Making Hesstory

Exploring the thin line between kindness and niceness, the hosts argue that giving kids smartphones can be both generous and unkind. They share personal stories about parenting, highlighting the importance of setting boundaries while allowing freedom. The discussion digs into the challenges of teen tech use, revealing its impact on mental health. With humorous takes on family dynamics and the necessity of intentional parenting, they emphasize the long-term effects of different parenting styles and the balance of discipline and trust.

This may come as a surprise, but it's possible that your efforts of being nice are coming at the expense of your ability to be kind.The Bible describes kindness as an expression of love. And if love means to "will the good of another" then kindness means to regarding the needs of others for their sake and benefit.Niceness, on the other hand, is often manipulative. It may look like kindness on the outside, but the difference is that being nice means elevating our own desires and interests above the needs of others.Join Brian and Katie as they discuss why being kind is superior to being nice, and why parents need to understand this.Want to connect with us? Use the links below to find us on social media, send us an email, buy our books, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter!Order our books: https://makinghesstory.com/shopInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinghesstory/Send us an email: brianandkatie@makinghesstory.comWebsite: http://www.makinghesstory.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550195135910Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MakingHesstory

Love is many things, but passive is not one of them.God disciplines those that He loves, and in the interest of trying to become the best parents we can be for the sake of our kids, we're actively learning how to discipline well.Discipline, as opposed to punishment, considers the long-term goals and ramifications of different forms of correction, and involves instructing, equipping, and empowering.Join Brian and Katie as they discuss the necessity of disciplining kids in love, and a lesson Brian recently learned through a time he "didn't get it right" with the kids.Want to connect with us? Use the links below to find us on social media, send us an email, buy our books, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter!Order our books: https://makinghesstory.com/shopInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinghesstory/Send us an email: brianandkatie@makinghesstory.comWebsite: http://www.makinghesstory.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550195135910Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MakingHesstory

In light of our previous episode, which is all about the necessity of forgiving our fathers for any ways that they weren't who we needed them to be, we thought it would be helpful to talk a little bit about what forgiveness is and what it isn't.Join us on this episode as we hope to clear up a few possible misconceptions in the interest of helping our listeners experience the freedom that comes through forgiving others.Brian's message on Worship, Money, and Lordship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGphil1NYwUWant to connect with us? Use the links below to find us on social media, send us an email, buy our books, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter!Order our books: https://makinghesstory.com/shopInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinghesstory/Send us an email: brianandkatie@makinghesstory.comWebsite: http://www.makinghesstory.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550195135910Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MakingHesstory

Every father in the world has one thing in common: they aren't perfect.But there's one who is - our Heavenly Father - and our task as parents and Christians is to perceive Him as clearly and accurately as possible, model His methods and ways in our. parenting, and lead our kids to Him.The problem is that there is a tendency that many people have to project the image and character of their earthly father onto God, which usually results in a distorted image that doesn't reflect the truth and reality of who He is.Join Brian and Katie as they discuss six different father types, and talk about the importance of forgiving our fathers for any ways that they weren't who we needed them to be in the interest of experiencing healing, freedom, and restoring our view of God.Want to connect with us? Use the links below to find us on social media, send us an email, buy our books, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter!Order our books: https://makinghesstory.com/shopInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinghesstory/Send us an email: brianandkatie@makinghesstory.comWebsite: http://www.makinghesstory.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550195135910Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MakingHesstory

Everything in our lives has the potential to influence what we think about God and the quality of His character. Everybody faces their own set of circumstances in life, and the challenge for us is to develop an unwavering belief that God is good, even when life is not.While our beliefs about God are formed throughout our lifetime, there's a subconscious tendency that people who believe in the existence of God have to project the quality of their earthly father's character onto God as their Heavenly Father.It's important to bring this to light, because who you believe God to be will determine how you approach Him, and it may play a role in determining the quality of your parenting.Join Brian and Katie as they begin to unpack the idea that you may be projecting the image of your father onto God, and why that could be problematic.Want to connect with us? Use the links below to find us on social media, send us an email, buy our books, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter!Order our books: https://makinghesstory.com/shopInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinghesstory/Send us an email: brianandkatie@makinghesstory.comWebsite: http://www.makinghesstory.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550195135910Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MakingHesstory

Have you ever wondered why you parent the way you do?Sometimes we do what our parents did because it's all we know and we turned out okay. But sometimes we do the opposite of what our parents did because, well, our experience wasn't ideal.In this episode Brian and Katie talked about how neither of the two extremes of the parenting pendulum (authoritarian and permissive) are ideal, and some ways to think about what a healthy balance might look like.Want to connect with us? Use the links below to find us on social media, send us an email, buy our books, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter!Order our books: https://makinghesstory.com/shopInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinghesstory/Send us an email: brianandkatie@makinghesstory.comWebsite: http://www.makinghesstory.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550195135910Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MakingHesstory

The third lie in this mini-series is that violence is power.The world we live in is training us to demand comfort, convenience, ease, and the instant gratification of our desires.It's no surprise that this has crept its way into our parenting. Often when parents want to see a behavioral shift in their kids, they'll do whatever they deem necessary to achieve that goal, including fear, intimidation, and violence.Join Brian and Katie as they dismantle the fallacy that violence is power, and how connection is a superior goal to parenting than compliance.Here's the sermon on apathy mentioned by Brian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1C0Kf09a0kWant to connect with us? Use the links below to find us on social media, send us an email, buy our books, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter!Order our books: https://makinghesstory.com/shopInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinghesstory/Send us an email: brianandkatie@makinghesstory.comWebsite: http://www.makinghesstory.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550195135910Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MakingHesstory

The second lie in this mini-series that is so easy to believe with regard to our relationships with others (especially our kids) is that anger is power.Our kids won't always do what we want them to. In fact, professional "limit tester" and "boundary pusher" would be on their business cards if they had them.As parents this has potential to be anger inducing, because we can feel disrespected when our kids don't do what we want them to when we want them to do it.Join Brian and Katie as they discuss the fallacy that anger gives us more power in our relationship with our kids, and why the key to teaching self control is modeling self control.Want to connect? Use the links below to find us on social media, send us an email, buy our books, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter!Order our books: https://makinghesstory.com/shopSend us an email: brianandkatie@makinghesstory.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinghesstory/Website: http://www.makinghesstory.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550195135910Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MakingHesstory

If something you believe is untrue, would you want to know?In our relationships with others, and most likely with our kids, there are a few lies that we can easily fall into the trap of believing. It may not happen on a conscious level, but our beliefs have a way of showing up in the way we behave.So, if you have the fruit, you have the root.Join Brian and Katie as they discuss the commonly believed lie that "it's our job to control our kids," why this isn't true, and how to live in the balance of freedom and boundaries.