May 29, 2025 • 19 mins
What happens when the chaos of modern parenting meets the unchanging truth of Scripture? In this intimate episode, I'm joined by my daughters Avery (16) and Molly (13) as we pull back the curtain on the beautiful mess of raising faith-centered kids in a distracted world.
Ever struggled with Sunday morning softball tournaments versus church attendance? Or wrestled with when to allow social media access while everyone else seems to have fewer boundaries? You're not alone. Together, we dive into the real tensions Christian families face daily—from packed calendars that leave little room for Jesus to the countercultural choices that sometimes make our kids feel different from their peers.
"We're not raising followers, we're raising leaders," becomes our family's north star as we navigate these challenges. Avery shares wisdom beyond her years about spiritual nourishment: "You can't pour into people if you're not pouring into yourself first." Meanwhile, Molly offers refreshing honesty about learning that "it's not about followers, it's about being faithful." Through their experiences, we unpack Proverbs 22:6 and Romans 12:2, discovering that training children isn't about perfection—it's about truth.
The most liberating revelation? Our family isn't perfect. We run late, say things we shouldn't, and regularly mess up. But we've built a home where everyone knows they can always come back to grace, back to truth, and most importantly, back to Jesus. Because at the end of the day, "We're not a perfect family, but we know who we belong to, and that makes all the difference."
Listen now to find encouragement for your parenting journey and practical wisdom for keeping Jesus at the center even when everything feels chaotic. Share your thoughts with us and subscribe for more conversations that meet you right in the midst of it all.
We are a free Christian/Family podcast. However, with your support, we can further the kingdom and provide access to this podcast around the world. We appreciate you giving as it will be used for the kingdom. If you can't support monetarily, we ask you to pray that God continue to be the center of this mission and stories heard through this podcast are a reflection of his goodness. We are thankful for you tuning in and hope you find blessing, In the Midst. -Love HC
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey everyone, welcome back to In the Midst, the place
where we gather in the chaos,in the questions and in the
calling.
I'm your host, heather Cox, andtoday's episode is a special
one because I'm not alone.
I've got two incredible youngwomen with me who just so happen
to be my daughters.
Say hello to Avery and Molly.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hey y'all, I'm Avery, I'm 16 years old and some of my
favorite hobbies includeanything arts related singing,
dancing, anything I can create.
My newest interest is in mediacommunications content creating.
I found a love for photographythat I didn't know I had.
I'm involved on the youthsocial media team with a friend
(00:52):
of mine and I am really involvedin my high school's journalism
class where I write for thenewspaper and create videos for
that social media, and that's alittle bit about me.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So let's hear a little bit about Molly.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I'm Molly and I'm 13 years old.
I play softball almost everyweekend and have found a new
love for cheer.
This is actually my firstsummer not swimming on the swim
team and also my first year nottrying out for basketball.
I work really hard to be goodat what I am and what I love,
but I hate to take a spot ofsomeone that loves it more than
I do.
I'm focusing on cheer,weightlifting and softball.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Today we're diving deep into the realities of
Christian parenting in a worldthat moves fast, demands much
and often distracts us from whatreally matters.
What really matters, we'll takeschedules, sports boundaries
and talk about how to keep yourheart fixed on Jesus even when
everything around you feelsmessy.
(01:52):
So the girls and I have had alot of conversations recently
and let's just be honest,raising kids in today's world is
a lot Between games, rehearsals, laundry, church and a business
to run.
I've learned the only way tostay sane is to stay centered.
Some weeks I feel like acalendar ninja.
(02:14):
Other weeks I lose track ofwhat day it is.
Even when life is full, I wantit to be full of purpose.
Proverbs 22.6 tells us Train upa child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will notdepart from it.
That doesn't mean train them inperfection.
It means train them in truth.
(02:34):
We make decisions daily basedon what honors God, not what
just adds to a resume.
When Molly said she was takinga step back from basketball to
focus on her fitness and givemore to softball, I knew that
that took maturity andreflection.
She's learning to say no togood things so she can say yes
to the right things.
(02:55):
As a mom, the hardest partisn't the logistics, it's the
spiritual battle, because theworld wants our kids distracted.
Spiritual battle because theworld wants our kids distracted,
overcommitted and self-focused.
But God's called us tosomething deeper.
(03:15):
Molly, how did you feel whensoftball tournaments fell on
Sundays?
Or how do you feel when theyfall on Sundays and we have to
make those tough choices?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
It's hard a lot of the time because I love my
church but I also love mysoftball team.
We've talked about honoring Godwherever we are and I try to
carry that with me on the field.
Stepping away from otheractivities this summer like swim
team and basketball.
It was very hard for me, but Iknow it's the right step for
where I'm going and who I wantto be.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
And who do you want to be?
An athlete that honors God, andhow do you think an athlete can
honor God?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
By athlete that honors God.
And how do you think an athletecan honor?
Speaker 1 (03:49):
God by using our platforms to only shine him.
Avery same question.
When you've had danceperformances or VAs that make it
hard to be at church or youthnights, what's your mindset on
that?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I think that you know you can use your platform in
all of these sports and pourinto them, but if you don't have
enough time in church yourself,you don't have that.
Your cup's not full enough topour into someone else's.
And I think that we all need tohave a rebalance of being in
(04:22):
church, because us, asChristians, just because we're
leaders and we step up, we stillhave to be um like, we still
have to sit back and let someonelead us sometimes.
So I think it's like I thinkit's really important to be in
church because if you're not inchurch, you're starving the rest
of the week.
And, like something our pastorsays all the time, if you only
(04:43):
eat on Sunday, you're going tostarve the rest of the week.
So you can't go into your danceclasses or your softball games
and pour into people if you'renot pouring into yourself.
So that's really my mindset onbeing on church on Sunday and
being at Wednesday nights,because you know I can't do it
all.
I can't stretch myself thin andgive to everyone else if I'm
(05:06):
not giving to myself first.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Wow, that's pretty mature as a 16-year-old to be
able to recognize all of thosethings.
And one thing that we do a lotof times around here and maybe
the girls don't even notice.
But taking our decisions backbiblically and Romans 12, 2
tells us do not conform to thepattern of this world, but be
(05:30):
transformed by the renewing ofyour mind.
That verse stays on repeat orin my mind, because there's so
many things that we look at thatour girls are great at.
But they also have to recognizethat our greatness is given
from above, and so we have torefocus and lean into what God
(05:51):
has for us when we are using ourplatforms, and so we want to
make sure that we recenter Himand we're not taking away from
what he wants to do with ourlives just because everything
falls on Sunday or Wednesdaynight, all right.
So let's kind of shift gears alittle bit and let's talk about
(06:12):
what it's like being one of thefour siblings, molly.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Oh Lord, let's just say you have to fight for the
front seat constantly and you'realways fighting for the last
slice of pizza, the last wing,it doesn't matter what it is,
you're fighting for it.
It's wild, but it's always goodto have somebody around.
Avery, what are you thinking?
It's always noise, but, like,you always come back to people
(06:42):
you know you can talk to.
Molly's always been my built-inbest friend and I think that,
like, just because there's noisedoesn't mean there's not, like
(07:04):
that's love, like that's peoplethat will constantly support you
.
And I think, think, like God Ialways say God puts people in
your life.
I think siblings are like atestament to that.
Like they are your biggestsupporters.
They're always there, no matterwhat they're going through.
You know you have someone to gothrough it together.
So I think, like I wouldn'tgive up the noise and, as I'm
(07:27):
like approaching going tocollege, that's my biggest uh
fear is not having that noise,because that noise brings me
peace and joy and that's what I,like I have, that's what I feel
.
You know my future decisions onis like, if I do this, is it a
(07:49):
good choice?
Looking and reflecting towardsmy siblings, so I think you know
I'm really blessed to havethree of them, and I'm not
trying to be biased, but I feellike they're the best.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Are they always your best friends?
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Well, molly's punched me over an eyelash curler.
I'm Lucy's least favorite andBubba says that he doesn't have
a favorite.
And I know it's me, but Bubbasays that he doesn't have a
favorite and I know it's me.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Only that he sleeps with.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Molly half the time.
But Bubba always comes to mewhen he has, like, an emotional
problem or like he's having abad day and so like I'm so glad
I get to have those moments,even though he may beat me up or
, you know, we might be in a bigfight or I might be a dummy or
(08:51):
a butthole.
You know some people don't getthat, so it's just, it is a
blessing.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah, and we've always said you know that dad
and I are not your buddies,we're your parents and our rules
I think I that dad and I arenot your buddies, we're your
parents, and our rules I thinkI've said this this week at
least once are for protection,and we mean what we say, and so
(09:22):
some of the things that we havehad to say no to or wait have
been because we love you.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I used to hate when our parents would say that to me
.
It always made me feel like, oh, I don't have cool parents or
whatever.
But as I've gotten older I'velearned that it really is for
what's best for us.
And like, for an example, likesocial media, you make us wait
to see why you may say no tothat social media.
You make us wait to see why youmay say no to them.
(09:47):
I think you know I've the onethat's heard it a lot is I'm not
your best friend, I'm your momwell, you're the oldest um, but
that that piece of advice, likeI've watched.
You know, mom always says youknow, like mom's know best, and
(10:07):
she may tell me something and Iat first I'm like you don't know
, you haven't gone through this,you know, like this is my life,
this isn't your life, we're notgoing through the same things.
You don't understand.
But as I've gotten older, Ifound myself like where I used
to hug on to the advice offriends which might, you know,
lead me to a place of I'm in thewrong and it was the wrong
(10:33):
decision because they areteenagers and they, you know
they're not mature.
I find myself now like runningto my parents advice because
they are the ones who've dealtwith similar things, because you
know they may say you know thetimes are different, but they're
(10:53):
all really similar.
Um, some situations may bedifferent, but like the same
stupid stuff teenagers dothey've been doing for years.
And I think that, uh, my momlike not being my best friend is
probably the best thing,because you know you need that
(11:14):
mature aspect, you need someoneto tell you no, so yeah, well,
and if we look at first, timothy4.12 by Avery, I think you have
that verse.
So it says don't let anyone lookdown on you because you were
young, but set an example.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And that's something I see in both of you, and I'm
giggling because sometimes I'llhear people say, well, you like
to watch one more than the otherwill say, well, you like to
watch one more than the other.
But stage field, whatever theplatform may be, it's just
really cool to watch you guys besuccessful.
(11:57):
And one of the biggest battlesright now for families is social
media, our approach, tyler andI, you know, waiting longer than
culture says it's normal, Iknow and I'm laughing because
one of the things that we'vetalked about this week Molly
(12:21):
wants TikTok and I've said no.
How many times.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
A lot.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Probably at least three today.
And you know, not because we'remean, but because we believe in
strong roots before we build areach, and we want her to be
mature enough to be able toanswer to what those things will
put in her life.
(12:47):
It's not a giving situation,it's a take.
And so, yes, we can utilizesocial media for a lot of things
to give us certain knowledge orrecipes or cool dance moves or
interaction with others, but italso takes away time from what
your purpose and platform may beif we're not utilizing it for
(13:07):
those things.
And so, when we have thoseconversations, one thing Tyler
and I have always based our noon is a why.
Because when we're told no, wewant to understand the reasoning
behind that, and we believethat, for our kids too, one of
(13:30):
the things that I try to watchmyself in not saying is because
I said so.
It's really not because I saidso, it's because we want to
protect you or we love you, orthere's reason because of the no
.
And so I think Avery can kindof speak on and not always being
fun to wait um it it's not funto wait because, like you feel
like you're missing out.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
But as someone who is really interested and like
wants to continue their likecareer path in communications
and social media, you learn alot of stuff.
And that's where I've beentaken aback, like with learning
how to do stuff the right wayand like running the church's
social media.
I always think about it likewould I want this on you know
(14:10):
Pauline's youth page, like if it, you know?
Um, I think a lot of us thisday and age we learn to just
like hide behind a screen andtext it or, you know, call.
But like I've had to learn toface problems like like
face-to-face, and like somethingthe other day, um my dad was
(14:33):
saying is nobody knows how togive a handshake.
We're at Molly's Beta ClubConvention or her induction, and
they couldn't give a handshakeand I was like stuff these days
are so different, like even whenI was in middle school and the
things that like uh, uh, youknow just different views on
(14:55):
things.
But I think like waiting showedme how to use stuff the right
way and like what's wrong andwhat's right.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
I don't know if that it does it makes sense, and I
think um Molly looking at it ina in a way to just be faithful
to who she is and what shestands for, and I'll let her
speak on that.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
I've learned like it's not about followers and
it's about being faithful, andI'm also learning to be okay
with that, yeah, and that right.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
there is why we're doing it differently.
Mamas, don't be afraid toparent counter-culturally.
You're not raising followers,you're raising leaders.
And so one of the things that Iwant to make sure that we talk
about as we end our we're messy,but we're focused is our family
(15:50):
is not perfect.
Would y'all think we're perfect?
Absolutely not, and so we runlate on most occasions, um, and
say things we shouldn't, but atthe end of the day, we come,
come back to Jesus, we circle up, we say sorry, we laugh, we cry
and we refocus.
(16:11):
And so in Joshua 24, 15, as forme and my house, we will serve
the Lord.
That doesn't mean that we'regoing to serve Him flawlessly.
It means we're going to serveHim faithfully, even in the mess
.
So we win together, we falltogether and we grow together,
(16:32):
because it's not about the image, it's about the impact, and we
believe our impact starts athome.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
We're not a perfect family, but we know who we
belong to and that makes all thedifference.
We mess up, we always come back.
We always have a seat at atable.
Back to grace, back to truthand, most importantly, back to
Jesus.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
And that's what this is about Not raising perfect
kids even though sometimes Ithink they're pretty perfect,
living picture-perfect lives,but choosing to stay close to
Jesus in the middle of it all.
I know it gets overwhelming,because there's times I'm
writing we have an expo markerboard is that what y'all would
call it Calendar in the kitchen,and every month, on a Sunday
(17:21):
night, when it's close to thefirst, I erase it all and get
different color markers and puteverybody's plan and schedule on
the board.
And the more and more I write,I'm like wow, like where is
there room for family or forJesus?
And sometimes we have torefocus that and have
conversations with our kids.
(17:41):
Yes, we've committed todifferent teams or different
things.
However, we have to make surethat our commitment to Jesus
isn't flawed in all of thosethings, because you can overpack
your calendar so full that notonly are you exhausted, your
kids are exhausted, but Jesus isprobably exhausted even
thinking about where he's goingto fit in your life, because
(18:03):
he's trying to use you forpurpose, and not just for
purpose but for impact.
And so I'm going to pray over usbefore I let you guys go, as I
know that this has kind of beenshort and sweet and it's a take
from a 13-year-old and a16-year-old.
So let me pray for you, lord.
Thank you for every momlistening today.
Thank you for giving hercourage to parent with
(18:26):
conviction and compassion.
Let her know that she's notalone in the struggle.
Strengthen the families thatfeel stretched, refocus the
homes that feel scattered and,most of all, keep us and our
eyes on you In Jesus name.
Amen.
Thank you so much for beingwith us today.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Thank you for letting us share our side of kind of
culture in a teenager's eyes.
It was so fun to be here todayand I hope other girls like us
know that it's okay to bedifferent when you're living for
jesus we'll see you next time.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Friends, stay anchored in grace, stay present
in the chaos and always comeback to jesus, right in the
midst of it all.
Hey everyone, welcome back to In the Midst, the place
where we gather in the chaos,in the questions and in the
calling.
I'm your host, heather Cox, andtoday's episode is a special
one because I'm not alone.
I've got two incredible youngwomen with me who just so happen
to be my daughters.
Say hello to Avery and Molly.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hey y'all, I'm Avery, I'm 16 years old and some of my
favorite hobbies includeanything arts related singing,
dancing, anything I can create.
My newest interest is in mediacommunications content creating.
I found a love for photographythat I didn't know I had.
I'm involved on the youthsocial media team with a friend
(00:52):
of mine and I am really involvedin my high school's journalism
class where I write for thenewspaper and create videos for
that social media, and that's alittle bit about me.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So let's hear a little bit about Molly.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I'm Molly and I'm 13 years old.
I play softball almost everyweekend and have found a new
love for cheer.
This is actually my firstsummer not swimming on the swim
team and also my first year nottrying out for basketball.
I work really hard to be goodat what I am and what I love,
but I hate to take a spot ofsomeone that loves it more than
I do.
I'm focusing on cheer,weightlifting and softball.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Today we're diving deep into the realities of
Christian parenting in a worldthat moves fast, demands much
and often distracts us from whatreally matters.
What really matters, we'll takeschedules, sports boundaries
and talk about how to keep yourheart fixed on Jesus even when
everything around you feelsmessy.
(01:52):
So the girls and I have had alot of conversations recently
and let's just be honest,raising kids in today's world is
a lot Between games, rehearsals, laundry, church and a business
to run.
I've learned the only way tostay sane is to stay centered.
Some weeks I feel like acalendar ninja.
(02:14):
Other weeks I lose track ofwhat day it is.
Even when life is full, I wantit to be full of purpose.
Proverbs 22.6 tells us Train upa child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will notdepart from it.
That doesn't mean train them inperfection.
It means train them in truth.
(02:34):
We make decisions daily basedon what honors God, not what
just adds to a resume.
When Molly said she was takinga step back from basketball to
focus on her fitness and givemore to softball, I knew that
that took maturity andreflection.
She's learning to say no togood things so she can say yes
to the right things.
(02:55):
As a mom, the hardest partisn't the logistics, it's the
spiritual battle, because theworld wants our kids distracted.
Spiritual battle because theworld wants our kids distracted,
overcommitted and self-focused.
But God's called us tosomething deeper.
(03:15):
Molly, how did you feel whensoftball tournaments fell on
Sundays?
Or how do you feel when theyfall on Sundays and we have to
make those tough choices?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
It's hard a lot of the time because I love my
church but I also love mysoftball team.
We've talked about honoring Godwherever we are and I try to
carry that with me on the field.
Stepping away from otheractivities this summer like swim
team and basketball.
It was very hard for me, but Iknow it's the right step for
where I'm going and who I wantto be.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
And who do you want to be?
An athlete that honors God, andhow do you think an athlete can
honor God?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
By athlete that honors God.
And how do you think an athletecan honor?
Speaker 1 (03:49):
God by using our platforms to only shine him.
Avery same question.
When you've had danceperformances or VAs that make it
hard to be at church or youthnights, what's your mindset on
that?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I think that you know you can use your platform in
all of these sports and pourinto them, but if you don't have
enough time in church yourself,you don't have that.
Your cup's not full enough topour into someone else's.
And I think that we all need tohave a rebalance of being in
(04:22):
church, because us, asChristians, just because we're
leaders and we step up, we stillhave to be um like, we still
have to sit back and let someonelead us sometimes.
So I think it's like I thinkit's really important to be in
church because if you're not inchurch, you're starving the rest
of the week.
And, like something our pastorsays all the time, if you only
(04:43):
eat on Sunday, you're going tostarve the rest of the week.
So you can't go into your danceclasses or your softball games
and pour into people if you'renot pouring into yourself.
So that's really my mindset onbeing on church on Sunday and
being at Wednesday nights,because you know I can't do it
all.
I can't stretch myself thin andgive to everyone else if I'm
(05:06):
not giving to myself first.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Wow, that's pretty mature as a 16-year-old to be
able to recognize all of thosethings.
And one thing that we do a lotof times around here and maybe
the girls don't even notice.
But taking our decisions backbiblically and Romans 12, 2
tells us do not conform to thepattern of this world, but be
(05:30):
transformed by the renewing ofyour mind.
That verse stays on repeat orin my mind, because there's so
many things that we look at thatour girls are great at.
But they also have to recognizethat our greatness is given
from above, and so we have torefocus and lean into what God
(05:51):
has for us when we are using ourplatforms, and so we want to
make sure that we recenter Himand we're not taking away from
what he wants to do with ourlives just because everything
falls on Sunday or Wednesdaynight, all right.
So let's kind of shift gears alittle bit and let's talk about
(06:12):
what it's like being one of thefour siblings, molly.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Oh Lord, let's just say you have to fight for the
front seat constantly and you'realways fighting for the last
slice of pizza, the last wing,it doesn't matter what it is,
you're fighting for it.
It's wild, but it's always goodto have somebody around.
Avery, what are you thinking?
It's always noise, but, like,you always come back to people
(06:42):
you know you can talk to.
Molly's always been my built-inbest friend and I think that,
like, just because there's noisedoesn't mean there's not, like
(07:04):
that's love, like that's peoplethat will constantly support you
.
And I think, think, like God Ialways say God puts people in
your life.
I think siblings are like atestament to that.
Like they are your biggestsupporters.
They're always there, no matterwhat they're going through.
You know you have someone to gothrough it together.
So I think, like I wouldn'tgive up the noise and, as I'm
(07:27):
like approaching going tocollege, that's my biggest uh
fear is not having that noise,because that noise brings me
peace and joy and that's what I,like I have, that's what I feel
.
You know my future decisions onis like, if I do this, is it a
(07:49):
good choice?
Looking and reflecting towardsmy siblings, so I think you know
I'm really blessed to havethree of them, and I'm not
trying to be biased, but I feellike they're the best.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Are they always your best friends?
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Well, molly's punched me over an eyelash curler.
I'm Lucy's least favorite andBubba says that he doesn't have
a favorite.
And I know it's me, but Bubbasays that he doesn't have a
favorite and I know it's me.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Only that he sleeps with.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Molly half the time.
But Bubba always comes to mewhen he has, like, an emotional
problem or like he's having abad day and so like I'm so glad
I get to have those moments,even though he may beat me up or
, you know, we might be in a bigfight or I might be a dummy or
(08:51):
a butthole.
You know some people don't getthat, so it's just, it is a
blessing.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah, and we've always said you know that dad
and I are not your buddies,we're your parents and our rules
I think I that dad and I arenot your buddies, we're your
parents, and our rules I thinkI've said this this week at
least once are for protection,and we mean what we say, and so
(09:22):
some of the things that we havehad to say no to or wait have
been because we love you.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I used to hate when our parents would say that to me
.
It always made me feel like, oh, I don't have cool parents or
whatever.
But as I've gotten older I'velearned that it really is for
what's best for us.
And like, for an example, likesocial media, you make us wait
to see why you may say no tothat social media.
You make us wait to see why youmay say no to them.
(09:47):
I think you know I've the onethat's heard it a lot is I'm not
your best friend, I'm your momwell, you're the oldest um, but
that that piece of advice, likeI've watched.
You know, mom always says youknow, like mom's know best, and
(10:07):
she may tell me something and Iat first I'm like you don't know
, you haven't gone through this,you know, like this is my life,
this isn't your life, we're notgoing through the same things.
You don't understand.
But as I've gotten older, Ifound myself like where I used
to hug on to the advice offriends which might, you know,
lead me to a place of I'm in thewrong and it was the wrong
(10:33):
decision because they areteenagers and they, you know
they're not mature.
I find myself now like runningto my parents advice because
they are the ones who've dealtwith similar things, because you
know they may say you know thetimes are different, but they're
(10:53):
all really similar.
Um, some situations may bedifferent, but like the same
stupid stuff teenagers dothey've been doing for years.
And I think that, uh, my momlike not being my best friend is
probably the best thing,because you know you need that
(11:14):
mature aspect, you need someoneto tell you no, so yeah, well,
and if we look at first, timothy4.12 by Avery, I think you have
that verse.
So it says don't let anyone lookdown on you because you were
young, but set an example.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And that's something I see in both of you, and I'm
giggling because sometimes I'llhear people say, well, you like
to watch one more than the otherwill say, well, you like to
watch one more than the other.
But stage field, whatever theplatform may be, it's just
really cool to watch you guys besuccessful.
(11:57):
And one of the biggest battlesright now for families is social
media, our approach, tyler andI, you know, waiting longer than
culture says it's normal, Iknow and I'm laughing because
one of the things that we'vetalked about this week Molly
(12:21):
wants TikTok and I've said no.
How many times.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
A lot.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Probably at least three today.
And you know, not because we'remean, but because we believe in
strong roots before we build areach, and we want her to be
mature enough to be able toanswer to what those things will
put in her life.
(12:47):
It's not a giving situation,it's a take.
And so, yes, we can utilizesocial media for a lot of things
to give us certain knowledge orrecipes or cool dance moves or
interaction with others, but italso takes away time from what
your purpose and platform may beif we're not utilizing it for
(13:07):
those things.
And so, when we have thoseconversations, one thing Tyler
and I have always based our noon is a why.
Because when we're told no, wewant to understand the reasoning
behind that, and we believethat, for our kids too, one of
(13:30):
the things that I try to watchmyself in not saying is because
I said so.
It's really not because I saidso, it's because we want to
protect you or we love you, orthere's reason because of the no
.
And so I think Avery can kindof speak on and not always being
fun to wait um it it's not funto wait because, like you feel
like you're missing out.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
But as someone who is really interested and like
wants to continue their likecareer path in communications
and social media, you learn alot of stuff.
And that's where I've beentaken aback, like with learning
how to do stuff the right wayand like running the church's
social media.
I always think about it likewould I want this on you know
(14:10):
Pauline's youth page, like if it, you know?
Um, I think a lot of us thisday and age we learn to just
like hide behind a screen andtext it or, you know, call.
But like I've had to learn toface problems like like
face-to-face, and like somethingthe other day, um my dad was
(14:33):
saying is nobody knows how togive a handshake.
We're at Molly's Beta ClubConvention or her induction, and
they couldn't give a handshakeand I was like stuff these days
are so different, like even whenI was in middle school and the
things that like uh, uh, youknow just different views on
(14:55):
things.
But I think like waiting showedme how to use stuff the right
way and like what's wrong andwhat's right.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
I don't know if that it does it makes sense, and I
think um Molly looking at it ina in a way to just be faithful
to who she is and what shestands for, and I'll let her
speak on that.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
I've learned like it's not about followers and
it's about being faithful, andI'm also learning to be okay
with that, yeah, and that right.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
there is why we're doing it differently.
Mamas, don't be afraid toparent counter-culturally.
You're not raising followers,you're raising leaders.
And so one of the things that Iwant to make sure that we talk
about as we end our we're messy,but we're focused is our family
(15:50):
is not perfect.
Would y'all think we're perfect?
Absolutely not, and so we runlate on most occasions, um, and
say things we shouldn't, but atthe end of the day, we come,
come back to Jesus, we circle up, we say sorry, we laugh, we cry
and we refocus.
(16:11):
And so in Joshua 24, 15, as forme and my house, we will serve
the Lord.
That doesn't mean that we'regoing to serve Him flawlessly.
It means we're going to serveHim faithfully, even in the mess
.
So we win together, we falltogether and we grow together,
(16:32):
because it's not about the image, it's about the impact, and we
believe our impact starts athome.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
We're not a perfect family, but we know who we
belong to and that makes all thedifference.
We mess up, we always come back.
We always have a seat at atable.
Back to grace, back to truthand, most importantly, back to
Jesus.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
And that's what this is about Not raising perfect
kids even though sometimes Ithink they're pretty perfect,
living picture-perfect lives,but choosing to stay close to
Jesus in the middle of it all.
I know it gets overwhelming,because there's times I'm
writing we have an expo markerboard is that what y'all would
call it Calendar in the kitchen,and every month, on a Sunday
(17:21):
night, when it's close to thefirst, I erase it all and get
different color markers and puteverybody's plan and schedule on
the board.
And the more and more I write,I'm like wow, like where is
there room for family or forJesus?
And sometimes we have torefocus that and have
conversations with our kids.
(17:41):
Yes, we've committed todifferent teams or different
things.
However, we have to make surethat our commitment to Jesus
isn't flawed in all of thosethings, because you can overpack
your calendar so full that notonly are you exhausted, your
kids are exhausted, but Jesus isprobably exhausted even
thinking about where he's goingto fit in your life, because
(18:03):
he's trying to use you forpurpose, and not just for
purpose but for impact.
And so I'm going to pray over usbefore I let you guys go, as I
know that this has kind of beenshort and sweet and it's a take
from a 13-year-old and a16-year-old.
So let me pray for you, lord.
Thank you for every momlistening today.
Thank you for giving hercourage to parent with
(18:26):
conviction and compassion.
Let her know that she's notalone in the struggle.
Strengthen the families thatfeel stretched, refocus the
homes that feel scattered and,most of all, keep us and our
eyes on you In Jesus name.
Amen.
Thank you so much for beingwith us today.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Thank you for letting us share our side of kind of
culture in a teenager's eyes.
It was so fun to be here todayand I hope other girls like us
know that it's okay to bedifferent when you're living for
jesus we'll see you next time.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Friends, stay anchored in grace, stay present
in the chaos and always comeback to jesus, right in the
midst of it all.
Host
Heather Cox
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