This week we talk about smart phones and video games.  How they are used and why they are so important to today's kids.  Whether you feel they are good, bad or a little of both, they are powerful.  So get comfortable with it, introduce it to your kids, set guidelines and prepare yourself for some upfront monitoring.  Your ongoing involvement in your kids' use of these tools may save some backlash in the end.  

This week we talk about how to have the "sex talk" with your teens and why it is so important and how you can ease into it so it is not so awkward.  We discuss popular trends and pressures that teens are experiencing. So get ready to get awkward! Just kidding, it's not so bad.

This week we get in to some nitty gritty and ask ourselves some questions about how we're choosing to lead our families. We think about whether we're being proactive or reactive when with our kids, and we talk about leading them with curiosity. At the core of this week are 4 practices that we can implement and work on today. We hope this helps!

Notes:

Our Mosaic Family Website

Axis Culture Translator

Emerging Adulthood TedxTalk

The Barna Group

This week we talk about the importance of understanding their culture as well as reframing the story of Jesus in new ways so they can hear about the beauty of God in fresh ways.

Our Mosaic Family Website

Axis Culture Translator

Brian Zahnd's Book "Beauty Will Save the World"

This week we talk about those things that can be "conversation killers" - social media and busy schedules. We have more of a fireside chat this week and share some of our own stories and experiences of how to create time and space for God to work in our families. We hope you'll find some resonance and be inspired to try out something new with your family this week!

Links:

Our Mosaic Family Website

Axis Culture Translator

This week we have an engaging conversation about exploring faith with your family. What is faith? Is it a hobby - take it or leave it - no big deal? Or if we lose it, do we lose something vital that can't be replaced? We talk about ways we as parents can do little things to create the kind of environment where exploring faith with our family becomes natural. We also hare some great resources this week:

Resources:

Our Mosaic Family Website

Axis Culture Translator (weekly mailing list for parents)

The Bible Project (video resources and other amazing things)

Learning to Lead Like Jesus (book)

Faithful Families (book)

The Chosen TV Series

I have a friend who painted the words "Tell Me More" in huge letters on his living room wall. He and his wife are always trying to create an environment where their kids feel safe to share their world with them - a place where they are heard and can talk about anything. Today we talk about having a conversation with our kids that lasts for days, weeks, months, years, and even a lifetime! How do you create that kind of environment in your home? Are there things we do unknowingly that harm building that kind of environment? Join us as we explore these ideas and give some practical stories and applications that you can try out in your home today!

Welcome to "On Their Team" - a weekly parenting podcast with Nate Gruber & Stevie Stibor from Community UMC and Grand Avenue UMC, just north of Milwaukee, WI. Every week we will spend about 20 minutes to talk about raising kids and teens in our modern world. We'll explore how to blend our faith walk into everyday life and lead our kids so that our families can feel like they're on the same team - pulling in the same direction! We're so glad you found us and we hope you enjoy the process as we learn how to parent better together.

Links:

Mosaic Family Ministries - www.cumcmosaic.com

Check out Axis' new book that we reference in the episode HERE