I want to take a moment to talk about God’s faithfulness. The Equipped To Be Podcast has reached a major milestone. With this episode and the transition to Season 3, we have marked three years of episodes! There were ups and downs along the way, but I’m so excited to have shared this journey with you!
The Equipped To Be Podcast launched in February 2020 right before the world was turned upside down by the pandemic. I couldn’t have done this without the team who works with me to get these episodes out to you each week. We wouldn’t still be on the air without you, the listeners, or our partners and sponsors. It’s such a testament to God’s faithfulness.
Equipped To Be isn’t just about one topic. We talk about things spanning the spectrum from parenting to education to faith and so much more because it’s all about helping you know and understand that you’re equipped to be a doer of God’s word. You have a calling and a purpose.
Many thanks also go to the guests who’ve been on the show. (See a list of some notable episodes below.) I also owe a shout-out to Libsyn, my host, who supported me and gave me guidance along the way.
This podcast started because Amanda Pelser from The Pelsers Media was sitting in my office and talking about starting the podcast. I didn’t have the technical skills to pull this off, but Amanda said she’d help me. She and her husband, Josh, have been with me from the beginning of this podcast!
Many days, I would come into the studio and just pray, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” I’d script it out or make some notes and then hit record. Then Amanda would clean and polish it and deliver it to you. Every step of the way, you were in mind because we don’t want to waste your time. It’s too precious and too valuable.
When God tells you to start something, just start. Start ugly as a book from a friend of mine says in its title. Start with what you have. Do the best you can. Go and grow as God leads. This is what we’ve done with Equipped To Be. We’ve added features over time like images and show notes and we continue to add value as God gives us the tools and resources to do so.
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I can’t tell you what’s coming next. I’ve been in a very difficult season. I’ve had to strip away many things in my life and ask the Lord what He wants me to add back in. I do know that I have some exciting guests lined up to share stories that will help you in your journey. Back in 2020, I didn’t know if we’d last more than six months, but here we are, still bringing you encouragement. Thank you for listening. This is your milestone as much as it is ours.
How do you manage boredom? Boredom plagues us all at one time or another. No one is immune to it. Boredom is often a sign that you’re tired of the same things over and over, even if you like routine. But, boredom is actually a good thing. It means that you have time and margin in your day to stop and think. Boredom means you have the space for creativity, innovation, and adventure rather than a robotic existence.
3 Steps to Managing Boredom
Identify the Boredom
First, identify boredom for what it is. Even those of us who love routine and order get tired of the same thing over and over again. We get sick of mindless actions and repetitive tasks. The routines are good and part of living a productive life, but we also need the space to dream and problem-solve. Sometimes boredom is a result of feeling stuck and needing a change.
Reframe Your Thoughts
Next, you need to reframe your thoughts. So much is being said about mindfulness these days. Be careful of what you allow to come into your mind and occupy space. What are you dwelling on? Focus on gratitude whatever the season or situation you’re in right now.
Find Ways to Redirect Bored Kids (and Adults!)
How can you redirect your children (or yourself!) when boredom sets in? Try some of these suggestions for managing boredom:
Do something out of the ordinary
Play with an old toy in a new way
Listen to an audiobook
Watch video tutorials
Do something physical and active
Find a way to do something faster
Create a challenge for yourself
Find a way to be more efficient or effective
Make a gratitude list
Connect with someone
Flip the schedule around
Some of your kids would be changing things up every day if given the chance and others freak out when you mess with their routine. Find a balance in your days of routine and adventure. Remember: that there isn’t anything wrong with being bored. Use that boredom and discontentment to show your kids how to be innovators and grateful people.
Have you heard about OpenAI? It’s all over the news right now and kids are learning to use this platform to their advantage. It is so easy to use OpenAI to cheat. As parents, we need to look at how to curb cheating with OpenAI.
What is OpenAI?
OpenAI is a software platform that uses data scraped from all over the internet to write content. This isn’t a new thing, but it is now widely available to the general public for free. It’s just now becoming a resource that your kids could use for cheating.
What Makes Your Child Consider Cheating?
When there are options like OpenAI at their fingertips, cheating is a major temptation. What makes kids cheat? I talk a lot about strengths and personalities. So, it is essential to know each of your children and why they would make the decision to cheat. Some kids feel the pressure to measure up academically and feel like they can’t keep up. Some kids lack self-confidence. Some kids are afraid to fail. Why would your child cheat?
How to Stop Cheating with OpenAI
How do we as parents stop this cheating with OpenAI? There are three things that you can do to set the stage and curb cheating with OpenAI and really any form of cheating or lack of integrity in your kids.
Set The Standard
It takes more than just a simple “don’t cheat” conversation to keep your kids from cheating. My kids will tell you that I sounded like a broken record at times during their childhood. I would regularly repeat phrases like: The Albers don’t cheat. The Albers don’t lie. This has to be internalized by each child and become a part of who they were. You have to declare the standard!
Model Integrity and Honesty
Your kids are watching you. They are listening to you. If they see you stretching the truth and taking shady shortcuts, they are going to follow in your footsteps. Have integrity. Lead your kids by example.
Show Your Child The Way Back from Cheating
Makes sure that your child knows that if they do cheat, there is a way to get back on track. There will be a consequence that has to be paid, but they can make a better choice the next time. Guide them back while loving them unconditionally.
When you set goals, do you set goals for and with your kids? In this episode, I want to talk with you about how you can help your kids set and keep goals. I have gathered together some general goal-setting advice as well as ways to support your kids in their goals. I also have some examples of goals that kids can set.
Goal Setting for Kids
It is important to involve children in the goal-setting process and to help them understand that goals are things we work towards over time. Here are a few tips for talking to kids about making goals:
Make it age-appropriate: Tailor the goal-setting conversation to your child’s age and maturity level. For younger children, it may be helpful to focus on short-term goals, such as completing a task or learning a new skill. Older children may be ready to set longer-term goals.
Involve them in the process: Help your child identify their interests and passions and encourage them to set meaningful and relevant goals.
Be supportive: Encourage your child to set challenging but achievable goals. Offer support and encouragement as they work towards their goals.
Help them track their progress: Whether through a chart or a simple checklist, help your child keep track of their progress toward their goals. Seeing their progress can help them stay motivated.
Celebrate their successes: When your child reaches a goal, celebrate their accomplishment and encourage them to set a new goal.
Overall, it’s important to approach goal-setting as a positive, empowering process that helps children develop important skills and confidence.
Supporting Your Kids with Their Goals
Here are a few suggestions for how to help kids start the new year off on the right foot:
Set SMART goals: Think about what you want to accomplish in the new year and plan how to achieve those goals. Make your goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Make a schedule: Having a schedule can help you stay organized and ensure that you are making time for the things that are important to you.
Take care of themselves: Make sure to prioritize self-care, such as getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet.
Reflect on the past year: Take some time to think about what went well for you in the past year and what you could have done differently. This can help you identify areas for improvement and plan how to achieve your goals in the new year.
Seek support: Surround yourself with supportive people who can help you stay motivated and accountable as you work towards your goals.
Overall, the key to a successful new year is to have a clear plan and to take consistent, deliberate action toward your goals.
Practical Goal Examples for Kids
Here are some practical examples to help your kids reach their goals:
Set a goal to read a certain number of books over a specific time period: Encourage your child to set a goal to read a certain number of books in a month or a year. You can help them choose books appropriate for their age and interests and track their progress with a reading chart.
Set a goal to learn a new skill: Encourage your child to set a goal to learn a new skill, such as playing a musical instrument or learning a new sport. Help them identify the steps needed to reach their goal and provide support.
Set a goal to improve their grades: If your child is struggling in a particular subject, help them set a goal to improve their grades. Work with them to develop a plan for how they will achieve this goal, such as seeking extra help from a tutor or teacher.
Set a goal to save money: Encourage your child to set a goal to save a certain amount of money by a specific date. This can help them learn about budgeting and saving and can also help them develop important money management skills.
Set a goal to help others: Encourage your child to set a goal to do something kind for someone else, such as volunteering their time or raising money for a good cause. This can help them develop empathy and a sense of purpose.
What goals are your kids working on? How are you going to help your kids set and keep their goals?
Our family has a wonderful announcement to share with the world! My son recently won an Emmy for cinematography for his part in a documentary called Challenge Accepted about a young girl named Faith-Christina. Every child is different, but I want to share with you some ways in which we went about raising a creative child who went on to win an Emmy.
This is the beginning of a series of episodes about raising different kinds of kids to adulthood and preparing them for their desired careers. In this episode, I’m going to share the journey of raising a creative child who became a videographer and ended up winning an Emmy.
There’s no right way to walk this path, but there are good practices and wise choices. I can share through what I know about Strengths Finders and personalities some of how and why we did what we did.
The Early Years
We noticed early on that my son had an affinity to make movies. He loved to read novels and do his writing assignments about making movies or related topics. This led to me encouraging him to start writing his own scripts. We got him a video camera and he started making his own movies. I’d help scout locations and his siblings and friends would be his actors. We’d gather costumes from our closets and thrift stores. And then he’d go out and shoot these movies.
High School
This bent for filmmaking brought with it related interests. My son started doing sound for our church. He joined a band and dig some gigs with his friends. But, everything he did was in the creative realm and brought him back to filmmaking and being behind the camera. I began to plant seeds of career paths such as having his own videography business or production studio.
Overcoming Adversity
Right about the time that my son was applying to college and competitive degree programs, our house was hit by lightning. His computer was fried and along with it, his whole portfolio of creative work. This was in the days before he knew to back up his files and before we had so many options for keeping multiple backup copies of files. His dream of going to film school was shattered. He pressed on and got some degrees in cinematography but more importantly, he kept working in the field.
Working with Others
We encouraged him to learn from others but give more than he takes. Tell good stories. Make good videos. Put in the hard work even when no one is watching. He ended up starting his own videography business. It was tough because as a small business owner, he had to put in a lot of hours covering all the different roles from sound to filming to editing to directing. He worked other jobs as needed to make ends meet while pursuing his dream.
The Results
After 12 years of working hard in his field, my son was ready to step in when his name was called. He had put in the hard work. He was faithful. He had integrity. So when there was an opening to work with this team on Challenge Accepted, he was invited to join them and ready to put in the work.
Important Lessons
Here are some important life lessons learned along the way:
You don’t have to participate the way the world tells you that you have to compete to get ahead.
Raise your children to be masters at their skill so their work stands out from the rest.
Don’t go along to get along if it means compromising your values.
Be watchful observers of your children. What do they spend their time doing when they don’t have to be doing it? Encourage and support those bents and interests. Maybe they’ll win an Emmy someday. Maybe they will send a rocket to Mars. Maybe they will change culture.
We’re moving into the holiday season with lots of parties, gatherings, and festivities! In this episode, I want to focus on creating traditions and holiday rituals your children will remember. How you do create memories and create traditions that your children will want to continue to do as they get older and desire to implement with their own families?
When I was first married, I was very career focused. Having a large family wasn’t on my radar because of my upbringing. But, when I found myself with a growing family, I knew I wanted to do things differently. I watched what my husband’s mom and families in our church did and took cues from them for how to develop traditions and holiday rituals to implement with our kids.
Holiday Ritual Suggestions
Here are some ideas for things you can do as a family during the holiday season:
Celebrating Advent
Doing cookie decorating
Going Christmas tree hunting and decorating
Going Christmas caroling
Attending candlelight services
Feeding the homeless
Playing piano at the senior or assisted living facility
Reading books at the Children’s Hospital
Doing plays and reenactments
Reading the Christmas story together
Watching Christmas movies
Preparing and sending Christmas cards
Taking gifts to a friend
Sending handwritten letters and pictures to family
Matching outfit Christmas photos
Think about the ages of your children. What types of activities fit this stage? If there’s grumbling and complaining, try changing up the activity or doing something new. These traditions and holiday rituals don’t have to cost you a lot of time or money. The activities don’t need elaborate planning. The point is celebrating together and pointing your kids to Christ.
Making Memories and Passing Down Traditions
I’ll be honest. There was a time when I tried to do it all. I knew the day would come when my children would leave my home and trying to scheduled these activities would become a nightmare. I learned with activities held the greatest importance to my kids over time. We don’t do them just to do them because we’ve always done them, but we also don’t not do an activity if one child is complaining. Pray for discernment.
My kids remember these things we did together. The purpose was to bring our whole family closer together. These things are written on their hearts and they discuss their memories when we get together at family gatherings. I’m watching now as my adult children are taking some of these traditions and holiday rituals into their new families!
