A quick addition to the conversation with Katheryn Butler.

Buster's Ears Trip Him Up

Series: Good News for Little Hearts

If you were to ask your child what gives him or her value, what would they say? The message that our kids hear from culture is that our accomplishments define our worth.

Although this philosophy isn’t new, thanks to information technology kids suffer mounting pressure to base their identity on their successes. “Students today are saturated with messages about performance in their classrooms, with their peers, teachers, colleges, social media, and the larger culture,” comments Jennifer Breheny Wallace, the author of Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It. “They are hearing messages day in and day out that they have to strive; they have to do better; and that they’re only as good as their next accomplishment.”

Many Christian parents hear this and are saddened, but are there ways that we may be feeding into this same narrative without realizing it?

What is our drive to succeed based in?

Is it always a bad thing? Don’t we want our kids to succeed and to work hard? How do we balance between healthy expectations and crushing ones?

Tune in for a thoughtful conversation with Kathryn Butler (MD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons), trauma surgeon turned writer and homeschooling mom, about what is at the root of our drive for our kids to have their names on the wall.

For many of us summertime is a blissful welcome. Schedules are relaxed, sports are mostly over, and there’s a lot more free time. But sometimes that lack of structure can feel really daunting! “What exactly am I supposed to do with these wild little humans?”

Listen in for encouragement from Meredith Hammer, mom of eight, to soak up this slow season of summer through thoughtful schedules, low-pressure adventures, and intentional family time.

This episode covers:

• Chores
• Routines
• Kid dates
• Devotionals
• Air Travel Tips
• Including Daddy (even when he's busy)
• Prioritizing Marriage

I think you’ll come away encouraged to play in the sun, read good books, sleep well, roast marshmallows, catch crabs, have good conversations with friends and grow in our wonder of God.

Note: I really love Meredith! She had a big impact on my early mothering journey!! <3

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Meredith Hammer is a follower of Jesus who finds great joy in the calling He has placed on her life as the mother of eight children—four boys and four girls—ranging in age from 13 to 7-month-old twins. Meredith was born and raised in coastal Virginia and North Carolina, but since marrying Stephen almost fifteen years ago, she has made her home in seven states and two countries. After learning much about living a transient life with a lot of little ones for the first decade of their marriage, she is now enjoying raising their family in Stephen's hometown of Dallas, Texas. Meredith loves to encourage other moms in finding the rhythms that help them to thrive in the calling of motherhood.

Here is a link to the Scripture cards she mentioned:

https://www.kidscripture.com/shop