I met Ana Bagnuoli many years ago at a homeschooling conference in Florida. Together with her husband, they began serving the Hispanic community and talking about homeschooling. The ministry has grown to the point that they now have a homeschooling conference for Spanish-speaking homeschoolers. Ana has such a passion for homeschooling in the Hispanic community and I’m so excited to introduce you to her!
Shepherding a Child with Big Emotions A Biblical Approach
In this episode, Ana and I discuss:
How Ana and I met
The need for homeschooling materials in Spanish
Serving Hispanic homeschoolers in Florida
Expanding the ministry and the founding of TranistionEd
The importance of family
Starting the first homeschooling conference for Spanish-speakers
Homeschooling in the Hispanic community is growing. Share this ministry with your Spanish-speaking friends and neighbors!
About Ana Bagnuoli
Ricardo Bagnuoli born in Montevideo, Uruguay and Ana María born in Bogotá, Colombia, have been married for 14 years and are the founders of TransitionED, a non-profit organization established in the United States in 2017 that trains and equips Hispanic families on how to transform their homes in the best and first place of learning. Ana and Ricardo believe that education is a design and a tool to discover, nurture and promote God-given purpose for each child. Ana and Ricardo moved to the United States over 20 years ago and learned from scratch what homeschooling truly is. They discovered homeschooling in 2012 at a short workshop and made the decision to follow the call to become mentors and teachers to their children. They are the parents of 3 homeschoolers ages 9, 11, and 13 and they have a strong business and academic background that has helped them implement homeschooling effectively and productively in their own home. They enjoy watching other families grow, they like to cook together, read, write, do business and also camp outdoors. In 2022 Ricardo and Ana created the first Hispanic Homeschooling Conference “Educa Por Diseño” in the nation gathered hundreds of people in Miami, FL including leaders at the local, national, and international level. Ricardo and Ana have become pioneers in the Hispanic homeschooling community with more than 10 years of experience as educators, ministers, and business owners.
Ricardo and Ana María have dedicated themselves to sharing their vision as educators of their children, as entrepreneurs, and as ministers of Biblical principles for life. They are passionate about serving other families and their home is a reflection of what they live and teach others. They currently reside in the United States, Florida and are dedicated to serving the community. Ricardo and Ana María see homeschooling as a lifestyle where education unifies the family nucleus and the learning process is done as a team.
References and Links
The following may contain affiliate links.
Visit Ana’s website and learn about the conference
In the last episode, we discussed the pros and cons of sleepovers. Rather than making a blanket decision, I encouraged you to look deeper into the goals of your family and how sleepovers can fit or do not fit into those plans. This week I want to dig deeper into hosting sleepovers. What should you ask the host family? What can you do as the host home for a sleepover?
I was recently on Fox 35 Orlando to talk about the pros and cons of sleepovers. It’s hard to have an in-depth discussion on a topic like this in four minutes!
If you’ve decided that your family allows sleepovers or you handle the requests on a case-by-case basis, think about how to best talk to the host to get the information you need to make a good decision. Think about the questions and concerns that you may be asked as the host home of a sleepover.
Questions to Ask About Hosting Sleepovers
Here are some questions you can ask about sleepovers or be prepared to answer:
Who is going to be attending?
How many kids are attending?
Will the parents be there?
Are there additional guests staying with the family?
Is this an adult party for which kids were told to invite their friends?
Is this just a kids’ hangout?
The answers to these questions change the potential dynamics of the gathering. Adult parties are more likely to have alcohol accessible. A kids’ Friday night hang-out with a handful of close friends at the home of long-time family friends is going to have a different atmosphere.
What About Safety at Sleepovers?
The number one concern about sleepovers is usually about safety. This takes many faces. In my Fox 35 segment, the topic of gun safety came up. How do you handle this topic? Honestly, you just have to ask. You don’t have to interrogate the family. Just be nice and express your concern for safety without making assumptions. Try to stay neutral and not come across as judgemental. Are firearms stored in a safe and kept unloaded?
Go over these safety concerns with your kids about guns, alcohol, and drugs. Prepare them for how to respond if presented with these things and how to get ahold of you if needed. Consider having a numeric code or code word that your child can text or say when they call you to alert you to come to get them out of the situation if needed. Does your child feel mature enough to handle these situations? Are you prepared to be respectful, non-judgemental, and empathic toward your kids if you’re asked to come to get them?
Communication Surrounding Sleepovers
Communication is key in handling sleepovers!
If you have to say no to a sleepover, be honest with your kids to whatever extent your child can understand or needs to know. Be prepared to have the tough conversations with your kids if they are broken-hearted because you must tell them no they cannot attend a particular sleepover. Be sure to remind your kids that they can use you as an excuse for not being able to go to a sleepover if needed.
For our family, we chose to host sleepovers more often than attend sleepovers at another home. I knew I wouldn’t get much sleep and I’d be on the couch all night near where the kids were to monitor what was going on. I welcomed any parents to come over or call to ask questions.
Open and honest communication is the foundation you’re trying to build with your kids. Create a safe and transparent environment where your kids and their friends can express how they feel, what has happened, or what their concerns are. They need to know that they can trust you!
Pray about what is best for your kids and your family. There is no one right or wrong way to handle sleepovers!
Do you allow your kids to participate in sleepovers? I’m personally not a fan of blanket directives because each family is unique. You have to make a decision about what is best for your family based on the pros and cons of having sleepovers.
I was recently on Fox 35 Orlando to talk about the pros and cons of sleepovers. It’s hard to have an in-depth discussion on a topic like this in four minutes, so I’d like to dig in a little deeper here on the podcast with you.
Did you go to sleepovers when you were a kid? If you did, what happened at those sleepovers? There was likely a lot of talking about other people, eating sugar, and staying up all night. Maybe you did things you probably shouldn’t do along the way. Maybe your experiences make you say never to sleepovers. Maybe you had great experiences with sleepovers that you want your kids to have as well.
Pros of Sleepovers
Here are some pros of participating in sleepovers:
Social development in an unstructured, relaxed environment
Cultivation of independence in your child
Creation of defining, lasting memories and friendships
Space to learn to make good decisions and problem solve
Building trust with parents and friends
Cons of Sleepovers
What about the cons of sleepovers? There are downsides such as:
Possibility for bullying
Shattering of trust
Inappropriate behavior
Exposure to drugs and alcohol
Sleep deprivation and its results or consequences
Disruption of routines
Exclusion of some children
Is There a Middle Ground on Sleepovers for Your Family?
Before you choose to take an always-or-never stance on sleepovers, I challenge you to think outside the box and see if there’s another path that might work for your family. It’s important to know your children. It’s critical to have good communication. If you choose to allow or host sleepovers, know and communicate what you expect of your kids and those participating.
In the Albers’ family, we were generally not pro going to other homes for sleepovers. Some of this had to do with our family size and dynamics. I couldn’t have five kids running to five different places. Because my kids’ extracurricular activities, we were also often busy on the weekends making a Friday night sleepover difficult to participate in those activities the rest of the weekend. We built a life that was busy or full to meet the goals and needs of our family. Sleepovers didn’t naturally fit into that plan for us most of the time.
Here are some additional things to consider to help you decide if sleepovers are good for your family:
Why are you opposed to or hesitant to let your child attend sleepovers?
Is there a legitimate concern for your child?
Is this is a declaration that your friends have made?
Did you have a bad experience with sleepovers?
Do you know everybody who will be there?
Will the parents be home?
How many kids are expected to attend?
Is this a party or a time to hang out with close friends?
Ask your child why they want to go.
Ask questions to gauge whether your kid can stand up to peer pressure and awkward situations.
Open, honest communication is the key to all of this. Be sure to take the time to explain the responsibility and the dangers that come with sleepovers, wherever your family decides to land on the subject.
Join me in the next episode where we will dive a little deeper into the topic of hosting sleepovers!
Do you have a prodigal child? Are you desperate to guide your prodigal home? Laine Lawson Craft has lived this story with her three children. Now she’s committed to sharing their testimony and showing parents how to fight the spiritual battle to guide their prodigals back home again.
In this episode, Laine and I talk about:
How your kids are being attacked for their destiny
The number one thing that a parent (or anyone can do) for a child
What is a prodigal?
Staying in the game with your adult kids
How guiding your prodigal home is a long-term commitment
Dealing with discouragement
How to handle backsliding
How one touch of God can change everything
About Laine Lawson Craft
Laine is dauntlessly committed to guiding parents of teens and young adults to win back their prodigal children.
She partners with prodigal parents so that they find a proven battle plan and strategies to guide them to know that they are not in a war with their child but in a war with the enemy trying to destroy them; they will learn how to have authority over the battles, and how to pray for victory for their prodigal.
With over fifteen years of working with amazing people with similar hurts and spiritual warfare and guiding them to achieve remarkable success, her mission and commitment are to give you insights and revelations into how the darkness of our world operates, build your hope, and give tried-and-true tools and applications that will bring your prodigal home.
Her path to writing this life-transforming battle plan became clear after she fought hell for her children, and her family was healed and won.
Laine is an award-winning, best-selling author, popular media host, and in-demand speaker.
She has been married to Steve, her husband, for over thirty-five years, and she loves spending time with her two sons, only daughter, daughter-in-love, and son-in-love.
Do you have kids who resist your instructions? You tell them to do something and they don’t do it. You beg. You lecture. You try to explain why. But, they don’t do what you say or they simply ignore you. Why do children resist instructions?
5 Reasons Why Children Resist Instruction
In this episode, we’re digging into why children resist instructions. There are five reasons you might be experiencing this resistance. Let’s dig into them!
Communication Breakdown
Sometimes, there’s a communication breakdown. Maybe your child feels ignored or dismissed or misunderstood. Kids are trying their best to communicate how they feel and think but their communication skills might be underdeveloped or maybe they are afraid you will overreact. When we don’t get to the heart of the matter, resentment can start brewing. When we don’t deal with this resentment it can lead to more resistance and then rejection.
Power Struggles
Another reason kids resist our instruction is because of power struggles. Your child might feel like you’re trying to control them or take away their freedom. As your kids grow, it’s natural for them to make more of the decisions in their life. You might see this as rebellion. Honestly, neither of you is thinking right about the situation and better communication is needed.
Need to Make Decisions
As your kids get older you have to give them more ability to make decisions and give input. At certain ages and with certain temperaments, if you try to push without explaining why or having a feeling of trust. You have to give your kids the time and space to work things out. Ask them how they would handle things even if you think there’s a better way and let them try or explain why they must follow through on your instruction in this instance.
Differing Priorities
Another reason children resist instruction is differing priorities. Your attention is captivated by all the things that need to be done, while your child might have another focus. You have a feeling of responsibility that is at a level that your child lacks depending on age and maturity. Maybe you’re expecting more of them than they are capable of at this time.
Lack of Understanding
Finally, there’s a lack of understanding. Your child might not understand the reason behind your instruction. This leads to confusion and frustration, which brings on disobedience and resistance. They need to see why doing this thing matters.
Parenting for the Future
Remember that you’re not parenting for the here and now. The things you’re teaching and reinforcing now are the habits and patterns that will follow your kids for a lifetime. Take time to understand your child’s perspective, have reasonable expectations, and give choices when possible. God has given you the skills, the tools, and the resources to be able to teach your specific child so that they respond to your instructions. Ask God to lead you!
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.
Would you take a moment and help us out? Your support means the world to us!
Join our email list using the box below
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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.
