Are you in the trenches of parenting irritable adolescents? Do you ever wonder "Who is this and where is my kid?" In this episode, Brenda speaks about the psychological and physiological changes happening during the adolescent years. This and a few other factors can help parents navigate their child through these surly tween and teen years. On top of raging hormones and body changes, children are also experiencing independence and autonomy. This can be excruciatingly difficult years to parent. In her book, Fledge: Launching Your Kids without Losing Your Mind, Brenda talks more about this natural and God given desire for independence. Social pressures from peers, media, and culture are also bombarding teens these days with thousands of mixed messages about how they should act and what to believe. All of these factors (biological, autonomy, social pressures, media messages) can be overwhelming for a tween/teen and cause them to behave differently than they normally would have. They may make stupid choices, speak disrespectfully, suddenly withdraw from family, throw temper tantrums, etc. Difficult as it may be, parents must try to empathize with their teen whose world is upside down at the moment. Brenda urges parents to take an assessment of their child, themselves, and the situation. Is there something triggering the behavior? Does it seem to occur once a month?Sometimes even, our child's disrespectful attitude triggers our own insecurities which adds to an already stressful situation. For parents in these tough teen years, Brenda offers some practical, healthy responses that will help parents build up a positive relationship with their child. Every child/parent/situation is different so please seek professional guidance if behavior/situation is significantly worsening. We'd love to hear from you! Please leave a review wherever you listen to the Life Beyond the Picket Fence podcast. Reviews help us reach more people with sound wisdom, biblical truths, and parenting advice! Thanks so much, we appreciate you listening!    

Life Beyond the Picket Fence Podcast

Journeying through the Teen Years S2E3

"Brokenness is a gift. This year is a gift. I think God is waking us up. I think he's calling us. I think he is allowing us to recognize we cannot do it by ourselves. We need a Savior." - Christy Lynne Wood Hello friends, hope you are having a great week! Today, we are concluding our interview with Christy Lynne Wood, talking about her life after meeting Jesus and how her heart's desire now is to introduce Him to others who are lost, fed up, and frustrated with performing based religion. Growing up in a very rule based, legalistic homeschool/church environment, Christy strove to please God, her church leaders, and her family. And then, at 15, Christy met Jesus. Years of seeing him as angry, disappointed, and distant, Christy began seeing God in a new light as she continued to read her Bible and spend time in prayer. She found how Scripture beautifully reveals God's character and how his love is constantly pursuing us even when we fail. There is so much packed into this episode from Brenda and Christy discussing the disillusionment with the current Christianity culture to how to wrestle through your own faith questions and pursue God's presence. To find out more about Christy and her ministry, find her on Facebook, Instagram, and her new website! Also check out her podcast Finding the Real God. And check out the audiobook of Fledge: Launching Your Kids Without Losing Your Mind!

This Year is a Gift: Part 2 Interview with Christy Lynne Wood

"You can find the real God in the real Bible, when you read it for yourself. Not what someone else has told you about it or not what you think might be there. You can find the real God." - Christy Lynne Wood Hello friends! We hope that you enjoyed your Thanksgiving last week and were able to find time to rest as well! Welcome back as we continue sitting On The Front Porch, this time talking to our friend Christy Lynne Wood about her story of faith. Christy chose the tagline Finding the Real God for her ministry (podcast, blog, etc) and in this episode, we'll find out why. Growing up in a very rule based, legalistic homeschool/church environment, Christy strove to please God, her church leaders, and her family. And then, at 15, Christy met Jesus. Years of seeing him as angry, disappointed, and distant, Christy began seeing God in a new light as she continued to read her Bible and spend time in prayer. She found how Scripture beautifully reveals God's character and how his love is constantly pursuing us even when we fail. Make sure to catch our next episode as Christy and Brenda talk more about how the gospel shakes up the current christian culture and so much more! To find out more about Christy and her ministry, find her on facebook, instagram, and her new website! Also check out her podcast Finding the Real God.  

Finding Freedom in the Real God: Interview with Christy Lynne Wood part 1

Learn how to sustain your faith through big disappointments from a great interview with Andrea Miller.

Sustaining Faith Through Big Disappointment Interview Part 2

In my interview with Andrew Miller, she shares practical tips for overcoming disappointments but also how to strengthen your faith when hope seems lost.

Overcoming Life’s Big Disappointments with Andrea Miller

Ingrid and Brenda provide principles for how to draw close to God, both sharing from different faith perspectives.

How to Draw Close to God S3E7

Ingrid and Brenda talk today about their top three tips for family life. Join them On the Front Porch for this important episode!

Best Tips for Family Life S3E6

Women are designed for relationships! Join Ingrid and Brenda as they talk about how to mentor other women in your season of life in this episode of On the Front Porch podcast series.

Why Women Need Other Women S3E5

Life, faith, and family beyond the storybook image

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Life Beyond the Picket Fence Podcast

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