA, LPCC (Connected Families Certified Parent Coaches), join us to share practical ideas for approaching difficult conversations with kids of all ages. In their light-hearted and humorous way, they encourage us to reflect, embrace the awkward, and lead with curious questions. You’ll feel encouraged and equipped for your next tough conversation. And don’t miss next week’s episode, where Josh and Rachel roleplay awkward and challenging conversations.

• Ep. 174 | Want to Connect with Your Teenager?
• Philippians 1:6
• Proverbs 18:2
• Proverbs 18:13
• The Power of Questions online course: Less Arguing. More Wisdom.
• Discipline That Connects online course

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Every donation, whether big or small, empowers another family to parent with confidence and lead with grace. Make a donation to Connected Families today!

Take a second to rate the show or share this episode with a friend. We’re so grateful if you do!

Josh and Rachel are a married duo from Central Minnesota. They have been married for 15 years and have three kids, one dog, a bunny, and a bird. After becoming CF Certified Parent Coaches, they launched The Freedom Center MN, a mental health practice in Willmar, MN.

That’s what you get with the Power of Questions online course.

Today, we talk with Joy Wendling, Connected Families Certified Parent Coach and founder of Created to Play, about helping kids come to love God wholeheartedly. Faith can sometimes feel serious or heady, but God is also the God of play, and He created children to learn best through play. Stacy and Joy discuss the significance of modeling a joyful faith. Together, they share ideas for making God relatable through play with your kids. They emphasize how to bring God into everyday moments and ways to use scripture to gently guide and encourage your kids.

• Parenting Reminder Bundle – Get Yours Today!
• Podcast Episode 102, “How to Be a More Playful Parent” with Joy Wendling
• Deuteronomy 6
• Psalm 16:11
• Zephaniah 3:17
• John 10:10

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Your donation fuels our work. Make a donation to Connected Families today!

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Enthusiastic. Passionate. Profound. Joy Wendling is a family pastor, writer, speaker, podcaster, certified parent coach, and founder of Created to Play. She has over 20 years of experience in children, youth, and family ministry and a Master’s degree in Youth, Family, and Culture from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her idea of relaxing is gazing at the mountains from her island home with an ice-cold Diet Coke and a good book. Joy lives in the Pacific Northwest and enjoys laughing and playing with her five daughters and husband. Get to know her better at createdtoplay.com and on her Playfully Faithful Parenting podcast.

Whether you’re just learning the Four Messages of the Framework or have been at it for years, the Parenting Reminders Bundle can help you parent the way you want to parent!

You can feel the rising tension in your shoulders and the knots in your stomach again. So much going on around you, and inside you. There is no shortage of things to feel anxious about in our world right now! Current data reveals a huge spike in anxiety in recent years, for both parents and kids. We all face anxiety at some point and it can cause a range of emotions, from mild frustration to feeling really helpless. But can you parent well when you’re anxious?

Anxiety can show up in big ways in our lives and in our family, but it can also show up in subtle ways that are masked by other emotions and behaviors. This is why it is SO important to routinely pay attention to the most foundational question, “What is going on in ME?”

Today’s podcast episode is absolutely packed with thoughtful and real-life guidance for how we can understand and navigate parental anxiety. Stacy Bellward (podcast host) invites three Connected Families Parent Coaches to an honest and insightful conversation about how they have encountered and managed anxiety in many different forms and situations in their own lives and in their kids’ lives as well:

• Marni Love, is a homeschool mom of three boys and a regular guest in our Clubhouse Community. Marni has experience with adoption, ADHD, sensory processing, primitive reflex integration, and highly sensitive children
• Taylor Irby, is a speaker, marriage and parenting coach, and mom of five children. Taylor is familiar with the challenges of ADHD, autism, anxiety, developmental delays, and adoption trauma
• Katie Wetsell, is a mom of four kids and a pediatric nurse who has personally navigated issues related to adoption, mental illness, and learning disabilities. Katie is also certified in SPACE Treatment, a parent-based approach for helping children with anxiety, anxiety disorders, and OCD

Join these fellow moms and learn how anxiety can actually be an opportunity to grow in our faith, to better understand ourselves and our kids, and to love each other well as a family. We can be proactive in taking care of ourselves and staying grounded in God’s grace and truth so that we can flourish as God’s dearly beloved children.

• how anxiety might show up in your home masked as different emotions, behavior, and actions 
• a clinical definition of anxiety, and how it functions to alert us in both healthy and unhealthy ways
• the difference between anxiety and fear, and how we can discern and respond 
• practical strategies and important truths to help you work through anxious feelings

Do you or your kids struggle with anxiety? Is there something in today’s podcast you found helpful? We would really love to hear from you and help you navigate these challenges. We invite you to check out the valuable resources on our website, and share them with a friend who needs them too!

• Bible verses: Psalm 23, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Deuteronomy 6:5 
• Grace and Truth for Moms online course
• Trash, Truth, Treasure (podcast)
• Hurtful Comments: Teach Your Child How to Process and Grow
• Window of Tolerance: Dr. Dan Siegel
• Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown

Katie Wetsell has always had a calling on her heart to care for children. She has worked as a pediatric oncology nurse and pediatric nurse practitioner. After experiencing the benefits of parent coaching through Connected Families herself, Katie later resigned from nursing and became a Certified Parent Coach as well. She and her husband have four children (three boys and a girl) through birth and adoption. Katie is also trained in SPACE treatment to help parents learn how to support their children struggling with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. You can learn more about Katie at parentwithhope.org, and on Facebook @parentwithhopecoach and Instagram @parentwithhopecoach

Marni Love is a wife, homeschool mom to three growing boys, tutor, and parenting coach. After teaching in public school for many years she felt called to home educate. She started in preschool and has continued through the high school years. She has a heart for helping families enjoy their journey and parent with grace while also preparing their children for the future God has for them. She has experience with adoption, ADHD, sensory processing, primitive reflex integration, and highly sensitive children. It would be her great pleasure to support you in bringing peace and connection to your home. You can connect with Marni at www.marnilove.com and on Instagram @journeywithlovehomeschool

Taylor Irby is a mother to 5 kids, and she understands the struggles parents face. Every day she faces ADHD, autism, anxiety, developmental delays, and adoption trauma. She too has sat in the trenches and searched the world for answers. Taylor read book after book and got excited over methods that were short-lived. That is when she hit the wall of desperation and sought parent coaching through Connected Families. Taylor ultimately became a coach through their training program to help others like her. She has seen transformation in her home through working with a framework that not only has changed her children’s behavior but their hearts as well. You are not alone on this parenting journey. There is hope and you can enjoy your children, building that relationship you have wanted, and see behavior change. And I’m here to help. You can learn more about Taylor at taylorirbycoaching.com, and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/taylor.irby.5 and Instagram @taylorirbycoaching 

Want to dig deeper into Connected Families’ Parenting Framework?
Get our FREE ebook, What Kids Need: 4 Messages That Build Identity.

“He called me stupid!” “She said she doesn’t want to play with me!” It’s so hard when your child comes to you feeling hurt by someone else’s words. Words matter. And they hurt! You want to comfort your kids and protect them from bullying and being hurt again, but unfortunately, that isn’t realistic. How can you teach your child to navigate life when kids say things that are mean? Or when there may be bullying involved?

The truth is, we (both our kids and we as parents) are bombarded with all kinds of negative messages that can be hurtful, and bruise our identity and sense of self-worth. Whether it’s from other people, the culture around us, or even our own inner critic, we hear things that hurt. Sometimes it’s hard to work through it all. We can feel tempted to ruminate and rehearse in our mind the unkind or critical words we hear. 

So what can we do to help ourselves and our kids? 

In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward is joined by Lynne Jackson (Co-Founder of Connected Families) to share with us a super helpful tool Lynne developed to combat the damage of hurtful words and messages. It’s called Trash, Truth, Treasure, and like all of our Connected Families resources, this tool is grounded in biblical truth and based on brain science. 

The principles of Trash, Truth, Treasure can help us in tough moments to discern what we believe about ourselves, about God, and about our kids. It will allow God’s encouragement to flood us with truth and love. Using this tool as a helpful guide, you can learn to untangle negative, critical messages in your own heart, and help your children to do the same.

• practical ways to identify: What messages are coming into my mind, and how are they affecting me and informing my identity?
• how you can renew your mind, and do the inner Foundational work by asking, “What’s going on in me?”
• the science of how your brain processes negative messages, and what you can do to work through these messages with objectivity and grace
• practical examples of how to help both young kids and older ones work through the tool of Trash, Truth, Treasure 

How have you applied this tool in your family? Has it been helpful to you? We’d love to hear more about your experience, and how we can come alongside you to help you parent with truth and grace. Please check out and share our resources with a friend, and if you have any questions, we’d love to hear from you! 

• Hurtful Comments: Teach Your Child How to Process and Grow (article by Lynne Jackson)
• I Was a Critical Parent: 7 Steps I Took to Find a More Loving Way
• Grace and Truth for Moms online course
• Connected Families Framework
• Dr. Caroline Leaf
• Bible verses: Philippians 1:9-10, Romans 12:2, John 8:42-44, John 10:10, Proverbs 26:2

What does the Bible really say about parenting? Is there such a thing as a Doctrine of Grace in Parenting? As Christian parents, we depend on the Bible as a necessary guide to help us understand God’s direction in both discipling and disciplining our kids. And yet, there’s not a significant number of verses in the Bible that give specific parenting instructions.

What we do know is that the Bible tells us that God calls us to love our children the way He loves us, to live out the Fruit of the Spirit, and to pour out the same grace to our kids that we receive from Him. God can empower us through His Spirit to parent with the same gentleness and peace He offers to us.

In today’s episode, Jim Jackson (Co-Founder of Connected Families) is joined by Dr. David Erickson to discuss the Doctrine of Grace in Parenting. Or, more specifically, a biblical foundation for gentle, grace-filled parenting. Dr. Erickson is a theology professor, and has also served as a preacher and pastor for over 25 years. He and his wife Amanda are the founders of Flourishing Homes and Families, a ministry dedicated to cultivating peace-filled and healthy homes. 

You’ll want to listen in as Dr. Erickson discusses how the work of God in us can produce gentleness and a renewed mind, so that we can love others–especially our children–as God loves us. We can live out Jesus’ grace-filled spirit in all areas of our life, including our parenting. 

• how important biblical principles and teachings can apply to your parenting 
• the big picture goal of obedience, based on trust and connection
• the empowering messages of the Connected Families Framework
• a clear and powerful pathway of how we can live out the embodied work of Jesus with our children

Want to learn more about grace-filled parenting? Please go to our Connected Families website, and check out great free resources and helpful podcasts with hope-filled wisdom for your parenting journey. Have questions or want to connect? You can contact us, we look forward to hearing from you!

• Flourishing Homes and Families
• Helping Kids with Anger (FREE ebook)
• Connected Families Framework
• Bible verses: Sermon on the Mount, Ephesians 4, Ephesians 6:4, Galatians 5

Dr. David Erickson is currently a Professor of Theological-Historical Studies, and is passionate about helping people fall radically and deeply in love with God and His word. He also pursued that calling for more than 25 years as a preacher and pastor. David is committed to helping parents understand what God says about parenting and how parenting practices reflect a person’s underlying beliefs about God.

David and Amanda teach parents all over the world through their ministry, Flourishing Homes and Families. With practical parenting advice and regular theology applied to parenting, they are working to equip and empower parents to live out in parenting the very real grace they’ve been given by Jesus. David and Amanda have been married 17 years, have two boys, and currently reside in East Texas.

Sometimes parenting can seem hopeless. What do kids really need from us? Maybe your kids are struggling and you’re not sure how to get through to them. (This can feel especially hard with teens!) You feel frustrated and your relationship can begin to feel tense. You want to understand them, but you don’t know where to begin.

Sometimes we get anxious about our kids’ challenges and focus more on their behavior, which can cause further strain on the relationship. Consider this: What we see on the surface in our kids and teens doesn’t always reflect what’s really going on in their hearts.

Today’s episode is a special and unique conversation. Join Jim Jackson (Co-Founder of Connected Families) as he interviews Michelle Livingston Thorstad (speaker, mentor, and biblical counselor). Learn about Michelle’s work with at-risk youth, the trials in her own parenting, and the hope that gave her a renewed sense of God’s love and grace for her and her kids. This conversation is about the relational transformation that takes place in a connected relationship. Sharing hope with your kids is relational. It’s hearing and understanding what your kids need, whether they express it with or without words. 

Keeping the hope alive in your relationship with your child means doing your own inner work, seeing beyond their stubborn exterior, and understanding the pain they may feel and the love they need. 

…you’ll learn about what our kids really need from us. Things like: 

• relationship over behavior management. You’re more likely to have influence and to be able speak into your kids’ lives when they feel a safe and connected relationship with you. 
• a safe place to land when they share things with you (body language is important too!). The way you respond can either invite more conversation and influence, or cause hesitancy in your kids about future conversations.        
• your humility. Your mistakes can be a beautiful opportunity for them to learn that you struggle too. Kids don’t feel so alone when they know they are not the only ones who make mistakes.        
• your physical presence. Being in physical proximity provides a space where organic, meaningful conversations can happen. 

These are just a few of the valuable insights you’ll hear in today’s podcast! Listen in and let us know what has been helpful to you. And check out these Connected Families resources to help you take steps forward in your journey of peaceful parenting. Need further help? Contact us, we’d love to hear from you!

• Michelle Livingston Thorstad: https://michellelivingston.org/
• TreeHouse 
• Center for Transformation and Training
• Connected Families FREE ebook: Helping Kids with Anger
• Ed Stetzer
• Proverbs 22:6

A native of Minnesota, Michelle Livingston Thorstad grew up in a loving family, but often struggled feeling fully accepted by her peers. As the product of an inter-racial marriage, Michelle frequently felt misunderstood and discouraged to embrace her identity as a bi-racial individual. Ten years after graduating from the U of MN Carlson School of Management with a business degree, Michelle found TreeHouse, who’s mission and vision aligned perfectly with her calling to help struggling youth and their families. Today Michelle has mentored hundreds of teens, spoken both locally & internationally to youth, parents, youth workers, school administrators, churches, community organizations & business professionals. She is currently working at the Center for Transformation and Training as a Biblical Counselor and Spiritual Director. In her downtime you will find Michelle raising teenagers of her own, singing off-beat with her husband, and continuing to grow & enjoy each new season of life.

Take 15 minutes to learn how to give consequences that teach, rather than simply punish, by downloading our free ebook Consequences That Actually Work.

“WHY do I feel so angry?” “I’m just an angry parent with an angry kid!” Do you ever find yourself saying or thinking these statements? Anger can be a difficult emotion to navigate. We can feel so defeated when we lose control. We don’t want to react this way, and neither do our kids. It doesn’t help that our society seems more angry than ever. And our kids feel that! 

If you or your child are struggling with anger, you are not alone! A recent Connected Families survey revealed a significant number of parents reported angry feelings affecting their day-to-day life. Like many other parents, you want to be responsible in your reactions and teach your kids to be responsible too. 

On today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Jim and Lynne Jackson (Connected Families Co-Founders) to address how parents handle their own anger, and how we can model this in a healthy way to our kids. We discuss brain science relating to anger, a biblical perspective and, as always, practical tools to help you and your kids. You can learn an approach to anger that leaves shame behind, brings connection with your child, and becomes an opportunity for grace and growth. You can break generational cycles of unhealthy anger and bring life and healing to your relationship with your child.

• the brain science of anger as a default reaction and a reactive coping mechanism, and how you can respond in faith instead of fear
• triggers and thought patterns that affect behavior, and how anger can sometimes diminish what may be underlying anxiety or even trauma
• the importance of knowing your identity as a child of God, and looking beneath the surface of anger by asking, “What’s going on in me?”
• the top three things that push parents’ buttons, and some practical ways of responding in these situations

• Helping Kids with Anger FREE ebook
• What It Really Means to Be Triggered (Healthline article)
• Connected Families Framework
• Bible verses: Matthew 16:22-24, Philippians 4:6-7, Philippians 1:4-6, Galatians 5:22-23

• Helping Kids with Their Anger
• Anger: Is it Good, Bad, or Ugly?

Do you or your kids struggle with anger? We hope you found some encouraging and useful tools on our podcast today. We’d love to hear what helped! And if you or your child are struggling with anger and you feel like you need further help, Connected Families offers certified Parent Coaching. Please reach out and let us know how we can help!

Do you feel overwhelmed as a homeschool parent? Many parents in the Connected Families community homeschool. That number has grown even more since 2020. Homeschooling can bring some unique parenting challenges! From sibling conflict to curriculum choices to intense learning needs, how do you stay connected to your kids, accomplish schoolwork, and maintain sanity?

(Even if you are not currently homeschooling, you’ll find helpful parenting guidance in this episode!) 

• provide a safe and encouraging learning environment 
• understand each child’s learning needs
• help your kids grow in their learning interests
• teach your kids to get along with each other

That can all feel really heavy! Maybe you also have sensitive and intense kids, or you just feel inadequate as a homeschool parent. If so, you’ll want to listen in, because the moms in this conversation can relate!

On today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by three homeschooling moms with a wide range of perspectives and experiences. They each share a different story and various challenges they have encountered in their homeschooling journey. They also share the common thread of approaching life through the powerful lens of the Connected Families Framework.

You can face the overwhelm of homeschool challenges (and even help your kids resolve conflict!) when you do the foundational work as a parent of exploring, “What’s going on in me?” You can show up for your kids and your school day as the best parent you can be, with loads of God’s grace for yourself and your kids!

• what homeschool overwhelm can look like in different situations, and helpful ways you can approach it
• how to help kids learn to resolve sibling conflict, especially when they are with each other all day
• healthy ways to step back and ask, “What’s going on in me? In my child?” and move forward with your child as a team
• the joy of embracing your child’s individual gifts and learning interests, and how you can help them grow in these areas

• Helping Kids with Anger (FREE ebook)
• Sibling Conflict online course
• Verses mentioned: Romans 8:28, Philippians 1:4-6

• 60 Creative Ways to Get Kids Moving and Laughing
• How to Create a Simple Sensory Diet for Restless, Homebound Kids

Lydia Rex is a registered nurse, wife, and mother of two and has worked with families in many capacities throughout her career and personal life. She’s been a student of Connected Families since 2014 and continues to find it incredibly life-giving for her own family. Areas of her experience/special interest include foster care and adoption, attachment difficulties, developmental and learning disabilities including FASD. She brings a trauma-informed perspective to the Connected Families framework, and the desire to see families find peace and healing – not just on the other side, but in the midst of challenges! Use our “Contact Us” form to connect with Lydia. 

Marni Love is a wife, homeschool mom to three growing boys, tutor, and parenting coach. After teaching in public school for many years she felt called to home educate. She started in preschool and has continued through the high school years. She has a heart for helping families enjoy their journey and parent with grace while also preparing their children for the future God has for them. She has experience with adoption, ADHD, sensory processing, primitive reflex integration, and highly sensitive children. It would be her great pleasure to support you in bringing peace and connection to your home. https://www.marnilove.com/

Nichole Summers is a mom to six children, 4 girls, and 2 boys, adopted and biological. She has contributed to one article (“I Aimed for Perfection as a Mom and It Just Slayed Me.”) and one podcast (Communicating Love in the Midst of Misbehavior) for us here at Connected Families. She is a mom who is learning to take God at His word concerning her children and can often be found resting in Romans 8:28.

Have you used the Connected Families Framework in your homeschooling journey? We would love to hear about it! Looking for more parenting help? Check out these great resources on our website. And as always, feel free to contact us, we love hearing from you!

Download our FREE in-depth ebook Helping Kids With Anger. It will provide thoughtful insights and creative ideas to help your struggling child.

Building a connected marriage is hard work and it doesn’t always come easily. You want to bring better alignment between you and your spouse and create an environment of love, grace, and emotional safety. But you also might feel stuck in a cycle of negative thinking about your spouse or your marriage. Or maybe you are struggling to find a way to navigate disagreements. Connecting in your marriage can be challenging!

The Connected Families Framework equips parents to become more safe and connected, but this Framework is not just for parenting! There are many similarities in the parenting framework that are a natural crossover in marriage. It’s a framework you can successfully apply to all of your relationships, including marriage.

In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by special guests and marriage experts Jeff and Stacy Kemp. Jeff and his wife Stacy are speakers with the Family Life Today Weekend to Remember marriage conference. Jeff is also a former NFL player and author of Facing the Blitz. Join them in this honest and encouraging conversation about the value of celebrating each other’s strengths. You’ll enjoy learning from real life examples what emotional safety in marriage can look like, and the daily living out of the Foundational question, “What’s going on in me?”

When you bring unconditional love and safety to your marriage, you can find the best in each other, receive and offer grace, and find lasting and meaningful connection.*

• practical and powerful ways to apply the Connected Families Framework in your marriage relationship
• an approach that helps you focus on the positives and strengths in your spouse, and how it can bring change in your own heart and connection in your marriage
• the power of being able to repair relationships after emotionally hurtful conversations
• how to create an environment where it is safe to be transparent, so you can share your thoughts, feelings, and hurts with your spouse

*Connected Families believes that commitment to your marriage is an important aspect of emotional safety and connection, but when physical or emotional abuse is present, then help is needed and different options may need to be considered.

• Jeff Kemp Team
• Facing the Blitz by Jeff Kemp
• Family Life–Weekend to Remember

How do you parent your child who is now an adult? What does parenting look like when your child is preparing to launch into adulthood, living away from home, or getting married? You want to remain connected and continue to build trust, but it can also feel scary to watch your adult children make bigger decisions that might have bigger consequences.

You wonder if you did enough, if you taught them enough. Maybe you are even struggling with regret over what you wish could have been done differently. We get SO many requests to tackle this topic, and we are doing that today! Read on and listen in. You will be equipped with solid guidance and practical tips to help you navigate this changing season of parenting. 

Chad Hayenga (Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Parent Coach) and Connected Families Certified Coaches Becky Wood and Dijea Young join Stacy Bellward (podcast host) on today’s podcast. These guests bring years of rich parenting experiences to the conversation, and offer real life insights into the changes, challenges, and blessings of parenting an adult child. 

Whether your child is 8, 18, or 28, the Connected Families Framework offers a relevant and thoughtful approach to keep you growing in a connected relationship with your adult child. When you step back and offer a supportive and mentoring role in your adult child’s life, you can communicate enduring messages of emotional safety, unconditional love, and meaningful connection that build strong relationships.

• how to apply the Connected Families Framework and communicate the four messages with adult children 
• ways to maintain connection with an adult child that nurture their independence while gaining trust and influence (Luke 2:52)
• the enduring legacy of the foundational question, “What’s going on in me as a parent?” even through your child’s adult years
• how to graciously build trust and connection with your adult child while working through the pain of your own past regrets

• Connected Families Framework
• Keep Calm and Stay Connected (to your teen!) (blog post)
• Scared to Launch Your Child Into the “Real World”? (blog post)

We’re so glad you’re here! We would love to continue to reach as many people as possible with the message of God’s love and connection. Would you help us? You can rate this podcast, write a review, and subscribe! You are an integral part of the Connected Families community, and you make this all possible. Need help? Please contact us, we are here to walk alongside you.

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What do you think of when you hear the word discipline? Maybe it’s just to get your child to behave. Or bring peace to the chaos and gain some control as a parent. This is a totally natural parenting impulse! But what if there is a powerful new perspective for parenting to consider? A different way of viewing your parenting goals during moments of misbehavior that will open the door to connection and wisdom?

Oftentimes, as parents, we want the short-term fix that brings order to the situation. But in doing so, we might actually miss the opportunity to build something deeper and lasting.

In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Lynne Jackson (Co-Founder of Connected Families) and Lydia Rex (Connected Families Parent Coach) to share with you a few practical shifts that could change not only your parenting perspective but, ultimately, your relationship with your child. 

When you lean into connection and mentoring opportunities during discipline, you can build strength, connection, and respect between you and your child in those difficult moments. You can shift from managing behavior to building something intentional and purposeful for both you and your child. And in every step of the process, Jesus provides the grace and safety that you can receive and then pass on to your child.

• 4 main shifts you can make to turn discipline situations into opportunities for growth and connection
• how the shift from managing to mentoring empowers your struggling child
• why meaningful discipline always begins with the foundation of: “What’s going on in me as a parent?”
• practical ways to highlight and nurture your child’s identity, and focus on the gifts God is growing in their life

• Scriptures mentioned: Peter’s denial of Jesus, Peter jumping out of the boat, Jesus’ statement to Peter about building the church, Hebrews 12:11
• Connected Families Framework
• 4 Ideas to Build a Growth Mindset as a Family (blog post)
• What Is the Goal of Your Discipline? (blog post)
• Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart online course

What are your parenting goals? Did you find something helpful in this podcast? Looking for more great resources to help you with your parenting goals? Check out our blog, it’s packed with great information and parenting tips. As always, feel free to contact us, we’d love to hear from you!

Frustrated by constant discipline challenges? Take 15 minutes to read our free ebook 4 Messages Every Child Longs to Hear: A Discipline That Connects Overview.

Does it feel like your child just doesn’t care? Maybe even saying the words, “I just don’t care!”

Does your child seem unmotivated in school, defensive about doing chores, maybe even withdrawn and depressed? It is so hard to know what to do when your child is discouraged. You may feel frustrated and hopeless. And a kid who doesn’t seem to care can really push all your buttons, which can cause even more anxiety in both you and your child.

You want to know what is going on with your discouraged child! And you especially want to know how you can help (or, let’s be honest, “fix”) them. If this resonates, we have some fresh perspective and direction for you here today.

On today’s podcast, Jim and Lynne Jackson (Co-founders of Connected Families) join Stacy Bellward (podcast host) to help you see this behavior through a different lens. A lens that offers hope, and practical ways to support your struggling child. 

Did you know that when your child feels pressure or discouragement, it can surface as misbehavior? But with the power of connection, and a gentle,non-judgmental spirit, this can be an opportunity to help your child grow in resilience and wisdom.

Using the Connected Families Framework, you can help your discouraged child feel loved and understood. You can come alongside them with encouragement and gentle questions to help them feel called and capable, and build an identity of wisdom and responsibility.

• what might be going on under the surface of a kid who doesn’t seem to care
• a practical and gentle approach to asking your child the kinds of questions that help them connect to what’s going on inside
• the importance of replacing panic about your child’s future with empathy and solution-focused conversations
• how to build your child’s God-given identity, and a value for responsibility, by instilling the confidence that God and you are with them, and for them. 

• Connected Families Framework
• Romans 15:13
• Applying the ABC’s of Affirmation
• Discipline The Connects Online Course

Are you struggling to help your discouraged child? What tips from today’s podcast helped you? We’d love to hear your comments! As always, we are here if you need further help. Please contact us, and in the meantime, check out our helpful resources on our new website. We are in this together!

Download our FREE in-depth ebook Helping Kids With Anger. It will provide thoughtful insights and creative ideas to help your struggling child.

Two therapists chat about the benefits of play and how to incorporate play therapy into your family’s routine. The end goal: More connection with your child and a more regulated child. It’s a win-win!

In this podcast episode, Lynne Jackson, occupational therapist and Co-Founder of Connected Families, interviews Marlee Thomson, a mental health therapist and Connected Families Certified Parent Coach. They discuss the brain science behind play and how it can develop connection and trust between you and your child. Marlee explains how you can incorporate “special playtime,” highlighting how your undivided attention and delight can nurture your child’s identity. Incorporating the Connected Families Framework every step of the way, Lynne and Marlee encourage you to begin this practice with the goal of being present rather than striving for perfection.

• Free PDF from Marlee
• Quote from parent coach Patty Wipfler, “Feelings that are felt fully are feelings that evaporate afterward.”
• Psalm 147:11
• Psalm 73:21-26
• “Fix your face” podcast: Ep. 174 | Want to Connect with Your Teenager?

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Your donation fuels our work. Make a donation to Connected Families today!

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Marlee Thomsen is an LCSWA who lives and works as a mental health therapist and Connected Families Certified Parent Coach in Durham, NC. She is working towards becoming a Registered Play Therapist and is growing in her love for play therapy. In particular, she is passionate about teaching parents play skills and walking through the Connected Families framework with them to enhance the parent-child relationship. Additionally, she has experienced the impact of the Connected Families framework in her own family as she raises two toddler boys alongside her husband.

What do you do when you know you want something to be different in your family this year? Do you ever wonder if there is a more gracious and meaningful way to approach the new year, for you and your kids? How can you be more intentional in your parenting in the new year?

If you are overwhelmed with all that hasn’t worked, and are looking for something different for your family, this is the podcast to help you gently usher in 2022 with hope for real and meaningful growth.

In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) and Chad Hayenga (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Coach) share a super practical tool, and a new perspective on creating goals and intentions for the new year. Not just worn-out resolutions, but a broader vision that could transform both you and your family one step and one day at a time. You can help your kids steward their time and their capabilities to create a growth mindset* with gracious questions such as:   

• What is your goal?
• Why is it important to you?
• What will it take to achieve your goal?
• To achieve your goal, what steps can you control? 

You can create a safe and connected atmosphere to have a vision-casting conversation with your kids, and invite God to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine!

*Growth mindset is a term originally coined by Child Psychologist Carol Dweck and popularized by numerous authors. Our use of the term is most closely informed by her work.

• how to use a “life/growth wheel” (mentioned by Stacy) in practical ways, with kids of all ages, to coach and support your kids in building wisdom and responsibility
• the importance of assessing your (and your child’s) connection to God, to each other, and to your purpose in this world as you explore: What do I want life to look like a year from now?
• the power of celebration in connecting with your child and building momentum for their success
• helpful steps to avoid the pitfalls that can bring shame and tension in conversations with your kids about their goals

• Ephesians 3:14-21
• Susie Larson (Author, Speaker)
• The Entitlement Fix (online course)
• The Power of Questions (online course)
• Discipline That Connects (online course)
• Is There “Miracle Grow” for Good Behavior? (the ABC’s of Affirmation)

Do you and your family have goals for the new year? What did you find helpful in this podcast? We’d love to hear from you and connect with you as we all start a new year together! Leave a comment and let us know. Or contact us, we are here to help!

You’ve got them. Knowing your strengths will help you become the best parent you can be. Knowing your parenting challenges is useful information too. Take our FREE ASSESSMENT.

As 2021 soon comes to a close, we hope you will find good things–even something seemingly small!–to be grateful for this past year. And we pray you find encouragement and grace for the new year ahead. This year-end wrap-up will give you an exciting vision of what God might have for Connected Families in the future!

In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Jim Jackson (Co-Founder of Connected Families) and Anna Braasch (Connected Families Executive Director) to talk about the many ways God has blessed the Connected Families community this past year. Listen in to hear all the ways God is growing and multiplying the powerful message of Connected Families, and an exciting look at the goals and vision for the future as well.

Standing firm on the foundation of God’s love, and building on the Connected Families Framework, we look forward with anticipation to all the ways our community will continue to bring hope to parents and families around the world. None of this would be possible without you and your dedication to continue sharing the grace-filled message of Connected Families in your community and beyond.

As we reflect on this past year, here are some fascinating things you might not know about us:

• Connected Families launched a new website this year, making it even easier to find all the fantastic resources you need to lead your family with confidence and grace!
• Connected Families was founded nearly 20 years ago, when Jim and Lynne Jackson realized that parents were in need of a more connected parenting approach.
• We are currently building relationships within the Chinese community, and working to make our resources available in this community.
• Connected Families began implementing a successful business tool called EOS in 2015. This keeps our ministry running with efficiency and accountability. (We believe this tool is an important part of serving you!)
• The Connected Families Framework uniquely combines brain science, child development, and scripture.
• We have a coaching certification program, and parent coaches from multiple countries around the globe.

Connected Families is here to bring you God’s grace and truth, so you can pass on God’s grace and truth to your children. Who do you know who needs to hear more about this? Please consider telling your story of how Connected Families has impacted you, and let them know about our helpful resources! In each step of your journey, we are here for you. Contact us and let us know how we can help!

• Connected Families website
• Connected Families Framework
• Become a Parent Coach
• Chad Hayenga, head of Connected Families coaching certification program
• How to Grow a Connected Family
• Discipline That Connects online course
• DONATE to Connected Families
• EOS: Entrepreneurial Operating System
• Joel Swanson: EOS Implementer
• Blessings for the Morning by Susie Larson (Isaiah 43:19)

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“My child never sleeps!” Bedtime struggles can feel like a losing battle. Does bedtime leave you feeling completely drained? Your child wants another glass of water or another bedtime story. They’re afraid of the dark. Or overflowing with wound-up energy from the day. 

You are exhausted. Frustrated. And if your child is struggling to sleep, you are struggling to sleep! 

Sleep is so important! Kids not going to sleep (or staying asleep) is a frequent concern we hear from parents during coaching sessions. If you feel like you have tried everything and wonder why nothing is working, you’re in the same boat as so many other sleep-deprived families! 

As parents we sometimes want to push through this time to bring some peace to the end of our day. But what if bedtime could be a way to tap into your child’s heart in a way that makes them feel safe, understood, and loved? What if you change your mindset to see that when your child is struggling to sleep this could be an opportunity for deep connection?

It really can be! You can transform difficult bedtime routines into an opportunity for a deep and lasting connection with your child. How? In this podcast, we’ll introduce you to a unique and holistic approach that gets to the heart of your child. We’ll give practical, science-based tips that you can use today. 

Listen in as Stacy Bellward (podcast host) talks with Lynne Jackson, co-founder of Connected Families, Occupational Therapist, and author of Transform Bedtime Struggles into Nighttime Snuggles. Together they discuss ways to help prepare both you and your child for a peaceful night of rest. This conversation is loaded with brain science and helpful tools and you won’t want to miss it! 

• obstacles that can hinder your kids from a good night’s sleep (some of them might surprise you!)
• the science of sleep and specific ways lack of sleep can affect your kids
• practical and holistic sleep solutions that really work
• ways to calm your child’s body, mind, heart, and spirit to help them sleep
• how a connected approach to bedtime can bring peace to your evenings

• Transforming Bedtime Struggles into Nighttime Snuggles by Lynne Jackson, OTR
• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD
• The Opposite of Worry by Lawrence Cohen, PhD
• Dr. Roberto Olivardia Talks About Kids With ADHD and Sleep Challenges (podcast)
• Psalm 4:8
• Isaiah 41:13

The sweet bedtime cuddles you dream of deteriorate far too often into mayhem. You’ve got this! Bring peace to your child’s body, mind, heart, and spirit. So they (and you!) can sleep well. Download and read our FREE in-depth ebook Transform Bedtime Struggles into Nighttime Snuggles.

As parents we long to build a connected family. Connection. We all long for genuine, connected relationships. It’s how God wired us. It makes sense that, when this element is lacking in our relationships, it can cause us to feel so many difficult and discouraged emotions. Especially in the relationships we value most. You want to feel connected to your kids and to the people you care about, but that can be really hard. 

Is there a secret to authentic connection? A tool to help build a connected family? Your family can experience this!

Co-Founders Jim and Lynne Jackson wrestled and prayed about these very questions, and in the process laid an important foundation for the heart of Connected Families. They discovered that connection is intentional and it exists in three key areas:

• connection to God
• connection to each other
• connection to our purpose in this world

In today’s podcast, Jim and Lynne join Stacy Belward (podcast host) to uncover what these three areas of connection mean, and how we can live them out with love and intention to build a connected family. 

Connection doesn’t come from a magic wand; it happens in intentional and thoughtful relationships as we give and receive in meaningful ways. We connect by knowing, loving, and enjoying God and each other. God created you for connection. His love and grace can pour in and through you to purposefully build a connected family.

• intentional, meaningful, and practical ways to connect to God, each other, and your (and your kids!) purpose in this world
• the power of thoughtful and curious questions to connect to your child and help them grow in wisdom
• how to help your kids connect with each other as siblings
• effective ways to call out your child’s gifting, and help them find ways of using those gifts to be a blessing to others

• Connected Families Framework
• The Big 5 Bible Study
• The Power of Questions online course
• Sibling Conflict online course
• Donate to Connected Families
• The Love Language Quiz
• Matthew 25:34-40

Looking for ways to connect more with your kids? Check out these fantastic resources to help you feel encouraged and equipped in your parenting! Feeling stuck? As always, please contact us to let us know how we can help you and walk alongside you in your parenting journey. We are here to help!

Frustrated by constant discipline challenges? Take 15 minutes to read our free ebook 4 Messages Every Child Longs to Hear: A Discipline That Connects Overview.

Does your child get discouraged? Does it feel like your child’s misbehavior seems to drown out the positive things you might notice? And the more you notice misbehavior, the more it seems to happen. We tend to gravitate toward the things we feel need “fixing” in our kids, because our brains prioritize attending to anything wrong or threatening. This is normal! 

As a parent you care deeply about your child and want them to grow in wisdom and responsibility, which doesn’t always come naturally! But you can learn to shine a bright spot in a really effective way, on the small things that go well, and begin to unravel this cycle of discouragement in your child. And it will bring encouragement to you as a parent, too!

In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Lynne Jackson (Co-Founder of Connected Families) to share a powerful and practical tool to encourage both you and your child! 

Lynne struggled with being hard on herself for being negative and critical. The negative self-talk was spilling over as a critical spirit in her parenting, and it was a challenging but rich journey to become more positive and affirming toward her kids. To speak encouraging truth into her kids Lynne developed a simple, useful, and memorable tool called the ABCs of Affirmation. It’s not a performance based, pat-on-the-back method. But it IS a Spirit-filled, life-giving tool that builds wisdom and affirms your child’s identity as a precious and beloved child of God.

The ABC’s of Affirmation provide a way for you to receive God’s grace, and then to pour out that grace to your children. When your kids see you receive encouragement from God and others, you can model and pass on the power of genuine, loving affirmation to them. 

• the ABC’s of Affirmation: What they are, and how to incorporate this tool in everyday life in practical ways
• how brain science matches and supports this biblical tool
• the negative impacts of too much “shallow” praise for your child
• ways to grow momentum (and even boost dopamine!) by encouraging yourself as a parent
• how to ask  your child thoughtful questions that lead them to self-encourage too!

• I Was a Critical Parent: 7 Steps I Took to Find a More Loving Way
• Is There “Miracle Grow” for Good Behavior? (The ABC’s of Affirmation) 
• Grace and Truth For Moms (online course) 
• Connected Families Framework
• How Your Thoughts Change Your Brain, Cells and Genes
• Corrie Thetford, Lydia Rex (Certified Connected FamiliesParent Coaches)
• Dr. Alan Kazdin
• Connected Families Insiders Team
• Bible verses in this podcast: Philippians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 10:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:11 

How have you used the ABC’s of Affirmation with your kids? We’d love to hear your stories! And don’t forget to check out our new website to encourage yourself and your family with these great resources! Need more encouragement or help? Please contact us, we are here for you!

You’ve got them. Knowing your strengths will help you become the best parent you can be. Knowing your parenting challenges is useful information too. Take our FREE ASSESSMENT.

Ever feel like you’ve read all the parenting books and yet still feel overwhelmed? Or perhaps you struggle because so much parenting advice out there just doesn’t seem to fit your family situation. And you’ve discovered that traditional parenting just isn’t cutting it! 

This can be especially true for parents who have children through adoption or foster care. In honor of National Adoption Awareness Month, we bring you another fantastic conversation with a family formed through adoption.

Today’s podcast brings first-hand stories that demonstrate the practical and meaningful way the Connected Families Framework applies to unique family situations across the board. Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Chad Hayenga (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Coach) and special parent guests, Joe and Becky. Joe and Becky are the parents of three children through adoption. 

When they hit a bumpy patch in their parenting journey, they reached out to Chad for parent coaching. As they learned about and applied the parenting Framework, they found a long-term vision for building solid relationships with their children. Not only did they see a change in their kids, but Joe and Becky experienced a change in themselves as well. You can experience this too! 

The Connected Families Framework provides an approach to parenting that is: 

• gospel-centered
• attachment-focused
• trauma-informed

Connected Families offers a path to a parent-child connection that reveals and expresses the same safety, love, and connection to our children that God gives to us. With the power of God’s love, we can confront old patterns and ways of thinking about parenting, and embrace a new mindset that builds connected relationships.

• overcoming your internal struggles to be a more calm and peaceful parent
• how the Framework helps you navigate different parenting styles, and offers both a practical and empathetic approach to parenting
• the power of affirmation in your child’s life (and your spouse’s!) 
• filling the “reservoir of connection” to sustain your family through the tough times of correction 

• Connected Families Framework
• TBRI
• Be a part of the Insiders Team
• The Peace Process (Sibling Conflict Course)

• What I Misunderstood About Adoption–And, Well, All Parenting
• What Is “Attachment Style”?
• Podcast: Parenting Kids from Hard Places with Unique Needs

Interested in hearing more about Connected Families? Check out our website and these fantastic resources to help you lead your family with confidence and grace. Questions? Need help? Please contact us, we would love to hear from you!

It’s not hopeless. You can ENJOY YOUR KIDS AGAIN.

Many of the families in the Connected Families community were formed through adoption. This month, during National Adoption Awareness Month, we look more closely at how the Connected Families Framework can be applied to children who joined their family through adoption (or foster care).

Whether or not you’ve adopted, you will not want to miss this podcast! 

Note: In this podcast we are sharing the perspective of three internationally adopted transracial families. We recognize there are many different ways adoptive families are formed.

Kids who have entered our families through adoption have experienced trauma. This is an honest conversation about adoption, but the truth is that all kids have experienced some level of trauma. The good news is, a trauma-informed approach to parenting is a key element of the Connected Families Framework. 

Maybe you have searched and sifted through an overload of parenting advice that has made you even more discouraged. You may have even thought, “Sounds like good advice….for a more ‘normal’ family.” But your family is unique and special, which is exactly how God intended it to be. Be encouraged! You can reach your child in powerful and practical ways.

In today’s podcast, three moms on the Connected Families team join together to have an honest and heart-to-heart conversation about some of the ways adoption and trauma have impacted their parenting. Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Anna Braasch (Executive Director) and Jen Berge (Content Manager) to discuss how the Connected Families Framework provides a profound and gracious approach to trauma-informed parenting. 

The Connected Families Framework gives a unique perspective for parenting kids from trauma. It offers the tools to navigate different parenting situations across the board. Our Framework provides an approach to connected parenting that communicates to your child–God can redeem all things!

• how certain words surrounding adoption can bring hurt or discomfort, and how you can bring words of healing and compassion instead
• the science of how trauma affects the body, and how it manifests in a child’s emotions, attachment, and daily living 
• the vital importance of safety and connection for kids in a chronically heightened state of fight-or-flight, and how your parenting can set the stage for connection in the midst of it
• the four levels of the Connected Families Framework, and how they play out both emotionally and practically in trauma-informed parenting

• Connected Families Framework
• The History of “Putting a Child Up” for Adoption
• Orphan Train (book)
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (book)
• Connected Families Insiders Team
• A New Serenity Prayer

Stacy Bellward is the Connected Families Project Manager. She has been married for over 20 years and is a mom of two daughters: One biological and one through adoption from Ethiopia. Stacy loves to be the cheerleader in the Connected Families online courses. She is also an author, speaker, and certified leadership coach. But most of all, Stacy is soaking up all the moments of motherhood, knowing time passes so quickly.

Jen Berge is the Content Manager for Connected Families. Jen has been married for over twenty years and has six children ranging in ages from 12-21: four biological, and two added through adoption from Haiti. Jen loves her big family and in her not-so-abundant “free time” she enjoys exercising, attending sporting events, and spending time as a family.

Anna Braasch is the Connected Families Executive Director. Anna loves to encourage parents who are struggling. She has experienced infertility, adoption, attachment struggles, and loads of grace and healing. Anna has been married for 25 years and has two kids through adoption from Ethiopia, who are now teenagers. Anna and her family are involved with sports, school events, their church, and the Ethiopian adoption community.

Want to dig deeper into Connected Families’ Parenting Framework?
Get our FREE ebook, What Kids Need: 4 Messages That Build Identity.

Why is changing your parenting just so hard?

You’ve tried everything to get a better result in your parenting: You’ve read the books, watched the seminars, tried new methods. You know that you want a different approach to your parenting, but you just don’t know what to do or how to do it. And it’s hard! 

It’s messy to rewire old patterns that have been established over many years. This is true for everyone–you are not alone! We can be tempted to give up when a new strategy doesn’t bring the instant change we think we should be getting. But there is a way forward to lasting change–to a more peaceful and connected relationship with your kids! This podcast will give you the inspiration and the practical tools to navigate the “messy” as you work through new patterns of parenting and become a vessel for God’s grace and truth to your kids.

Chad Hayenga (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Coach) joins Stacy Bellward (podcast host) to discuss how you can move toward healthier ways of responding to your kids that will bring connection, teach wisdom, and invite lasting change. In the unfailing love and strength of Jesus, you can create new patterns in your family systems that change the trajectory of your family for generations to come! It’s not easy, but there is so much good on the other side!

• why you hold tight to familiar, unwritten family rules, and how they affect your family dynamics
• the key to changing parenting reactions that get the results you want in the moment, but cost you relationally in the long term
• how to recognize big emotions and use the Connected Families Framework to ask yourself, “What’s going on in me?” 
• why kids can become more intense as they learn a new way of connection (even if it’s a good change!) and practical tools to help you navigate the process

• Connected Families website
• The Key to Unlocking Wisdom and Responsibility in Kids (connection before correction)! 
• Power of Questions online course
• Bible verses: 2 Corinthians 10:5, Romans 12:2

Small connections create lasting love and trust. Your gift supports Christ-centered connection and transformation in families for generations to come.

Mom guilt is real and it feels so heavy. Moms, do you ever find your thoughts spiraling through these statements?

“I’m such a mess!” “I can’t get it together and my kids don’t like me!” “I’m a bad mom”

Stress, feeling overwhelmed, and lack of sleep can intensify all these feelings. It’s important to know you are not alone in the struggle with guilt and shame. And you don’t have to stay stuck in it. There is always hope!

In today’s podcast, Katie Wetsell (pediatric nurse and Connected Families Certified Parent Coach ) joins Stacy Bellward (podcast host) to share her own personal story of how she worked through difficult feelings of mom guilt. Katie shares with us the steps she took to embrace the truth of Jesus’ deep love and grace, and some surprising truths about looking at guilt through the filter of faith. 

When viewed through the filter of God’s redemptive love and purpose, guilt can actually provide an opportunity for transformation within the safety of God’s gentleness and grace. And when we receive that gentleness and grace from God, we can in turn pour it out and model it to our children. You don’t have to live in the discouragement of Mom guilt!

• the difference between guilt and shame and why it matters
• why moms often feel intense guilt about their parenting (and how you can navigate this in a healthy way!)
• the importance of the first level, Foundation, in the Connected Families Framework ”What’s going on in me?”–to break the cycle of shame
• how you can be set free from the lies that keep you stuck in mom guilt through the redemptive and powerful love of Jesus

• Connected Families website
• Connected Families Framework
• Connected Families resources
• Bible verses:  2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 6:10-20, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Psalm 139, Hebrews 4:16, 1 John 2:1 

About Katie Wetsell: Katie has always had a calling on her heart to care for children. She is a pediatric oncology nurse and pediatric nurse practitioner. After experiencing the benefits of parent coaching through Connected Families herself, Katie later resigned from nursing and became a certified parent coach as well. She and her husband have 4 children (3 boys and a girl) through birth and adoption. Katie is also trained in SPACE treatment to help parents learn how to support their children struggling with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. For more information or to contact Katie, visit her website Parent With Hope.

You’ve got them. Knowing your strengths will help you become the best parent you can be. Knowing your parenting challenges is useful information too. Take our FREE ASSESSMENT.

Does God require your kids to obey immediately? Immediate obedience is probably a familiar concept to you. And, to be quite honest, it’s a hot-button topic! If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How do I get my child to obey?” then this is the podcast for you!

Or maybe you feel like your demands for first-time obedience seem to bring more tension and discouragement for both you and your child? If so, this podcast will bring you clarity and encouragement as you seek to be a more connected parent!

Here at Connected Families, we approach this topic with a unique perspective. In today’s podcast, we dissect and unpack this important and sometimes misunderstood issue. Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Jim and Lynne Jackson (co-founders of Connected Families) as we continue our series about our Connected Families “special sauce”–what makes us unique! 

Obedience is absolutely important to God and to you as a parent. We encourage you view the bigger picture of how God inspires obedience in His children. Control and fear-based parenting can create a toxic relationship, but a deeper and more connected relationship with your child will lead them toward wisdom. The context for obedience is a deep love relationship overflowing with the fullness of God’s grace. 

• why immediate obedience can be a set-up for frustration for both you and children
• what the Bible and the life of Jesus tell us about immediate obedience
• the importance of examining your own motives as a parent in order to bring the fullness of God’s love to your kids
• the difference between obedience and compliance– and why it matters!
• how to let go of demands in order to build wisdom and thoughtful responses in your child’s heart

You will not want to miss this conversation! It may forever change how you connect with your child as you seek to leave a legacy of wisdom and grace for your family. We would love to connect with you about this, or any other questions you may have! We invite you to contact us. 

• Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart online course
• The Prodigal God  by Tim Keller
• Bible verses mentioned in this podcast: John 14:23-24, 1 John 5:3, Isaiah 64:6, Matthew 23:25, Luke 15:11-32, Luke 1:17, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Colossians 3:21, Ephesians 6:4

Small connections create lasting love and trust. Your gift supports Christ-centered connection and transformation in families for generations to come.

We chat with Lindsay Fauver, a mom from the Connected Families community, about her parenting journey with a child who experiences anxiety, sensory challenges, and challenging behaviors. Lindsay shares how she has gained new understanding and tools to support her child and stay calm when her daughter escalates. She also emphasizes the persistence required to implement positive changes and the role of scripture in sustaining her. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with parenting, you’ll find plenty of hope and practical ideas in this interview with a mom who’s been there.

• Are You Micromanaging Your Kids? Here’s How to Stop | Ep. 177
• Authentic Community for Dads | Ep. 179
• 100 Truth Phrases PDF – a free resource
• Grace & Truth for Moms online course
• Connected Families Connection Questions (Campfire Questions)
• Sensitive & Intense Kids online course
• Parenting Coaching
• Isaiah 30
• James 1
• Psalm 103:8
• 1 John 3:19

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

Your donation fuels our work. Make a donation to Connected Families today!

Take a moment to rate and review!

Lindsay Fauver is a photographer by trade and a theologian at heart. She is deeply passionate about participating with the great Artist as she works to build a foundation of “belonging and becoming” with her little people, clients, and students. Lindsay loves writing, peonies, Pilates, design, earrings, and anything by the water. She longs for the day when her story of surrender is told in its fullness by the One who will permanently wipe away her tears.

What if your next gathering left parents feeling equipped, encouraged, and hopeful? That’s exactly what Connected Families workshops do. Led by CF Certified Parent Coaches, these sessions bring practical, biblical wisdom on topics like discipline and sibling conflict straight to your community. Learn more and book a speaker today.

Your child is misbehaving and you just want it to, “Stop!” You want to bring some control to the situation. Emotions escalate. The key to unlocking a Christ-like identity, wisdom, and responsibility in your kids is not a method or a formula. It’s connection.

Parenting is hard! You want to hold your child accountable when they misbehave, but your first reaction as a parent can set the tone for how your child receives that discipline. If you want to know what to do to change the trajectory of a tense encounter with your child listen to this podcast. The result: more peaceful and effective outcomes.

“Connection before correction” is part of the “special sauce” that makes our Connected Families Framework unique! In Part Two of this series, Jim Jackson (Connected Families co-founder) and Chad Hayenga (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Coach) join Stacy Bellward to show you how to bring connection to your parenting in thoughtful and practical ways. 

• the vital role of connection in the Connected Families Framework
• how connection outside of correction can build trust and improve your relationship with your child during moments of misbehavior
• what connection looks like in practical ways in the midst of misbehavior
• the importance of seeing beneath the misbehavior to connect with your child’s heart

We are here for you as you seek a  more connected relationship with your child! A fantastic place to start is our Discipline That Connects with Your Child’s Heart online course.

• Connected Families Framework
• Discipline That Connects with Your Child’s Heart online course

Frustrated by constant discipline challenges? Take 15 minutes to read our free ebook 4 Messages All Children Long to Hear: A Discipline That Connects Overview.

It’s normal to feel stuck in the frustration of trying to “fix” your child’s behavior. Despite exploring numerous parenting resources and methods, does your heart still feel unsettled? Like you, many other parents feel the same way. Patterns of control, yelling, blaming, and shaming only seem to bring greater disconnection in your relationship with your child. You want things to be different. You want to be safe for your kids, but the patterns seem too ingrained.

How can you find a better way to discipline; making sure you are safe for your kids while remaining firm?

Today’s podcast gets right to the heart of the Connected Families’ unique and profound biblical Framework for parenting. Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Jim Jackson (co-founder of Connected Families) and Lydia Rex (Connected Families Parent Coach). Together they discuss the deep and lasting impact of the Connected Families Framework in their own families and in the families of those they work with every day. 

• the vital shift from “fix my child” to “fix myself” as you seek to build an environment of emotional safety 
• how to approach parenting with curious questions instead of judgment as you build safety and wisdom 
• the toxic thoughts and lies that can keep you stuck in shame as a parent, and how you can identify them and replace them with God’s grace and truth 
• why humility is the “currency” of connection in discipline

The Connected Families “Secret Sauce” to genuine, heart-level change in parents and children occurs in communicating the most important messages that our kids long to hear: “You are safe with me” and “You are loved no matter what.” In Jesus’ love, you can show up with safety and connection and be the parent YOU long to be. Your own inner work will overflow to your child as you move past shame and despair to love and grace.

• Connected Families Framework
• Connected Families Framework Magnet
• Discipline That Connects Fall 2021 Online Course
• Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart (book)
• Bible verses mentioned: Matthew 12:34, Psalm 139, Philippians 1:6, Romans 6:17,18, James 1:19

Lydia Rex is a registered nurse, wife, and mother of two and has worked with families in many capacities throughout her career and personal life. She’s been a student of Connected Families since 2014, and continues to find it incredibly life-giving for her own family. Areas of her experience/special interest include foster care and adoption, attachment difficulties, developmental and learning disabilities including FASD. She brings a trauma-informed perspective to the Connected Families Framework and the desire to see families find peace and healing – not just on the other side, but in the midst of challenges! Use our “Contact Us” form to connect with Lydia.

Want more information about Connected Families? Check out our website! Feel free to contact us and let us know how we can come alongside you in your parenting journey. We are here to guide you towards God’s grace for you so that you can pass His grace and truth on to your children! 

Ever feel alone or isolated as a parent? Between navigating your kids’ misbehavior in public, enduring other judgmental parents, and the demands of daily life, staying isolated can often feel easier than attempting social connection and events. Yet parenting without a solid community can bring feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Just like our kids, we as parents need to feel safety and connection in community too. That comes when we parent in community.

What holds us back from parenting in community? And what’s the way forward to more safe, connected, and meaningful parenting relationships?

Join us and our guest Heather MacFadyen, founder of Don’t Mom Alone, to hear how she worked through some rough seasons of isolation, and how she learned to build a life-giving parenting community around her. Heather joins Stacy Bellward (podcast host) and Jim Jackson (co-founder of Connected Families) to discuss her inner healing journey, and several life-changing truths that offered her hope and a new perspective.

Your child’s choices and behavior don’t define you. When you explore what is going on inside of you as a parent in the safety of God’s grace, you can find hope and a new perspective too. You can dispel the shame and fear that keeps you isolated from parenting in community.

• “Isolating ideas” that keep you from interacting with other parents and forming meaningful connection with them
• The profound importance of starting with the Foundation of “What’s going on in me?”
• How shame can keep us isolated from connecting with other parents
• The Connected Families Framework that helps you embrace with grace the humanity of both you and your child

We are here for you in your parenting journey. Do you have a parenting testimony to share or have a parenting concern?  If so please reach out to us! We hope you have learned life-giving tips today to help you parent with peace and connection.

Married and a mom to four sons, Heather struggled with the challenges of raising four young boys. She isolated herself from community, fearing embarrassment, rejection, and failure. Slowly she began to reach out to friends again and started to parent in community. Through prayer with friends, God healed wrong identities Heather was holding onto. She started a podcast called “God-Centered Mom” (now Don’t Mom Alone), a show that has been downloaded over 7 million times.

Heather MacFadyen’s website:  https://dontmomalone.com/

Don’t Mom Alone: Growing the Relationships You Need to be the Mom You Want to Be by Heather MacFadyen

The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves by Curt Thompson

Connected Families: Discipline That Connects online course

The Connected Families Framework

Frustrated by constant discipline challenges? Take 15 minutes to read our free ebook 4 Messages All Children Long to Hear: A Discipline That Connects Overview.

If you’re like most parents, you want your child to be a responsible student. But you also want them to use their time wisely to they can have an active social life. (Aaaannnnd, it would be great if they were good at athletics, debate, excited about youth group every Wednesday night, AND could get their chores done without complaining. 😊)

Whatever your child’s strengths and challenges are, each school year brings a new set of hopes and dreams. You want your child to be a responsible student, but you also want them to learn life skills that will set them up for success outside of school. 

In this podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Bonnie Williams and Corrie Thetford (Connected Families Parent Coaches). This conversation will bring you incredibly practical and thoughtful strategies to guide your child toward responsibility in their schoolwork and beyond. 

Coaching your child to be responsible can be an opportunity to build wisdom and connection. Find out how you can create a foundation of safety today that will open your child’s heart to work as a team with you, as you tackle all that life brings this year.

• Ways to come alongside with support and encouragement while still holding your child responsible for their schoolwork 
• How certain expectations, beliefs, and demands can negatively impact your efforts to help your child
• Lighthearted curious questions you can ask your child to build wisdom and set them up for success
• The importance of discerning what’s under the surface causing anxiety and lack of motivation in your child’s schoolwork battles

Have you found yourself trying to figure out how to raise a responsible student? What strategies have helped you and your child navigate homework challenges? Is there something you would love to hear more about in our podcasts? We’d love to hear from you!

• Connected Families Framework
• 4 Messages Every Child Longs to Hear (FREE ebook)
• The “Just Right Challenge”

Bonnie Williams has a Master of Education in Special Education. She is a wife and the mother of 3 teenagers. She has supported students with learning and behavior challenges for over 25 years, specializing in working with parents with children ages 3 to 15. Helping families apply the Connected Families Framework is what Bonnie is passionate about. By doing this they can learn new strategies to grow in wisdom and help lead them in having peaceful, grace-filled homes. You can reach her by email at newpathways65@gmail.com.

Corrie Thetford has a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling. At some point she and her husband realized that the way they disciplined was driving a wedge between them and their kids. Because of this they sought coaching through Connected Families. Now, as Connected Families Certified Coaches, they work with other families to experience that same change and restored joy that they found through their coaching experience. Together, Corrie and Alan have founded Building Wise Families. You can learn more about them on the Building Wise Families Podcast. You can reach them by email at coaching@buildingwisefamilies.com.

If you are not currently following us on Instagram we encourage you to check it out. Our community is growing there and we’d love to partner with you in your parenting with timely encouragement just for you. Find us @connectedfams for your daily dose of parenting tips.

Is your child struggling with anxiety about going back to school? How do you navigate the uncertainties of a new school year? If you and your child are feeling stressed about all the changes and upheaval surrounding school, you are not alone! Classroom anxiety is more common than you think. We have some super helpful information to get you and your kids on the right track for a more calm and connected school year!   

Today’s episode is absolutely packed with essential information and practical application. This podcast will help you better understand and connect with your child in their struggle with anxiety and possibly even trauma. Stacy Bellward (podcast host) and Lynne Jackson (co-founder of Connected Families) are joined by Jessica Sinarski, LPCMH, (Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health) and author of the book Riley the Brave Makes it to School. Using brain science research, Jessica equips parents, teachers, and other professionals to meet the needs of kids who are struggling, and to better incorporate effective trauma-sensitive practices into their interactions with children.

Beneath the surface, a child’s challenging behavior can often be anxiety. Entering into these tough situations with calm and safety are absolutely key in reaching your child. When kids externalize these big feelings, they need a safe place to land, and to work through, what is really going on in their brains and in their hearts. When you can understand their behavior and safely communicate I am for you, you can better help your child heal. 

• The research of what is happening in a child’s brain when they are anxious, and how that behavior may play out in unexpected ways
• How to help both you and your child when reacting in the “downstairs brain”
• Understanding the “turtle,” “tiger,” and “porcupine” response in your child (and in yourself!)
• Practical ways to apply this information to your child’s back-to-school challenges and classroom anxiety
• The power of connection within the Connected Families Framework 

We’ve compiled a list of great resources for you below, and as always, we are here for you and would love for you to connect with us! (Or check out our parent coaching options.)

• Riley the Brave Makes it to School 
• Brave Brains website
• Riley the Brave
• What’s Inside Your Backpack? 

• 4 Messages Every Child Longs to Hear (FREE ebook)
• Connected Families Framework
• Solve That After-School Crabbiness

• The Opposite of Worry by Lawrence Cohen
• Attachment Play by Aletha Solter
• Good News for Little Hearts series (including Buster Tries to Bail) 
• Arnie and His School Tools: Simple Sensory Solutions That Build Success by Jennifer Veenendall
• Connection Zoo, a play-based learning tool that helps kids build social and emotional skills
• Go Zen, online social and emotional learning programs for kids ages 6-15

Jessica Sinarski, LPCMH, equips parents and professionals to be healers for hurting children. Weaving user-friendly brain science into everything she does, she ignites both passion and know-how in audiences. Extensive post-graduate training and 15+ years as a clinician, consultant, and parent educator led her to create the resource and training platform she couldn’t find elsewhere: BraveBrains. Jessica continues to work as a therapist and clinical supervisor at an innovative adoption support agency in Delaware and serves on the board of directors at the largest Head Start provider in the Bronx, NY. She has shared her expertise as a contributor to magazines, blogs, and podcasts. At home, Jessica’s three busy boys will forever keep her laughing and learning.

If you are not currently following us on Instagram we encourage you to check it out. Our community is growing there and we’d love to partner with you in your parenting with timely encouragement just for you. Find us @connectedfams for your daily dose of parenting tips.

What does the Bible say about connection in parenting? How do we work that out practically in everyday family life? Of course theology is important. But theology alone doesn’t always tell you how long your kids should play a video game, or how to specifically respond when your child asks tough questions. 

That’s where scientific research comes in! We’ve heard from countless people the reason they continue to access Connected Families resources is because we integrate science and biblical principles. Our goal is to make what can seem lofty into digestible and practical content for parents. 

Today’s episode is Part 2 of a discussion about what makes the Connected Families parenting approach so unique–the integration of science and Scripture! Jim and Lynne Jackson (co-founders of Connected Families) join Stacy Bellward (podcast host) to continue the conversation about the Connected Families Framework.

• How scientific research is integrated in the last two steps of the Framework (“You are CALLED and CAPABLE.” and “You are RESPONSIBLE for your actions.”) 
• The importance of listening to your kids without judgment in order to communicate empathy instead of anxiety
• The power of calm, light-hearted questions to grow wisdom and responsibility in your child
• A more effective way to praise your child (that doesn’t lead to people-pleasing!)

We have a ton of great resources below to help you in your parenting journey. We hope these resources can be a helpful avenue of guidance and support for your family. Please contact us with any questions, we are here to help!

Hardwired to Connect (2003 Research Report) or check out this link for a summary of the report

Carol Dweck- A Study on Praise and Mindsets (video)

Scripture references: Ephesians 2:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:7,8, Psalm 139, Proverbs 29:5, Philippians 1:6, 1 Corinthians 6:12, Colossians 3:12

Build Kids Up with Nourishing Affirmation in 30 Seconds (The “ABC’s of Affirmation”)

The Power of Questions: Less Arguing. More Wisdom. (online course)

FREE Resources: 4 Messages Every Kid Longs to Hear (ebook) and Perspectives on Spanking (ebook)

If you are not currently following us on Instagram, we encourage you to check it out. Our community is growing there, and we’d love to partner with you in your parenting with timely encouragement just for you. Find us @connectedfams for your daily dose of parenting tips.

Are you longing for practical parenting resources that address both the spiritual and the scientific? Why are they both important? God created our souls, brains, and bodies, and He wants us to understand His creation. Research affirms the biblical truth that you and your kids are hardwired to connect. The science of connection combined with the wisdom of God’s Word are the heartbeat of all we do and teach at Connected Families. 

You won’t want to miss today’s Connected Families podcast! The Connected Families Framework is compelling and effective. Why? Because of the unique and powerful intersection of science and the Bible.

In today’s episode, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Jim and Lynne Jackson (co-founders of Connected Families). Together they will discuss how you can be empowered as a parent to form a deep and meaningful connection with your child. Learn to utilize scientific research as you implement biblical truth in your parenting to unlock your child’s heart. Instead of a quick behavior fix, turn your child’s heart toward wisdom built on a foundation of love, safety, and connection. 

• How the latest research applies to and is interwoven into, the first two levels of the Connect Families Framework (“You are SAFE with me.” and “You are LOVED no matter what.”)
• How the science of connection affirms biblical truth in parenting
• A powerful sequence to address behavior used by the FBI that you can use in your parenting
• Practical ways you can implement the Connected Families Framework in daily life 

• The 4 Most Important Messages You Can Send Your Kids
• Connecting: Healing Ourselves and Our Relationships (book by Larry Crabb)
• Ephesians 1:3, Luke 1:17 , Proverbs 15:1, 1 John 3:1

If you are not currently following us on Instagram, we encourage you to check it out. Our community is growing there, and we’d love to partner with you in your parenting with timely encouragement just for you. Find us @connectedfams for your daily dose of parenting tips.

Have you heard the buzz about having a “growth mindset”* versus a “fixed mindset”? How can you teach your child to have a growth mindset? When our kids lack the skills to do what we are asking them to do it can create discouragement in your home.

Maybe you’ve even asked yourself the following: 

• “Why isn’t my kid motivated to clean their room?”
• “How many times do I have to show my child how to load the dishwasher?”
• “What does it take for my child to notice the towel on the bathroom floor?”

It would be great if our kids would just do things they are asked without any difficulties, right? Even better if they actually noticed what needed to be done. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t typically happen that way, which leaves everyone feeling frustrated! Growing skills in your kids is important to you, but how do you do that and still communicate safety, love, and connection in your home?

In today’s episode, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) and Chad Hayenga (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Coach) share a super practical tool you can use today to help your kids build skills with wisdom and connection. It’s called Motivate. Model. Practice. Praise. This is an intentional process built on the idea that lasting skills are both caught and patiently taught.

Modelind and teaching your child to have a growth mindset includes taking the time to learn the underlying emotions they experience while learning new skills. Building wisdom and connection affirms to your child, “You are called and capable of growing and learning new things.”

• How to practically use the four steps of Motivate. Model. Practice. Praise.
• The power of wise questions to help motivate your child
• The importance of looking within ourselves to understand and change our own responses to our kids
• How to develop a team concept to get you and your child on the same page
• A more effective way to praise your child 

• Motivate. Model. Practice. Praise. Proactively Grow Skills Without Demands and Threats
• The Power of Questions: Less Arguing. More Wisdom. (Online course)
• Is There a “Miracle Grow” for Good Behavior? The ABC’s of Affirmation
• Connected Families Framework
• Philippians 3:13-14

Do you have a comment about something that’s helped you, a question, or something you would like addressed in a future podcast? Contact us, or get in touch with us about our parent coaching options. We’d love to hear from you!

*Growth mindset is a term originally coined by Child Psychologist Carol Dweck and popularized by numerous authors. Our use of the term is most closely informed by her work. 

Download our FREE in-depth ebook Helping Kids With Anger. It will provide thoughtful insights and creative ideas to help your struggling child.

Your child keeps unbuckling their seatbelt in a tantrum while you are driving down a busy road. One of your kids spits at his sibling when he gets angry. What do you do when your child has big emotions and actions, and despite your best efforts to implement connection and correction, the behavior doesn’t seem to improve? Maybe you’ve experienced challenging situations like these, and you don’t even know where to start. 

In today’s episode, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Jim and Lynne Jackson (co-founders of Connected Families) to discuss some of the challenging questions parents ask about correction. (Like, “What do I do when my child keep unbuckling?) Using the Connected Families Framework, Jim and Lynne walk through several of these situations, offering unique thoughts about ways to hold your child responsible, but still kindly and firmly communicate, you are safe and loved. 

• The Connected Families Framework, and the power of asking wise questions to impart wisdom (instead of just managing behavior)
• How to search for the underlying issues (such as sensory) that could be contributing to misbehavior
• What it means to allow your child to experience the natural impact of their choices
• Disarming tense situations in unique ways
• How to help kids communicate in ways that honor themselves and others

Even when the way forward during correction isn’t clear, you can build a bridge to empathy for your child by helping them connect their strong emotions to empowering words. You can help them find a way to communicate what’s going on under the surface of the misbehavior, and guide them to make wiser choices.

• Connected Families Framework
• FREE Parenting Assessment

• Connection in Correction (Love No Matter What!)
• Helping Kids With Anger (ebook)
• “The habit of connecting first makes the bigger issues of life easier to handle.”

Small connections create lasting love and trust. Your gift supports Christ-centered connection and transformation in families for generations to come.

As a parent you might feel overwhelmed with the mountain of resources available to you regarding Christian discipline. From podcasts, to books, to seminars, there is no shortage of available content you could access. But, when you are Christ-follower AND you are tuned into the latest in research and attachment-based parenting, you are looking for something more. Something that combines heart, soul, and body.

Connected Families was born from this deeply felt need of parents who were longing for real solutions and a deeper connection with their kids.

Chad Hayenga (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Coach) hosts Jim and Lynne Jackson (co-founders of Connected Families) for a very special interview about the founding roots of Connected Families and their exciting vision for the future. From a 3:00am wake-up call from God to a community of thousands of parents, hear how God has uniquely guided every step of the Connected Families journey with wisdom and purpose. 

Join us for today’s podcast to learn more about the past, present, and future of Connected Families! 

• How the intensity of Jim and Lynne’s own family informed Connected Families and moved them forward in their ministry to other parents
• The impact of the Connected Families Framework for parents, within the organization’s team, and within Jim and Lynne’s work as a married couple serving in ministry together
• The vital role of Connected Families parent communities and the Insiders Team
• The compelling future vision for the Connected Families ministry

Thank you for partnering with us and being a part of our Connected Families community! As always, please reach out to us and let us know how we can continue to come alongside you in your parenting journey.

• Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart (book)
• How to Grow a Connected Family 
• Connected Families Insiders Team

Maybe a refrigerator magnet can’t transform you, but it can remind you of the change you’re working toward.

In this meaningful conversation, we talk to dads Matt Norman (author and President & CEO of Norman & Associates) and Jim Jackson (Connected Families Co-Founder) about their experiences with authentic, vulnerable community. Matt shares his personal journey of seeking more meaningful connections while balancing the demands of marriage, parenting, and his career. He describes the evolution of his small group, which started as a way to socialize and study but grew into a space for supportive and sensitive sharing. Jim emphasizes the power of asking questions and genuinely seeking to understand others, rather than just offering opinions or advice. Both men reflect on the positive impact their authentic community has had on their personal growth, relationships, and even their children’s development.

• Grace & Truth for Moms online course – register today!
• Equimundo’s 2023 State of American Men survey data
• Daniel 3
• Galatians 6

Check out our website for more resources to support your parenting!

We’re a listener-supported podcast. Make a donation to Connected Families today!

Don’t forget to take a moment to rate and review the podcast!

Matt Norman coaches and advises executives on how to build great people and culture. He is President & CEO of Norman & Associates, which offers custom coaching and consulting in the areas of talent strategy, personal effectiveness, planning, and goal alignment. Norman & Associates is also the largest North American provider of Dale Carnegie learning programs which help people improve how they communicate, lead, influence, and work together. He’s also the award-winning author of Four Patterns of Healthy People, and Lead with Influence: A Proven Process to Lead without Authority. Matt loves being a husband and father of three, enjoying shared activities like skiing, mountain biking, trail running, and music. You can find his articles on personal and organizational effectiveness at http://mattnorman.com.

What if your next gathering left parents feeling equipped, encouraged, and hopeful? That’s exactly what Connected Families workshops do. Led by CF Certified Parent Coaches, these sessions bring practical, biblical wisdom on topics like discipline and sibling conflict straight to your community. Learn more and book a speaker today.

“My kid is looking at porn! What should I do?” Have you experienced this? Or maybe you are concerned about how to prepare your child for future encounters with something inappropriate. Pornography is highly accessible in today’s culture. Marketers seem to sexualize everything to sell products. In a world where we are unable to shield our children from this, how do we respond?

Today’s podcast is the third of a three-part series focused on topics that dads often encounter as they seek to lead with grace. Join Jim Jackson (co-founder of Connected Families) and Chad Hayenga (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Coach) as they discuss the very sensitive and challenging topic of kids and pornography. 

As we seek to impart boundaries and wisdom to our kids regarding pornography, our reactions about this topic can either increase shame or invite connection. When we bring God’s grace and truth into the challenge of kids and porn, we can focus on our kids’ hearts and the parent-child connection that they so desperately need to navigate their struggle. 

• How to confront a child who has been caught viewing pornography
• The vital importance of connection with your child as you prepare to talk to your kids about pornography
• Ways in which the Connected Families Framework can empower you to discover: “What is going on in me? What’s it like to be my child?”
• The ways that shame and secrecy can affect your child’s struggle and your relationship with your child

This is not an easy topic to navigate, so please let us know how we can come alongside you, and help bring God’s grace and truth to your family. 

• Galatians 5:16-26
• Galatians 6:1-2 
• Matthew 5:27-30
• Philippians 1:6
• Philippians 4:6-7

• What to Do When You Catch Your Child Looking at Porn

You’ve got them. Knowing your strengths will help you become the best parent you can be. Knowing your parenting challenges is useful information too. Take our FREE ASSESSMENT.

“My kid is obsessed with gaming! Are they addicted? What should I do?” If you’ve found yourself making these kinds of statements you are not alone.  It’s amazing how something small on a screen can have such a big impact. And screens are everywhere. How do you set boundaries when you think your child is addicted to screens?

There are real solutions and we are going to dig into them. Today’s podcast is the second of a three-part series focused on topics that dads often encounter as they seek to lead with grace. In this episode, Jim Jackson (co-founder of Connected Families) and Chad Hayenga (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Coach) tackle the common but difficult topic of screen addictions (especially video gaming).  

• How you can use the Connected Families Framework to help your child and yourself have a healthy relationship with screens
• The importance of communicating to your child, “You are capable of overcoming this struggle!”
• How to build wisdom and responsibility in your kids’ video game habits while showing empathy and compassion
• Ways to ask questions and set boundaries with video games that invite conversation and connection with your child

Screen addiction is a real thing and it is not easy! Let us know how we can come alongside you as you help your child work through this challenge. We are here to help!

• Sibling Conflict Course
• Connect Families Framework

• Why Do Kids Obsess Over Video Games?
• Healthy Screen Time With Kids–An Oxymoron or Hopeful Possibility?
• Keep Calm and Stay Connected (to your teen!)

Take 15 minutes to learn how to give consequences that teach, rather than simply punish, by downloading our free ebook Consequences That Actually Work.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “legacy”? We feel inspired when we hear stories about the legacy of someone who has made an impact in the world.  Hearing these stories may inspire you to want to leave a valuable legacy of your own. OR maybe that idea feels painful to you. You might have regrets and wonder if it’s too late to leave the legacy you had hoped for. 

Whatever your experience, take heart and be strengthened that today is a new day! This podcast will guide you in taking steps to leave a legacy of faith for future generations. 

In today’s podcast, Jim Jackson (co-founder of Connected Families) and Chad Hayenga (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Connected Families Coach) discuss how to leave a legacy of faith for your kids. During the month of June, in recognition of Father’s Day, we are focusing on topics geared towards issues that dads often encounter, as they seek to lead with grace. (Moms, listen in too! There’s loads of encouragement here for you as well.) 

Leaving a legacy is purposefully planting seeds of hope, life, and generosity. It means trusting God’s love to make those seeds grow. It’s never too late to leave a legacy!

• Practical and thoughtful ways of leaving a legacy of faith for your child
• How to handle shame and past regrets, and leave a new legacy starting today
• The importance of authenticity as a parent, and sharing your own testimony of how God has worked in your life
• The value of celebrating God’s blessings as a family and sharing those blessings with others

• C.S. Lewis quote
• Matthew 6:19-21
• 1 Corinthians 3:6-8
• 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
• Joshua 4:21-22
• Deut 6:4-9
• Sibling Conflict Online Course

You’ve got them. Knowing your strengths will help you become the best parent you can be. Knowing your parenting challenges is useful information too. Take our FREE ASSESSMENT.

You ask your child to do something simple and they respond with violence. Your five-year-old comes at you forcefully with a toy and is going to hit you. Maybe your teenager is physically fighting and things are getting out of hand. You start to realize your child is violent. Now what?

As a parent in this situation, you may feel discouragement, fear, anxiety, or even shame. It’s hard to know what to do when your child is physically aggressive, and it’s natural to feel your own emotions escalate as well. You may be wondering, “How can I bring peace to this toxic situation?” 

In today’s episode, Jim and Lynne Jackson (co-founders of Connected Families) join Stacy Bellward (podcast host) to discuss the difficult challenges of parenting a child who struggles with being physically aggressive. Jim and Lynne talk through the Connected Families Framework, and how it can help defuse an angry child in the heat of the moment. Longer term, this podcast will help guide you as a parent to provide love, safety, and connection for your child.

• How to create a strong and confident foundation as a parent: What is going on in me when my child is violent?
• How your child’s underlying anxiety can often be masked as anger: What’s going on in my child when they explode?
• Practical and loving ways to provide safety and connection to a child who needs restraint 
• The power of empathy and truthful, compassionate, phrases to communicate to your child: “I am for you, you are loved, we’ll get through this together.”

As always, we are here to help and you are not alone! Check out some of our resources below, or reach out to us to learn more about how Connected Families can walk alongside you in your parenting journey.

• James 1:5 
• Romans 15:13
• FREE Resources 
• Helping Kids With Anger (FREE ebook)
• Grace and Truth for Moms (online course)
• Connected Families Framework

Do you feel stuck in negative patterns? Feeling isolated? Are you anxious about your kids’ successes or failures? Our Grace and Truth for Moms online course will help you identify and hold on to God’s truth about YOU, and equip you to stop believing toxic lies about yourself. This course is created for small groups, so grab a few other moms and be encouraged!

Co-parenting, intense emotions, tough transitions – these single-mom challenges can be hard! If you are a single mom, you have probably navigated rough waters in these areas. It may feel so discouraging at times. The good news: There are ways to keep you and your kids steady and growing in wisdom through it all. Emotional security and connection are key. This podcast will walk you through what that can look like in daily life as a single mom. It IS possible to navigate shared parenting in a respectful way. 

Today we bring you the second part of our podcast series about single motherhood and our Connected Families Framework. Join Stacy Bellward (podcast host) and Lynne Jackson (co-founder of Connected Families) to hear heartfelt and practical insights from single moms about connecting and coaching kids through intense emotions and tough situations. 

When kids feel loved and connected in the ups and downs of divorce and co-parenting, you can foster a close relationship that will help them feel secure, even while walking through difficult moments. Both you and your children can experience joy and a strengthened faith in trying circumstances. In the words of one single mom: “Even in hard times, with God nothing is wasted!” 

If you’re not a single mom, dive in anyway! This discussion can still be applied to your situation, and these moms have tremendous wisdom for life’s challenges. 

• How can you connect with your kids through the difficult transitions between caregivers? 
• What are some ways you keep laughter and joy part of your family? 
• How do you equip your kids to respond in faith and wisdom through various challenges?
• What are some ways you handle your child’s emotional stress when it shows up as intense misbehavior? 

• Helping Kids with their Anger: A creative activity to reduce outbursts and prepare kids for healthy relationships
• Grace and Truth for Moms (online course)
• Connected Families FREE Resources

• Emerge-Twin Cities
• Beyond New Beginnings (Chaska, MN)
• Together for Good (St. Paul, MN)
• Safe Families for Children (nationwide)

Do you feel stuck in negative patterns? Feeling isolated? Are you anxious about your kids’ successes or failures? Our Grace and Truth for Moms online course will help you identify and hold on to God’s truth about YOU, and equip you to stop believing toxic lies about yourself. This course is created for small groups, so grab a few other moms and be encouraged!

Being a single mom is exhausting. And when we hear from single moms, they often say things like,

• “I feel SO alone.” 
• “I don’t know if I can make it.” 
• “Are my kids and I beyond hope?”

Maybe you wrestle with thoughts and beliefs like these too. Do you wonder if God is listening, and working in your difficult situation? Listen in on today’s episode focused on single parenting. We believe the wisdom shared will infuse you with solid truth and precious grace to keep you walking the road of motherhood on a firm foundation. 

Above all, know that God deeply loves you and your children, and He is ever-present in all of your circumstances. Even if you are in a two parent home, you’ll gain LOTS of wisdom and insight from the two courageous, faith-filled single moms that we interviewed for these podcasts. 

In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) and Lynne Jackson (co-founder of Connected Families) walk you through straight-forward conversations about single motherhood. You’ll hear from several single moms, as well as a leader at a local church who ministers to single moms.

These moms describe in their own words the ups and downs of single parenthood, and how the Connected Families framework has helped them on their journey. As you lean into God, you’ll be equipped to take care of your own heart and strengthen yourself.  With this as your foundation you can be a strong pillar for your children no matter what the circumstances are around you. You and your children are not broken, and you are not alone!

In this podcast, we hear from single moms about their parenting journey. These moms give honest and vulnerable responses to the following questions:  

• What key beliefs keep you steady through the ups and downs?
• How do you draw on a supportive community?
• What are the ways that you saw God show up to help you through difficult times?
• How do you deal with negative things an ex-spouse may have said about you to your kids?
• How do you navigate different parenting styles?

If you are a single mom who is looking for parenting guidance, we are here for you! You can check out our resources, or contact us at https://connectedfamilies.org/contact-us/. We recognize that as a single parent, finances may be a hindrance to taking our online courses. Which is why we always offer scholarships. Never hesitate to ask.               . 

• Zephaniah 3:17
• Isaiah 61:1-3
• Proverbs 3:5-6

• Connected Families-Grace and Truth for Moms (Online Course)
• Beyond New Beginnings (Chaska, MN)
• Together for Good (St. Paul, MN)
• Safe Families for Children (nationwide)

• Emerge-Twin Cities

Do you feel stuck in negative patterns? Are you isolated? Are you anxious about your kids’ successes or failures? Our Grace and Truth for Moms online course will help you identify and hold on to God’s truth about YOU, and equip you to stop believing toxic lies about yourself. This course is created for small groups, so grab a few other moms and be encouraged!

Does the stress and struggle of parenting leave you feeling unworthy or incapable of being the mom you long to be? Do these statements sound familiar? “I’m a failure as a mom and I have ruined my kids!” “I’m an angry parent with an angry child!” Perhaps it feels like you are parenting from a place of discouragement and anxiety. We want you to know that God’s grace runs deep for you, and you are not alone. You can find grace and truth for yourself as a mom.

In today’s episode, you will learn how to work through the feelings of doubt and discouragement that many moms experience. In this rebroadcast from 2020, Lynne Jackson (co-founder of Connected Families) joins Heather MacFadyen on her podcast, Don’t Mom Alone. Heather interviews Lynne about the importance of recognizing toxic lies you may believe (about yourself and your kids) and how to replace those lies with God’s grace and truth. 

You’ll learn to process your difficult feelings and beliefs in a way that helps you to be a vessel of grace and truth for yourself–and for your kids. 

• how extreme thinking, perfectionism, and catastrophizing can keep you stuck in a negative parenting cycle
• practical ways to work through negative emotions and experience God’s healing and peace 
• the importance of having support from other moms who can listen and encourage you
• encouragement that can help you persevere in living out God’s grace and truth for you and your kids

Married and a mom to four sons, Heather struggled with the challenges of raising four young boys. She isolated herself from community, fearing embarrassment, rejection, and failure. Slowly she began to reach out to friends again. Through prayer with friends, God healed wrong identities Heather held onto. She started a podcast called “God-Centered Mom” (now Don’t Mom Alone), a show that has been downloaded over 7 million times. 

• Matthew 12:34
• Ephesians 4:15
• Ephesians 6:4
• Psalm 139:14
• 2 Corinthians 10:5

• You Are a Daughter of the King speech (design courtesy of Don’t Mom Alone)
• Trash, Truth, Treasure: Helping Kids Turn Anger into Wisdom
• Grace and Truth for Moms Online Course

Do you feel stuck in negative patterns? Are you isolated? Are you anxious about your kids’ successes or failures? Our Grace and Truth for Moms online course will help you identify and hold on to God’s truth about YOU, and equip you to stop believing toxic lies about yourself. This course is created for small groups, so grab a few other moms and be encouraged!

Do you struggle to teach your child how to pray? How do you instill something deeper when your child just wants to pray for a new xbox? 

Like many parents, you likely desire to see your kids engage in a meaningful prayer life. That can be hard! Sometimes kids just get bored when we pray! Or find it difficult to get past a surface-level prayer. The good news: There are many practical and effective ways to model and encourage your kids to grow in more heartfelt and personal prayer.

Today on the Connected Families podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) talks with Chad and Carma Hayenga about their journey to a deeper and more personal prayer life. You’ll hear how this overflowed to their kids, and positively changed the heart of their family. We trust you will find encouragement and practical tips in this podcast to teach your child to pray and for your family’s prayer journey!

• The transforming power of experiencing Jesus’ presence in prayer
• How to transform rote and programmed prayers into a personal conversation with God
• A larger vision for your family’s prayer life, as well as practical everyday prayer opportunities
• Ways to help kids express their faith creatively according to their personality and gifts
• Participating in God’s Kingdom work at home and around the world through prayer

Chad Hayenga is a Marriage and Family Therapist and certified life coach with a background in counseling struggling youth and families. As a prayer intercessor, Carma has a deep passion to see families changed through the power of prayer. Combining their skills, and trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to effect change, they have seen people experience incredible spiritual freedom. Interested in learning more? Check out this unique coaching option to connect personally with Chad and Carma.

Prison to Praise by Merlin Carothers

Is That Really You, God? by Loren Cunningham

Voice of the Martyrs FREE magazine subscription

Frequently parents focus on conversation skills when there is conflict. But what about in the normal day-to-day interactions? Do you feel like it is more difficult than it needs to be to have a “normal” conversation with your child? Do you feel like you spend a lot of time telling your child what to do instead of asking the right questions? It’s hard when you feel like, “My child won’t talk to me!”

Sadly, sometimes our reactions as parents is what shuts the conversation down. Can you relate? If so, this podcast discussion will bring you the honest and hope-giving guidance you are looking for as you desire to have open and honest conversations with your kids.

 
In today’s podcast, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Chad Hayenga (therapist and Connected Families parent coach) to talk about how you can engage in meaningful, on-going conversations that bring connection with your child. You can keep the important conversations going with your kids by asking gentle, light-hearted, curious questions that help your child feel safe to open up to you. 

• The power of kind and curious questions to unlock a child’s heart
• Keeping shame out of the conversation with your child
• How to respond when kids have doubts about their faith and God
• Practical ways to calmly respond when your child says something that triggers you! 
• The importance of your strong, solid foundation in Christ to create stability for your struggling child

Connecting to and valuing what is going on in your child’s heart can keep the conversation going for years to come!

The Power of Questions: Less Arguing. More Wisdom. (online course)

Stay Curious During Tough Conversations: Why Lectures Never Win

Connected Families Framework 

You’re in the grocery store. Or the park. Or at a family gathering. And you sense a major meltdown coming. It’s so embarrassing when your child has a meltdown in public – especially when you know other people are watching!

Join Jim and Lynne Jackson, co-founders of Connected Families, as they offer practical and down-to-earth solutions to this real-life struggle. This podcast addresses some common questions we frequently hear, such as:

• “What should I do when my child is having a meltdown in public?”
• “Is there a time and place for immediate obedience, and what does that look like?”
• “How can I better connect with my child in a discipline situation?”

Along with these helpful insights, you’ll gain a crucial “big picture” perspective of your (and your child’s) identity as God’s beloved children. Not perfect parents with well-behaved kids, but imperfect parents and kids learning together in the love and grace of Jesus.

The Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32)
Jesus’ Warnings to the Pharisees (Matthew 23:25-36)

Connected Families Framework
Discipline that Connects with Your Child’s Heart (book)
FREE Resources to Strengthen Connection with Your Child

Download our FREE in-depth ebook Helping Kids With Anger. It will provide thoughtful insights and creative ideas to help your struggling child.

What do you do when you disagree with your partner about how to parent? Perhaps it is even causing a rift in your family. You feel strongly about how to parent your kids but feel stuck on knowing how to encourage your co-parent to see things the way you do. 

You are not alone! It is a very common struggle for many parents. Whether you are single parenting with an ex-spouse, married, or caring for grandchildren, this can be an emotionally charged topic.

Tensions over different parenting styles and philosophies can create stress in your relationship with your co-parent and affect your kids, too. You and your partner may both have good intentions, but your parenting ideals and how to implement them might be different.

In this podcast, we’re going to tackle this challenging topic. Stacy Bellward is joined by Jim and Lynne Jackson (Co-founders of Connected Families) to discuss their experience as parents with very different personalities. You’ll discover how Jim and Lynne navigated their parenting differences, and what kept them connected in the process.

You can create an atmosphere of safety and connection for your co-parent and your children by using the Connected Families Framework, asking curious questions, focusing on your own heart, and looking for the best in each other. Your family environment can be a place where everyone is safe to learn and grow in grace and empathy for one another.

• the power of the Connected Families Framework in your relationship with your partner, or co-parent
• questions you can ask your partner that invite conversation, connection, and openness instead of criticism
• how to get to a nonjudgmental place where you can see your partner’s underlying strengths as a parent
• offering grace and avoiding catastrophizing, knowing that God is working on behalf of your kids no matter the situation

• Connected Families Framework
• Discipline That Connects online course
• Trash, Truth, Treasure (blog post)
• Connected Families New Serenity Prayer (download)

• What’s the Best Way to Handle Shared Parenting?
• How to Parent Together When You’re Total Opposites

Because your kids aren’t perfect. Neither are you. That’s why you need a plan for discipling your kids in the hard moments.

Read the FREE ebook, Consequences That Actually Work.

In today’s episode we dig into the second part of our series on raising overcomers! Stacy Bellward (podcast host) and Jim and Lynne Jackson (co-founders of Connected Families) talk about how to help kids develop resilience and, in the process, uncover the unique purpose God has for them.  If you feel like your child quits everything too soon then this is the podcast for you.

Does your child get stuck in defeat? Or have trouble moving forward when things feel too hard? These can be beautiful opportunities to see the gifts beneath their struggling behavior. You can encourage and strengthen your child to do hard things while communicating to them, “I’m with you in this, we’re going to do it together.”

• Two key ingredients you need to help you and your kids work through challenges
• How to model resilience with peace and connection when you feel like your child quits everything
• The gift-gone-awry underneath your child’s struggle with resilience
• How to create an environment that can provide the foundation to teach kids resilience
• A mother’s story of how she helped her son tackle a frustrating situation

The Foundations of the Resiliency Framework by Bonnie Benard

12 Misbehaviors and the Gifts-Gone-Awry Behind Them: Seeing Strengths even in Struggles

Connecting to your child through our Connected Families Framework

To learn more, register for our online course The Entitlement Fix: Growing Hard Work and Gratitude In Your Kids!

This fast-paced 4-session course is designed to give parents a solid strategy for stamping out entitled attitudes, and moving toward greater meaning in life.

You’ll learn to take your kids through a simple process for helping your family have constructive conversations about rights, responsibilities, and privileges in your home. You’ll learn graceful responses for the inevitable conflict that emerges when parents confront selfishness.  Most importantly, you’ll learn a perspective that grounds all your efforts in eternal truths from the Bible.

In this raw and candid episode, Stacy Bellward (podcast host) is joined by Jim and Lynne Jackson (co-founders of Connected Families) to discuss both the challenges and the beauty of raising overcomers. When you are in Christ you are an overcomer, and you can graciously raise your child to move beyond feeling overwhelmed to being a resilient overcomer.

While in the refuge of God’s grace and hope, trials and challenges can be a profound opportunity to grow resilience in your child. This starts with the foundational mindset that learning and teaching resilience is a process. These challenges also invite you to model resilience to your kids!

This podcast dives into:

• What resilience looks like (and what it doesn’t look like!)
• Practical dialogues to have with your kids that encourage resilience
• The importance of modeling your own resilience to your kids
• The grace and promises of God as He walks with you and your kids through tough circumstances
• How to communicate to your kids that you are for them; that you are in this together!

• Philippians 4:13
• Romans 15:13
• Proverbs 3:5-6

• Turn a Big Meltdown into a Big Win!
• Michael Phelps’ Secret…And What it Tells Us About Parenting
• Build Your Resilience

Also mentioned in this podcast: The Entitlement Fix: Growing Hard Work and Gratitude In Your Kids! This fast-paced 4-session course is designed to give parents a solid strategy for stamping out entitled attitudes, and moving toward greater meaning in life. Join us today! At $23, we believe this is a fantastic value. If this is still out of your reach, simply contact us for a scholarship.

Do you feel like bedtime struggles are a losing battle? Does bedtime leave you feeling exhausted? Your child wants another glass of water, another bedtime story. They’re afraid of the dark. Or overflowing with wound-up energy from the day. You are exhausted. Frustrated. And if your kids are struggling to sleep, you don’t sleep! 

We have heard your cries! Kids not going to sleep (or staying asleep) is a fairly frequent concern we hear from parents during coaching sessions. If you feel like you have tried everything and wonder why nothing is working, you’re in the same boat as so many other sleep-deprived families! 

As parents we sometimes want to push through this time to bring some peace to the end of our day. But what if bedtime could be a way to tap into your child’s heart in a way that makes them feel safe, understood, and loved? What if you change your mindset to see that when your child is struggling to sleep this could be an opportunity for deep connection?

It really can be! You can transform difficult bedtime routines into an opportunity for deep and lasting connection with your child. How? In this podcast we’ll introduce you to a unique and holistic approach that gets to the heart of your child. We’ll give practical, science-based, tips that you can use today. 

Listen in as Stacy Bellward (podcast host) talks with Lynne Jackson, co-founder of Connected Families and author of Transform Bedtime Struggles into Nighttime Snuggles. (Our newest resource!) Together they discuss ways to help prepare both you and your child for a peaceful night of rest. 

• Obstacles that can hinder kids from a good night’s sleep
• Practical sleep solutions that really work
• Calming your child’s body, mind, heart, and spirit to help them sleep
• How a connected approach to bedtime can bring peace to your evenings

• eBook: Transforming Bedtime Struggles into Nighttime Snuggles
• Book: Why We Sleep
• Book: The Opposite of Worry
• Psalm 4:8
• Isaiah 41:13
• Connected Families FREE Resources

Connected Families Framework
How to Create a Simple Sensory Diet for Restless, Homebound Kids

The sweet bedtime cuddles you dream of deteriorate far too often into mayhem. You’ve got this! Bring peace to your child’s body, mind, heart, and spirit. So they (and you!) can sleep well. Download and read our FREE in-depth ebook Transform Bedtime Struggles into Nighttime Snuggles.