Friends! I am so glad to have Ebie Hepworth with me on the podcast for the first time. We became friends after I was on her podcast and then we just had to keep our friendship going. After you listen to her story today, you will want to be friends with Ebie too! 

We started talking about one of Ebie’s red flags—when people keep their butter in the fridge. Yeah, I know, we always go deep here on the Greta Eskridge podcast. But hey, guess what? We did go deeper than the problem of refrigerated butter. Ebie shared her testimony of growing up in the church, walking through hard things in her teen years and pulling away from the Lord and then meeting Him again as a college student. Then we talked about her work fighting sex trafficking, how God led her to her husband, how they served the Lord together overseas, adopted 2 kids from Africa as a young married couple, are raising a child with life changing medical diagnosis and special needs, have walked through infertility and surprise pregnancy with twins and more. Guys, it’s a lot and it’s all so good. 

And my favorite part was when we talked about real joy-- its source, and how God uses our joy to bring people to Him, because joy is contagious. Because the thing about Ebie is that she is incredibly joyful person but has walked and is walking through hard, hard things. She reminds us that when the source of our joy is not our circumstances, we can hold onto it through hard times.  

The good news is that there is lots more of Ebie to come when her first book releases this September! You are going to want to pre-order the book, Midnight Halleluiah: Why Hope is Still Worth the Risk and get to know Ebie now, so you’ll be primed and ready to read it this fall. It will be incredible. 

And don’t forget you can get more info about my upcoming Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswold’s right here. This retreat is perfect for any women who is looking for an opportunity to rest, celebrate, reflect, heal, or simply spend a week chasing beauty, adventure, and friendship. Spots are filling up so make sure you get info and reach out soon if you are interested. 

But if a family trip is what you’re looking for right now, then consider joining me and my family in Italy this Christmas! We’ll be hosting a trip to Rome and surrounding areas the week after Christmas with Select Tours International. The trip will be all planned out for you so you can absolutely rest and focus on time with your family! But we have also built in plenty of time to explore and adventure on your own. It’s the best of both worlds and we can’t wait to spend a week with you learning history, appreciating art, eating the most delicious food and creating lasting connection through adventure! Find out all the details here! 

Find the resources from today’s episode here: 

Find Ebie’s website here 

Find Ebie on Instagram here 

Find Ebie’s podcast here 

Find Ebie’s new book here 

Listen to Greta’s episode on Ebie’s podcast right here (we talked about my newest book and my story!) 

Pick up your copy of Greta’s newest book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn right here 

Find info about Greta’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

Find info about joining Greta’s family in Italy here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today I am talking with the comedian JJ Barrows. And yes, this episode made me laugh, but I also cried, because we went DEEP! I found JJ when one of her videos was recommended to me and since it was about growing up southern Baptist and not being allowed to shave my legs past her knees, I had to watch. Growing up southern Baptist myself, I resonated with her story quite a bit. But after that one video I had to check out more and fell in love with JJ. She is wonderful. She’s hilarious, creative, interesting, passionate, a new mom, and author, and as I said before, not afraid to go deep. I really resonated with her ideas about using comedy to talk about hard things and how healing laughter can be. So that was something we spent quite a bit of time on in this episode.  

Plus you get to hear the leg shaving story! 

You are going to love this episode and you are really going to love JJ. 

Listen and share this episode with a friend. 

And don’t forget you can get more info about my upcoming Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswold’s right here. This retreat is perfect for any women who is looking for an opportunity to rest, celebrate, reflect, heal, or simply spend a week chasing beauty, adventure, and friendship. Spots are filling up so make sure you get info and reach out soon if you are interested. 

But if a family trip is what you’re looking for right now, then consider joining me and my family in Italy this Christmas! We’ll be hosting a trip to Rome and surrounding areas the week after Christmas with Select Tours International. The trip will be all planned out for you so you can absolutely rest and focus on time with your family! But we have also built in plenty of time to explore and adventure on your own. It’s the best of both worlds and we can’t wait to spend a week with you learning history, appreciating art, eating the most delicious food and creating lasting connection through adventure! Find out all the details here! 

Find the resources from today’s episode here: 

Find JJ’s website here 

Find JJ on Instagram here 

Find JJ’s book here 

Find info about Greta’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

Find info about joining Greta’s family in Italy here 

And pick up your copy of Greta’s newest book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn right here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Well guys, get ready to hear me gush in today’s episode! I fangirled big time over this interview, because I got to talk to Daniel Nayeri, an incredible, multi award winning author, and writer of one of my most favorite books of all time. If you’ve been around at all since last fall, you will recall hearing me talk about the book, Everything Sad is Untrue. This book was so incredibly good that the minute I finished reading it, I downloaded it on audio so I could listen to it in the author’s voice. I needed to experience it again. And then, wonder of wonders, I got to hear Daniel speak in person when he came to visit the nearby college where my son’s girlfriend goes. That’s when I decided to take the plunge and ask Daniel to be on my podcast. It felt like a great big ask. I was nervous. But he said yes and it was such an absolute joy to talk to him! 

This episode is fun and I admitted a lot. Like how I didn’t read the book right away when it was published even though I saw lots of people talking about it. And how I didn’t realize it was a biography until I was well into the book. Yes, these things are true. Daniel took it all in stride. I also talked with him about poop. Yes poop. There are a lot of poop stories in this book and I wanted to know why and how his editor reacted. Daniel shared all and it’s a good part of our conversation. I promise. It was so fun to talk with him! I am certain you will love this episode like I did. Check out the show notes for links to his stuff. He’s written a lot of books. I have read 4 now and want to read more. You should too! 

*Don’t forget you can get more info about my upcoming Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswold’s right here. This retreat is perfect for any women who is looking for an opportunity to rest, celebrate, reflect, heal, or simply spend a week chasing beauty, adventure, and friendship. Spots are filling up so make sure you get info and reach out soon if you are interested. 

*And if a family trip is what you’re looking for right now, then consider joining me and my family in Italy this Christmas! We’ll be hosting a trip to Rome and surrounding areas the week after Christmas with Select Tours International. The trip will be all planned out for you so you can absolutely rest and focus on time with your family! But we have also built in plenty of time to explore and adventure on your own. It’s the best of both worlds and we can’t wait to spend a week with you learning history, appreciating art, eating the most delicious food and creating lasting connection through adventure! Find out all the details here! 

Find the resources from today’s episode here: 

Find Daniel’s website here 

Find Daniel on Instagram here 

Find all of Daniel’s books here 

Find info about Greta’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

Find info about joining Greta’s family in Italy here 

And pick up your copy of Greta’s newest book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn right here 

Sign up for Morning Minute

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Oh this episode is special! Today I am talking with my new friend who feels like an old friend, Leslie Harter-Berg, author of the brand new book You’re So Strong: on Grief and Letting Go of My Favorite Compliment. Leslie is the daughter in law of a dear friend of mine, so I felt like I knew so much of her story. But reading Leslie’s book allowed me to know her so much better. Her book is honest, raw, real, funny, tender, helpful and hopeful. And yes, it is a book on grief, widowhood and losing her husband suddenly at age 30.  

Leslie’s book is the kind of book you need to read whether the story is your own, or to prep you to walk through the story with someone else. We should all read this book! 

But before you do, listen to my conversation with Leslie. We laughed, I cried, I gushed and fangirled, and we got to the heart of things. Leslie is an absolute gem. I know you’ll love this one! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Leslie’s brand new book here 

Find Leslie on Instagram here 

Find Leslie’s videos and help for widow and widowers here 

Find Leslie’s website here 

Find Leslie’s Substack here 

Find info about Greta’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

Find info about joining Greta’s family in Italy here 

And pick up your copy of Greta’s newest book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn right here 

Sign up for Morning Minute

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

I loved having my friend Carrie De Fransico back on the podcast today! Carrie is my real-life friend and has been a home school mentor to me in navigating home schooling teens, and especially in navigating home schooling kids with dyslexia. You can listen to her first interview with me right here. We talked about homeschooling kids with dyslexia. Carrie is a voice of peace and joy and overflows with practical wisdom about home schooling. I am grateful I know her and so glad to help you know her too! 

In today’s episode we started (and maybe spent a bit too much time talking about ) with talking about Carrie’s shoe choices, but we did finally get back on track to talk about her brand new book, A Home Education Handbook: Nine Questions to Ask for Simple & Balanced Home Based Learning. This book is such a fantastic resource for anyone home schooling because it really narrows in on what matters most. I told Carrie this book is really instructions for more than home schooling kids. It is a guide for a beautiful, intentional life. I hope you’ll listen and enjoy it as much as I did. 

*Don’t forget you can get more info about my upcoming Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswold’s right here. This retreat is perfect for any women who is looking for an opportunity to rest, celebrate, reflect, heal, or simply spend a week chasing beauty, adventure, and friendship. Spots are filling up so make sure you get info and reach out soon if you are interested. 

*And if a family trip is what you’re looking for right now, then consider joining me and my family in Italy this Christmas! We’ll be hosting a trip to Rome and surrounding areas the week after Christmas with Select Tours International. The trip will be all planned out for you so you can absolutely rest and focus on time with your family! But we have also built in plenty of time to explore and adventure on your own. It’s the best of both worlds and we can’t wait to spend a week with you learning history, appreciating art, eating the most delicious food and creating lasting connection through adventure! Find out all the details here! 

Resources from this episode: 

Find Carrie’s book here 

Find Carrie’s website here 

Find Carrie’s podcast here 

Find Carrie on Instagram here 

Find Greta’s newest book here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

I know you’ll love this just like I did! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Katy’s new book here 

Find Katy’s website here 

Find Katy’s podcast here 

Find Katy on Instagram here 

Register for my master class/book club here 

Get a copy of my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

Info about the family trip to Italy here 

Info about the Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Well this is a very newsy kind of episode! I have so many fun and wonderful things to share with you that I had to just jump on and talk them out with you today. 

First up, I did some reflecting on my book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, being out in the world for a whole year and shared the ways we have seen God work. It’s been so hard at times and yet, so worth it. 

In honor of the book being a year old, I am doing my first ever master class/book club (it’s a little of both!) with all of you! The links to sign up are below so you can jump in before the class fills up. 

I also got to share our super fun family news: we’re taking another family trip to Italy, and we want you to come! That is right, a trip to Italy for the whole family, organized and led by Select Tours International and hosted by Aaron and myself.  All the info at the link below. We can’t wait for you to join us! 

Lastly, if you need a trip just for you and not the whole family, consider joining me on my walking retreat in the Cotswolds this fall! It will be the most wonderful, restful, beautiful, soul filling and soul healing time. Link below for all the info! 

I can’t wait to see how many of you I’ll get to hang out with you this year!  

With joy, 

Greta 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Register for my master class/book club here 

Get a copy of my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

Info about the family trip to Italy here 

Info about the Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today’s guest is Alyson Pryor, my real life friend and real life wise woman. Alyson is a wife and mom to 5 kids. She is also a spiritual director, a marriage and family therapist, a professor, speaker and now author of her first book! And she is more amazing in real life than she is on paper. 

I absolutely loved talking to Alyson about her new book, Come Away and Rest, a Guide to Personal Spiritual Retreats. Alyson shares how she started seeking rest through spiritual retreats as a tired mom of young children, being cared for by 2 kind nuns at a house in a suburban neighborhood. It’s a funny and tender story and led Alyson on a journey of discovery that she needed these quiet retreats not just to get a break from being a mom, but to know God in a deeper way. 

I learned a lot in this episode and found myself inspired to take a quiet spiritual retreat of my own as it is something I have never done. I know you’ll love learning from Alyson too! 

If you’re looking for a restful retreat combined with lots of beauty and some adventure, consider joining me, Greta, on my upcoming Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds this September. It will be a time for deep thought, soul care, celebration, healing or just experiencing the joy of being in a new and beautiful place with like minded companions. Find out more info right here. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Alyson’s book here 

Find Alyson’s website here 

Find Alyson on Instagram here 

Find info on Greta’s walking retreat here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

I love episodes where I get to talk with my friends. And this episode is one of those. Brook Mosser co-leads Intentional ministries with his wife Elizabeth, is an author, speaker and podcast host.  Brook Mosser is also one of my dear friends--honestly like a brother to me. We make each other laugh—though he’s a thousand times funnier than I am. But what I love and appreciate most about Brook is how honest he is, how kind and generous, and how he points people to Jesus over and over again. And this episode is all about that. 

We talk about all kinds of things: hormones, yes he talked hormones with me, adult ADD, his upcoming retreat with Intentional Fatherhood, and especially the book he just wrote, Sowing a Hidden Seed: Daily Prayers for Your Child’s Spiritual Growth.  You are going to love this episode and get a lot of good stuff out of it. I am so glad to share my buddy Brook with you again. 

Be sure to check out the links below to get connected to all the good things we talk about. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Brook’s book here 

Find Brook on Instagram here 

Find The Intentional Fatherhood podcast here 

Find tickets to The Intentional Fatherhood retreat here 

Find The Intentional Parents podcast here 

Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

Find info about Greta’s upcoming Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Oh this episode could not feel more relevant to me right in this very moment! I have a house full of teens and young adults, my first child to be getting married and I’m nearly done with my many years of being a home school mom. There is a lot of joy in this time of my life, but also so much change and we all know change is hard. And the empty nest years sure are filled with change. 

That’s why I am so excited about this conversation with empty nest coach, Pamela Henkleman. Pamela is a wise, gracious and joy filled guide to any mom on this journey. You might think this conversation doesn’t apply to you because your kids are little, or in elementary school, but Pamela and I also talked about how to prepare our hearts for the empty nest days, no matter what stage of parenting we’re in. Not with mourning and sadness, but with the knowledge that it’s our job to send our kids out in the best way possible. 

I also asked Pamela to share what we have to look forward to in the empty nest years because it can’t all be doom and gloom, right? The good news, it’s not! You’ll love hearing the moment I realized there were some things I am really looking forward to in my empty nest years. I know you’ll get a lot out of this episode and love getting to know Pamela. 

Be sure to give her a follow and to share this episode with a friend. And leave a review of the podcast too, if you haven’t done that yet! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Pamela’s website here 

Find Pamela on Instagram here 

Find Pamela’s podcast here 

Find Pamela’s coaching here 

Find info on Greta’s Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswold’s here 

Get your copy of Greta’s latest book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

In episode 102, Justin and I dive into his newest book, The Body Teaches the Soul: Ten Essential Habits to Form a Healthy and Holy Life. I loved reading Justin’s book. As you can imagine, that made it hard to narrow down what parts of the book to focus on. But ultimately, I asked Justin if we could focus on the chapters of his book that covered 3 specific topics: breath, exercise and sex. It was such a good conversation! I walked away learning so much and I know you will too.

As always, please share this episode and if you’ve never left a review of the podcast, do that today too! I’d be so grateful. And if you haven’t yet picked up your copy of It’s Time To Talk to Your Kids About Porn, consider this your weekly reminder to do so. You can find your copy here. 2026 is your year to have these conversations with your kids! Thanks for listening friends. I can’t wait to see you next week!

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

Find Justin’s website here

Find Justin on Instagram here

Find Justin’s book here

Find the Intentional Fatherhood podcast here

Find tickets to the Intentional Fatherhood retreat here

Find info about Greta’s Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

It’s been a while since I did an “Ask Me Anything” episode, so here we are! 

This episode is all over the place, which only makes sense because you listeners gave me the topics to talk about. And you are all different and want to know different things. I love that! 

So in this episode I shared about hormones and perimenopause, favorite books, raising young adults, my women’s walking retreat in the Cotswolds, and more. I hope you enjoy another little peek into my life. 

Putting links to the walking retreat below, as well as a link to the book you need to read in 2026, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, make this the year you have one of the most important conversations in modern day parenting with your kids. Don’t worry, I wrote a guide to help you. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Get info on my Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

Get my book here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

10 Favorite (current) Worship Songs 

1. My Testimony by Elevation Worship 

2. Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me by City Alight 

3. Scars by I Am They 

4. I Thank God by Maverick City Music 

5. Goodness of God by CeCe Winans 

6. Sing Wherever I Go by We the Kingdom 

7. Thank You Jesus for the Blood by Charity Gayle 

8. What an Awesome God by Phil Wickham 

9. Bless God by Brooke Ligertwood 

10. Jesus Lifted Me by Cain 

10 Favorite Bible Verses 

1. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 

2. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” II Corinthians 1:3-4 

3. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 5:20 

4. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 

5. “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9: 1-2 

6. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Act 4:12 

7. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 

8. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,” Joel 2:25 

9. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7 

10. “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” Ephesians 6:19 

10 Favorite Treats 

1. Milka chocolate bars 

2. Iced lattes 

3. Manzanilla green olives from Trader Joe’s (yes, specifically these) 

4. Homemade popcorn 

5. Coffee ice cream 

6. Roasted and salted macadamia nuts  

7. Kettle cooked potato chips 

8. Kouign-amann pastries 

9. Chips and salsa 

10. Italian Confetti Almonds from Trader Joe’s (yes, specifically these) 

10 Favorite Books 

1. How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn 

2. Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri 

3. The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 

4. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom 

5. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder 

6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

7. Persuasion Jane Austen 

8. The Chronicles of Narnia (the whole series) C. S. Lewis 

9. Rainbow Valley by Lucy Maud Montgomery 

10. God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew 

10 Favorite Movies 

1. It’s a Wonderful Life 

2. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 

3. Napoleon Dynamite + Nacho Libre (cannot pick one and they are a pair to me) 

4. My Fair Lady 

5. Sleepless In Seattle 

6. Little Women (1994 version) 

7. Sense and Sensibility 

8. That Thing You Do 

9. To Kill a Mockingbird 

10. Up 

10 Favorite Places I’ve Visited 

1. Cinque Terre, Italy 

2. The Cotswolds, England 

3. Big Sur, CA 

4. Murren, Switzerland 

5. Meteora, Greece 

6. Olympic National Park, WA 

7. Annecy, France 

8. Hyderabad and Secunderabad, India 

9. Reykjavik, Iceland 

10. Glacier National Park, MT 

10 Favorite Coffee Shops  

1. Scout Coffee, San Luis Obispo, CA 

2. Honest Coffee, Franklin, Tenn 

3. Orange Inn, Laguna Beach, CA 

4. Certified Kitchen and Bakery, Boise, ID 

5. Merchant, Long Beach, CA 

6. Giovanni Cova & C, Milan, Italy 

7. Jo’s Coffee, Austin, TX 

8. Barista Parlor, Nashville, TN 

9. Hooray Coffee, Redlands, CA 

10. Sant’ Eustachio Il Caffee’, Rome, Italy 

10 Favorite Things That Were Also Really Hard 

1. Natural childbirth 

2. Writing books 

3. Being a public high school teacher 

4. Becoming a speaker 

5. Sharing the most vulnerable parts of our marriage story publicly 

6. Running a half marathon 

7. Fighting porn 

8. Parenting teens and young adults 

9. Home schooling 

10. Becoming a podcaster 

10 Favorite Things from Nature 

1. Giant Sequoia trees 

2. Cardinals 

3. Sea otters 

4. California Poppies 

5. Coast Live Oak trees 

6. Moss 

7. Tidepools 

8. Red Tailed Hawks 

9. Wild Mustard 

10. Dolphins 

10 Favorite Adventures 

1. My Christian walk 

2. Being married to Aaron 

3. Becoming a mom 

4. Spending 2 summers in my teens in India with my dad 

5. Summering in Scotland with 25 teens + Aaron when we were newlyweds 

6. Becoming an author 

7. Family road trip from California to Minnesota 

8. Home schooling our kids 

9. Backpacking through Europe as a young married couple 

10. Family trip to Italy 

10 Misc Favorite Things: 

1. The color yellow 

2. My Blundstone boots 

3. My Nugget ice maker 

4. Wearing brand new socks 

5. Watching travel shows with Aaron (especially Stanley Tucci, Rick Steves and Travel Man) 

6. Colorful bags from Orla Keily 

7. My collection of Yearly bangles that Aaron started for me 

8. Red shoes 

9. Stickers – especially travel and encouraging words 

10. My collection of Ronnie Kappos jewelry that Aaron started for me

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

If you had told me 15 years ago, or even 5 years ago that I’d be doing a podcast episode on masturbation, I’d never, ever believe you. But here we are, 99 episodes into my podcast having a conversation that I couldn’t imagine having. But over the years as I have talked with parents about creating a healthy sexual culture in their homes, one of the most common questions I get is: how do I talk about masturbation with my kids?” So it is something we absolutely need to talk about. But I’ll be the first to admit, it is a challenging topic. 

That’s why I appreciate people like Molly Bertles and her boldness and vulnerability in writing an entire book on the topic of masturbation. And more specifically on women and masturbation, which is even less talked about. In fact, the topic of women and masturbation often has so much shame and loneliness attached to it. And that is part of the reason it is hardly ever talked about. Molly bravely and compassionately steps into this topic in her book and in this podcast episode with me.  

Our goal is to help women find freedom from the shame and the addiction of masturbation and instead experience the goodness God is offering. This episode might be one you need to listen to for yourself, or to offer understanding and hope to a friend, or to equip you to talk about this with your own daughters and sons. I hope you’ll listen to this episode and hear in our voices and conversation that you don’t have to be embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about this topic. God cares about every part of our lives, our struggles our heartaches, our questions and our confusion. So yes, He cares about this. And we do too. So join us for episode 99, the one where we talk about masturbation.  

Important things we talk about in this episode:  

*That kids using masturbation is most often not a sexual act, but simply a kind of self-soothing. 

*When masturbation does changes into a sexual activity. 

*How so many of us never had parents or anyone talk about it with us as kids or teens. 

*The way we act like masturbation is a male problem only and how that impacts women. 

*Why people use masturbation and how it is often used to numb negative feelings. 

*How masturbation is unhealthy and even harmful. 

*How culture tries to make us think masturbation is perfectly fine and healthy. 

*How masturbation hurts others. 

*The danger of fantasy and masturbation. 

*Why the gospel isn’t about performance or working for God’s love, but accepting the free gift God gave us. 

*How some people choose masturbation after they’ve been hurt sexually and how God loves you so much in that place and why there is hope in this place! 

Resources and other important things mentioned in this episode:  

*Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

*Quote from Molly’s professor: “Sex in marriage is as holy as prayer.” 

*The 2 lies Satan wants people to believe when they are stuck in sexual sin: “you are uniquely ruined by this and no one can ever find out.” Sam Alberry 

*“The gospel applies to every part of our life, even our sex life.” Greta Eskridge   

*We can, through Christ, renew our minds. That is spiritual and scriptural and scientific! Romans 12:2 is a good place to start with this understanding from a scriptural standpoint. 

*Find more on the topic of women using masturbation and porn in this episode right here that I recorded with Joy Skarka and in Joy’s book here. 

Where to find Molly 

Find Molly’s book here 

Find Molly on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Happy New Year friends! I am delighted to be starting a new year with you on the podcast and I already have so many great things in store for us. 

We’re starting today with my guest, Dr. Kelly Cagel. Dr. Kelly is all about helping families navigate life with kids who interact with the world differently through things like ADHD.  She came to the US from Brazil as a little girl, knowing no English and that experience made her want to help kids who are navigating school and growing up in the midst of challenges, just like she did. 

If you are feeling frustrated or discouraged about your kid who always wants to move or be with his friends, let this episode be the one that encourages you to see those things as a benefit and not a detriment. We’ve all been in that place of discouragement, but we don’t have to stay there. Dr Kelly has tons of resources for you to help you with all this and more. Use the links below to find her! 

Also, as we start this new year, can I ask a favor of you? Will you leave a review of this podcast? It’s one of the best ways for the podcast to grow. Leave one here. 

Secondly, if you’ve read it, can you leave a review of my book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn?  Thousands of you have read the book, but most of us don’t bother to leave reviews. But they are wildly important to the success of a book because they help put the book in front of more people. So please, will you take a moment and leave a couple of reviews for me?  Thanks friends! And happy new year! 

Where to find Dr. Kelly: 

Find Dr. Kelly’s website here 

Find Dr. Kelly’s podcast here 

Find Dr. Kelly on Instagram here 

Find Dr. Kelly’s book here 

Where to find Greta: 

Find Greta’s most recent book here 

Find info about Greta’s upcoming Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Well this episode was far more emotional than I intended it to be. Get ready to hear me cry quite a bit as I process a little bit of 2025 with you. And then hear me cry even more as I talk about my hopes for the year ahead. I guess I had some things to process, and you get to come along for the ride. You’re welcome! But I am glad you’re here with me. Really truly glad you are a part of this little podcast community we have here. Thank you! 

Links for all the things I talk about in this episode down below for you.  

Happy, happy new year my friends! See you in 2026! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

*Get my new book, help protect your family and read Aaron and I’s story here 

*Join me walking through the Cotswolds in 2026! Find info here 

*See the “Footprints in the Sand” poem here 

*Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” 

*Jesus Lifted Me by Brooke Ligertwood and CAIN (listen to it today!) 

*Ephesians 6:19: “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”  

*Find Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri here (if somehow you have not read this book, read it first in 2026! 

*Find Theo of Golden by Allen Levi here. (if somehow you have not read this book yet, read it next in 2026! And join my January book club where we’ll talk about it. Get updates on that in my newsletter here and on Substack here) 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Get ready for a short and sweet Christmas episode! Today I want to talk about the power of generosity and how it points us to the ultimate act of generosity, Jesus coming down to earth and giving His life for humanity. 

So today I am spending a little time talking about the beauty of being an intentional, thoughtful, gift giver and why I really admire the love language of gift giving. I’ve seen gift giving bring joy to the people in my family who love giving gifts and I’ve seen, and experienced, the way receiving intentional and thoughtful gifts bring joy to the receiver. This feels especially relevant at Christmas time when gifts feel all important, but it can be less about the thoughtfulness behind the gift and just making sure you have something. 

That’s why in today’s episode I am sharing two “gifts” with you that will bring joy to your life and to other’s if you share these gifts. What are they? A favorite recipe and a favorite new book. You’ll find links to both below and I want to know if you enjoy either or both! And I want to wish you a merry, merry Christmas friends. God bless you. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find recipe for the cinnamon rolls here 

Find Theo of Golden book here 

Find the link for my online seminar here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

It is not too late to grab a couple of my books for last minute Christmas gifts. Choose my first book, Adventuring Together, (on major sale here!) for the mom in your life who is looking for inspiration and practical tips for enjoying her kids and enjoying motherhood.  

For kids, choose 100 Days of Adventure, (on major sale here!) and set them loose having fun and being creative off screens and in the beauty of nature, with art, books, cooking and with friends. And lastly, grab my latest book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, for every parent, friend, grandparent and person in your life who works with children so they can start the new year learning how to keep kids safe in online spaces. Books are always a great gift! 

Now, on with the podcast! I am so glad to have KyAnne Molina on the podcast today! KyAnne is a homeschooling mom to 3 little kids, a host of the very popular Simple Rhythms For Busy Moms podcast. KyAnne is also a coach for moms to help them create rhythms and systems to run their homes and businesses in a way that brings life rather than overwhelm. I was so excited to talk to KyAnne because I felt like I could really learn from KyAnne in my life right now. 

In this conversation with KyAnne I reflected on times of overwhelm in my early days of motherhood and now. Then we talked about creating rhythms and systems for those things and also ways that anyone facing those same things could find relief. This conversation was practical, and helpful for me and I know it will be for you too. 

Be sure to follow KyAnne and keep learning from her. 

Where to find KyAnne 

Find her website here 

Find KyAnne’s podcast here 

Find KyAnne on Instagram here 

And don’t forget, you can still sign up for my online seminar, “Parenting in the Digital Age” and get a recording of this incredibly important seminar. Get yours here. 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

What an absolute joy to have my friend Jen Dees on my podcast today. Jen and I used to podcast together when we had a podcast with 4 other friends called At Home. But that was a long time ago and we haven’t podcasted together since those days. I’m really glad we got to do this again. 

Today we focused on Jen’s pursuit of creativity and art in her own life and in her kids’ life as well. We talked a lot about helping our kids pursue art and creativity, helping them not quit, and creating space and habits for our own creativity. We also talked about Jen’s newest venture of creating commissioned paintings for people that are not necessarily portraits but capturing a moment in their life with their kids. Jen is taking commissions for Christmas (she only has a couple spaces left!) and is offering gift certificates for people to get a commissioned piece in the new year. Check it out on her website linked below. You’re going to love learning all about Jen and the beautify she is bringing into the world! 

Resources mentioned in this podcast: 

Get Greta’s online seminar here 

Get info about Greta’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 

3 Point Perspective Podcast  

Undraped Artist podcast 

Where to find Jen: 

Find Jen’s website here 

Find Jen on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Resources mentioned in this episode:  

Register for Greta’s online seminar, Parenting in the Digital Age here 

Where to find Brook, Justin and their work: 

Find the Intentional Fatherhood podcast here  

Find the Intentional Fatherhood retreat here (Aaron will be there too!) 

Find Brook’s new book here 

Find Justin’s new book here 

Find the Intentional podcast here 

Find the Intentional Motherhood retreat here (I’ll be there too!) 

Find Brook on Instagram here 

Find Justin on Instagram here 

I am incredibly excited about today’s episode!  It was so good to have Brook Mosser and Justin Whitmel Earley on my podcast. We had so much fun together recording this episode, going down lots of rabbit trails, and talking about some spiritual stuff too. Get ready to laugh, to learn and to wonder why we are talking about dogs and candles so much. It’s a good time, I promise. 

Both Justin and Brook are authors, speakers and busy fathers of 4 kids and they really care about helping other fathers in the hard and beautiful parts of being a father. Their new podcast, Intentional Fatherhood, is on season 2 and is already meeting fathers around the world and inviting them into a more intentional way of fathering. 

In this episode we do talk about dogs and candles, but also talk about some of the things that dads struggle with, as well as what it looks like to talk about that vulnerably and in community. Justin and Brook are finding that those conversations are really resonating with fathers. And that leads to the next conversation of how God meets fathers in those hard places to shape us more in His image, which is what Brook and Justin are all about! 

We also got to talk about the next thing that these two guys are doing—a fatherhood retreat in February of 2026! This retreat is going to be a wonderful place for dads to gather, grow, embrace vulnerability and really celebrate godly, intentional fatherhood. My own husband will be there! And maybe yours will too. Be sure to check out the show notes above for links to the all the things we talked about. And share this episode with some of the fathers in your life and get excited about how God will meet them. 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

What a thrill to have my friend Sue Lee back again. Last time we talked about Madam Lee’s French classes for home schoolers. And that was wonderful. You can listen to that episode right here. Today, though, we are talking about another part of Sue’s life and that is raising her son Marcus, who was diagnosed at 4 months with an extremely rare genetic disorder called Joubert syndrome. Joubert syndrome is characterized by a variety of neurological and developmental abnormalities. After diagnosis, the Lee family just had to wait and see how Marcus’s brain and body would be affected by this syndrome. 

Sue vulnerably shares her story in this episode. From the moment of Marcus’s diagnosis and the early years of sleepless nights and endless therapies, the Lee’s realized they had to cling to the truth that Jesus is better. Jesus is better than what we thought we’d have in this world, better than comfort or no suffering. And they have clung to that truth through the rest of Marcus’s life thus far. Through deciding to home school him and helping him follow his passion for music and now applying for college, they have clung to the truth that God is with them in this and He allows trial but He also provides grace to get through it. 

Sue doesn’t sugarcoat the hard, but she also doesn’t deny that God has been with them through every bit of this lifelong trial Marcus and the Lee family have walked through. 

Sue’s story, but especially her reminders to cling to  faith in God during times of suffering will be an encouragement to anyone walking through trial and especially the trail of raising kids with special needs. You are not alone in this. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 

Online Seminar update: Unfortunately my online seminar, Parenting in the Age of Pornography, had to be postponed due to problems with my website. I’ll be rescheduling for a Thursday evening in early December. I will keep you posted on the details here on the podcast, on Instagram and via my email newsletter. Make sure you are following along in those places so you don’t miss out! Thanks for being excited this resource. I promise it will be worth the wait! 

Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds: Our retreat is live and open for registration! You can get all the info right here. 

Where to find Sue 

Find Sue’s website here 

Find Sue’s French classes here 

Find the essay Sue wrote about this journey here 

Find Sue on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Friends, this is a catch up with Greta episode! There is a lot going on in life and a lot I wanted to tell you about so… here we are. And since I recorded this podcast, a couple of things have, and haven’t, happened so I’ll update you on the updates. Insert laughing/crying emoji face here. 

First, the link to my digital seminar is still not live because I am having issues with my website. I do so wish I could speak with a human instead of trying to solve problems with the “live chat”. Anyway, all I can say at this point is, please, please, check my Instagram account and my blog for updates and links because hopefully they’ll be there in the next couple of days. I’ll put the links to both those things at the end of these show notes. 

Now something that is up is my food and travel book post on Substack. Do you follow me over there? I am trying so hard to get more writing up there. It is fun to write about whatever I want! I think you’ll love it there too. Link at end of these notes.  

And oh the excitement my Instagram fam had over my post about the book Everything Sad is Untrue! It was so fun to hear from so many people who loved it and so many people who were going to read it for the first time! And yes, I am going to do a zoom Book Talk with you all about that book soon. All the deets will be on Insta and I’ll share on my blog too. So you’ll have to check those spaces for the link when it’s ready to go! 

Lastly, there is my 2026 Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds!  

Oh my goodness, I am over the moon excited about this!! We have our full itinerary up and pricing will be up soon. Link for this information is, you guessed it, at the end of these notes! 

You know I always deeply appreciate you leaving reviews of my book and this podcast. Reviews really are key to getting my stuff shown to more people, and also to people deciding to purchase my book or listen to my show. People want to know if something is worthwhile. Will you please tell them it is!? You can leave book reviews on Amazon and podcast reviews on iTunes.  

Thank you, friends, for all the ways you support me and my work out in the world. Now here are the links for all the things! 

Links and things: 

Find my blog and website here 

Find me on Insta here 

Find out about our Women’s Walking Retreat here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Amy Hughes is a mom to nine, yes nine! She is also a home schoolteacher and an author. In today’s episode we are talking about her brand-new book, Words Like Honey. This book, and our conversation, is all about the power of our words as parents. 

Not that our words have some kind of magical powers or that we can manifest something happening. But that God is the one that gives our words power to bless our children, to nurture them, comfort and exhort them. It’s so important for us to remember this as parents. 

Amy and I have a lot to say on this topic because as lovers of words and as authors and communicators, we know very well the power words have. We share stories from our parenting and the way we’ve learned to speak gently and in life giving ways. Amy shares 4 really practical tips from her book about how to speak life into your children. You won’t find this episode overwhelming, but rather encouraging and helpful. I just know you’ll appreciate it very much. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Provers 18;21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love will eat its fruit.” 

Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.” 

*Be sure you are following Greta on Instagram here to get first notification for her upcoming online seminar! 

*Or you can sign up for my newsletter here to get notification of all the things! 

Where to find Amy: 

Find Amy’s book here 

Find Amy on Instagram here  

Find Amy’s website here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today’s episode is with Andrea Davis is the founder of Better Screen Time. Better Screen Time exists to help kids engage with screens in a healthy way. Andrea is a former teacher, a mom to five and her husband is a tech expert. Together they bring a wealth of expertise to Better Screen Time and to all of us who are raising kids in a screen saturated world. 

I found this episode with Andrea to be wildly encouraging and motivating in terms of giving our kids a full childhood—yes all the way through high school—that isn’t ruled by screens and social media. I know it doesn’t feel possible sometimes, but Andrea’s story reminds us it is!  As a parent, it takes courage to ask that of your child and hold to it. As a child, it takes courage to be the only one not on a smart phone or a social media account. It is absolutely possible and people like Andrea show us the way. 

And if you’re kid has been given a smart phone and/or social media, and you realize it is not the best way for your child, remember what Andrea says:  “is never too early to prepare and it’s never too late to turn things around”. 

Be sure to check out all of Andrea’s resources in the show notes below and share this encouraging episode with a friend! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Learn more about a home phone through VoIp here 

Get Greta’s book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

Find Andrea here: 

Find the Better Screen Time website here 

Find Andrea’s book here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

True to form, this episode starts with me feeling sure that I messed up my guest’s name. I didn’t even bother to edit it out because the reality is, I am who I am. Laugh with me! 

My guest, Eryn Eddy Adkis, is the founder of the company So Worth Loving, and a host of the podcast God Hears Her. 

I loved learning about Eryn’s upbringing and how it impacted her as an adult and the company she started called, So Worth Loving. This company exists “to create product as an entry point to vulnerable conversations”. When I read that, I was instantly intrigued. In the work I do, so many people I talk to have been hurt or are hurt. What I find is that they often want to go deep and share vulnerably but it is scary to do so. By going first, I get to help them find the courage to do that. And that is exactly what Eryn is doing with So Worth Loving. 

Eryn and I also talked about the podcast God Hears Her, and the way it has given space for women to have the courage to share their own difficult stories. And that has given Eryn and so many others freedom to walk in freedom and not in shame. What a gift! 

Be sure to look up the work that Eryn is doing with both her company and the podcast. 

You will be blessed. 

Where to find Eryn: 

Find So Worth Loving here 

Find Eryn on Instagram here 

Find God Hears Her podcast here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Laura Smith is a writer, speaker and mom to four young adults. She is from the charming, small college town of Oxford, not England, but Ohio! These are the kinds of random facts I love getting to know about my guests. 

Even more, I loved learning about Laura’s newest book, Brave Women, Mighty God: 30 Things You Can Do. I’ve been a Christian my whole life, since I was 3 years old, but I loved learning about some of these women that I have never heard of. And then to think about the women, whose stories I know, in new ways and to learn from them. 

It's so important for us to know and remember that God created us as women with intention and purpose. We have a reason for being, and we matter in His plans for us and His plans for eternity.  

Talking about these stories, and some in particular, with Laura brought me to tears. I felt such a deep connection to many of them and realized I needed the reminder that I am God’s daughter, and I am beloved. This conversation was so encouraging, and I am sure you’re going to love it just like me! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Books about Godly, inspiring women that Greta has loved reading: 

Corrie Ten Boom, Amy Carmichael, Betty Green, Darlene Deibler Rose, Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God (great for kids!) 

Find Laura: 

Find Laura’s website here 

Find Laura’s book here 

Find Laura on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Brian and Ed were collegiate athletes and now work with an organization called Athletes in Action that brings Christ into the lives of coaches and athletes of all levels. But it was when their own kids began playing youth sports that they decided to begin looking at things like: how kids and families can grow in relationship with Christ through sports, not allowing sports to become an idol, showing grace through failure, reflecting the love of Christ to every other athlete on the field, and so much more.  

In their book, they talk about “spiritual formation rather than sports formation”.  And I just love their desire to make sports culture something that reflects Jesus’ heart instead of making it self-focused, like so much of sports can be. We discussed the youth sports industry that really isn’t about what’s best for our kids, but rather about playing into our own insecurities as a parent, and the pressure we parents are putting on our kids as a result. That led us to talk about the importance of making sports about joy and fun and less about winning. 70% of kids are quitting youth sports by age 13 because the joy of play is gone for them. As Christians our joy isn’t in winning or being the best, but in showing and knowing the love of Christ no matter the outcome of the game. 

I found this book and my conversation with Brian and Ed so encouraging and helpful. I know you are going to enjoy it too. 

Where to find Ed and Brian: 

Find their new book here 

Find Brian and Ed on Instagram here 

Find more of Brian and Ed’s writing here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Dr. Trish is a neuroscientist, a sex addiction recovery coach, a brain health coach, an author, speaker and mom to 5. She is a wealth of knowledge about the way the brain is impacted by pornography. So, if you are wondering how porn impacts the brain, and you should, this episode is for you! 

Dr. Trish helps us understand how porn hijacks the brain’s dopamine system and the problems and dangers that causes. She explains the main reasons people use porn, how people use porn to numb negative feelings and ultimately how it causes a lack of joy in life. We talk about toxic relationships fueled by porn use. We also discuss masturbation and why it is not harmless. Yep, we went there! (If you want to learn more about the topic of masturbation, I have a whole chapter in my book on this topic because it is a question I get asked so often. So many parents have questions and so many of us don’t know who to ask or where to go. I’m here to help!) We also discuss how putting boundaries in place for our kids is hard, but worth it.  

Dr. Trish gives us practical, doable tips as we are raising kids in this new era of parenting. There is just so much here.  

Dr. Trish and I don’t agree on everything—for example, I do believe porn is a moral issue as well as an addiction issue—but wow, I am so grateful for what I have learned from her! Learning how things like pornography impacts and even changes the brain is a powerful tool as we raise kids in this porn saturated world. I know that God is the designer of our incredible, intricate brains and that we can honor Him by protecting not just our kids’ bodies, but their brains and hearts too. It is up to us offer our kids something better than porn could ever give them. If you don’t know how to do that, read my book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn.  And if you are ready to educate yourself about how porn impacts the brain, get Dr. Trish’s book. 

Where to find Dr. Trish: 

Find Dr. Trish’s new book here 

Find Dr. Trish’s website here 

Find Dr. Trish on Instagram here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find my new book here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

What a treat this episode was to record! A conversation with my friend Jaime Fennwick about our recent women’s walking retreat in the Cotswolds! What are the Cotswolds, you ask? Well we explain everything in this episode. 

We talk about where we went (England!) and what we did (lots more than walk!) what we ate (the food was sooooo good!) where we slept (the nicest inns and hotels!) the incredible nature we saw (God is the master artist) and how He met us through the week in the beauty we saw and in the friendships that we formed. He even met us in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm! Ultimately what we found was this trip was so much more than a sightseeing tour. It was soul care. 

Jaime and I are so excited to share a glimpse of this trip with all of you. But even more we’d love you to consider joining us on our next trip! We don’t have the exact dates yet, but you can be the first to know by signing up for alerts and newsletters from Jaime and I. You’ll find all the links below as well as on our Instagram pages. This was honestly one of the most wonderful trips I have ever been on. I hope you’ll be inspired to walk through the Cotswolds too! Or at least your own neighborhood. 

Where to find Jaime and info about our next retreat: 

Get updates about the next walking retreat here 

Read Jaime’s blog here 

Find Jaime on Instagram here 

Find Greta’s blog here 

Find Greta on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Oh friends, this episode made me smile so big! I loved, loved my conversation with Hosanna Wong. Hosanna is an author and spoken word artist and she is intent on equipping people to share the gospel around the world. She also loves basketball and sports so much that she and her husband call themselves a sports family and especially a basketball family. In fact, we spend the first 5 minutes of this episode (at least) talking about sports and basketball. But then! Then we get to the heart of our conversation, which is all about Hosanna’s new book, “What God Says About You”.  

Friends, this book is fantastic! And Hosanna’s heart for Jesus shines through each page, the pictures and the words too. This children’s book came about from a spoken word poem Hosanna wrote and shared around the world. The poem is called, “I Have a New Name” and she wrote it for herself, but it resonated with so many people as she shared it. But it was in 2023 that she heard kids sharing her poem online and it made her sit up and realize that kids need to know who they are in God’s eyes too. Thus, the book was born. 

I loved hearing Hosanna read to us from her book and also to hear her explain some of the different names in the book and what our kids can take away from it as they read it. 

In fact, I found myself in tears as I listened to Hosanna read. The message of her book is powerful and profound. And it is needed! You are going to love it and want to add it to your bookshelves right away.  

PS. Be sure to have your kids count the dogs as they read the book! 

Other things we talk about in this episode: the weight of writing children’s books, Illuminate Literary Agency (Hosanna and I’s literary agency!), the way the truths in this book can combat the shame, the immense value and importance of speaking God’s words over our children, and even how parents can use What God Says About You to reenforce the truth that they are made in God’s image and their bodies are worthy of respect and protection. 

Where to find Hosanna: 

Find Hosanna’s new book here 

Find Hosanna’s new book on audio here 

Find Hosanna’s other books here 

Find Hosanna’s website here 

Find Hosanna on Instagram here 

Other resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

I am so over the moon excited about today’s guest!  I have followed Ashley Campbell online for about 16 years but this is the first time we have actually talked to each other and it was just so much fun! Over the years I have found Ashley to be such a source of inspiration to me. I watched her raise her 5 kids, home schooling them, making art with them and on her own, and living an intentional lifestyle in pursuit of dream. That dream was to take their family of 7 on a trip around the world for a whole year.  

Then they actually did it and she wrote a book about it!  

Ashley’s new book I’ve Never Been Here Before: Our Family’s Year of Budget Travel, Wandering the World and Finding the Sacred is even more wonderful that I imagined it would be. And in today’s episode we get to hear all about the details, planning, dreaming that went into creating this trip and then about the trip itself. Ashley is candid about the parts of this experience that were challenging, exciting and so fulfilling. We talk about what her family learned about the people of the world as they met other teens on basketball courts and soccer fields. Spoiler alert: it was far better than they imagined! 

I know you will be so inspired by this episode and even more by reading Ashley’s book. The photography is all from their trip and the stories will just fill your soul. Be sure to go grab your copy after you listen to today’s episode! 

Where to find Ashley: 

Find Ashley’s new book here 

Find Ashley on Instagram here 

Find Ashley’s website and blog here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

It's been a while since I’ve sat down to talk with you heart to heart, and I felt like it was time. Mostly because I know that in my desire to help you protect your kids from the devastating effects of pornography it is important to share them with you. 

In today’s episode I am covering 3 things I want you to know about pornography right now. First, I’m talking about how pornography steals sexual integrity, and secondly, how erotic (some people call them spicy) books are pushing girls into consuming pornography. The last one is more encouraging: how it’s easier to talk to your kids about pornography than you think! 

You’ll have to listen to hear about each one, but I am certain you will find this episode encouraging and helpful. I hope you’ll share it with friends because we all need to do our part and join in this fight to protect our kids. 

I mention quite a few things in this episode that you’ll find in the resources listed below. 

Be sure to take some time to look through them. 

God bless you! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find the Forest Frank video here 

Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, here 

Find info about Forest Home family camp here. *Mention my name for that first time family discount. 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Every Monday, host Courtney DeFeo shares a short prayer to help you lift up your kids. This year’s series follows Christian Parenting’s brand new prayer journal, A Great Cloud of Witnesses. 

Each week highlights a biblical hero of the faith, paired with Scripture-based prayers for your kids. Here is a sneak peek into week one:

This first week is all about Noah—a man of incredible faith and obedience. While the world around him turned away from God, Noah walked in righteousness. Building the ark probably looked foolish to everyone else, but Noah trusted God’s word even when it didn’t make sense. That’s the kind of faith we want for our kids: to listen to God’s voice over any others and walk confidently with Him even when it means standing apart.

If you love this episode and don’t have your copy of A Great Cloud of Witnesses yet, it’s not too late to get yours! Go ChristianParenting.org to get your copy and follow along. And don’t forget to tune in to Pardon the Mess every Monday for more prayer episodes. 

Order A Great Cloud of Witnesses today

Follow Pardon the Mess on Apple or Spotify

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Friends, in honor of Grandparents Day coming up next week, I am so excited about today’s episode. Today I talk with Isabel Tom, author of the book, The Value of Wrinkles: a Young Perspective on How Loving the Old Will Change Your Life.

The moment I came across this book it absolutely intrigued me. It is an area in my own life where I’d like to grow, and where I’d like our family to grow. I am sure I am not alone in this, but sometimes we either don’t slow down enough to admit it, or we just don’t know where to start.

Isabel’s book doesn’t heap on the guilt in this journey. Instead, she fills this book with gentle reminders and practical tips on honoring, valuing and loving the older people in our life. While her book isn’t a step by step on how to get your older relative in a senior living facility, we do talk about things like honoring older people with hearing loss, including food that the older guests at a party can eat, or helping our older friends and relatives get gifts for our kids, or choosing a place for them to live that is 5 minutes closer than 15 minutes away. There are things we talked about that I had never considered.

Our conversation is filled with good stories, laughter, and tender moments that Isabel shares so graciously. I loved this book and I loved my conversation from Isabel. I know you will too!

Where to find Isabel:

Find her book here

Find her website here

Find her “Grandkid Investigator Kit” here

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

This episode covers some very hard topics. With my guests, Clinton and Charity Munoz, we talked about restoring marriages to wholeness after pornography addiction and sexual betrayal and brokenness. But in spite of the difficulty of the topic, what we found is that we can both laugh and cry together because God is with us in it all. The three of us have personally experienced God turn our painful story into purpose and that is worthy of joy and hope. 

It's a story worth telling! 

What Clinton and Charity share is that people in broken and hurting marriages need: honesty and vulnerability and then stories of hope and healing. And they do an incredible job with that. From well-meaning but harmful advice that didn’t do a thing for healing Clinton’s addiction, to Charity finally reaching her limit and giving him a hard boundary that he would have to get help healing or leave, they walk us through it all. And Clinton shares that Charity’s boundary was the greatest gift he’d ever been given. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is call someone out on their sin. Just like the prophet Nathan with King David. 

Ultimately, they decided to pursue healing separately and together and eventually they created their organization, Restored to More, to bring couples like them together. 

Restored to More is unique, so powerful and filled with hope! I love the work they’re doing.  

Lastly, if you are thinking, “this episode isn’t for me because this isn’t my story,” please listen to this podcast. Clinton shares the most beautiful example of a friend who educated herself on this topic in order to be more informed and available to her friend walking through this valley. May we all follow her example because there will be a day when we need to be that kind of friend!  

Please listen and share this episode and don’t forget to leave a review of the podcast if you have not already. God bless you friends! 

Where to find Clinton and Charity: 

Find their website here 

Find their podcast here 

Find them on Instagram here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Pure Desire groups and ministry here 

Find CSATs and other helpful resources for the healing journey here 

Find the book, Intimate Deception: healing the wounds of sexual betrayal here 

Find my book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Friends, it’s no surprise that I start this episode by going down a rabbit trail. This time it was about hazel nuts. But the real reason I have today’s guest, Tara Sun, on the program is to talk about her new book,  Overbooked and Overwhelmed: How to Keep Up With God When You are Just Trying To Keep Up With Life. 

Tara and I talk about the story behind the book and I especially loved talking about some of the parts that resonated with me most. One of those was how we both struggle to say no because we both love saying yes. There is a chapter in her book that addresses this by inviting us to be on mission for God and recognizing that sometimes that means saying no to things that aren’t part of that mission.  

Another important thing we talked about is that this book isn’t going to give you the perfect organizational system or the best baskets and bins to buy so that you will feel more peaceful and less overwhelmed. What it will do is point you to the true source of peace and that is Jesus. 

There is so much more we discuss in this episode. I know you’re going to get so much out of it. I did! Listen and share with your friends! And don’t forget to leave a review of the podcast if you haven’t done that already. Help me spread the word! Thanks friends. 

Where to find Tara: 

Find Tara’s book here 

Find Tara’s website here 

Find Tara on Instagram here 

Find Tara’s podcast here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find the book Domestic Monastery here 

 The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today is an exciting day for my podcast. It’s my first return guest, my friend, Amber O’Neil Johnston! And I loved talking to Amber about her new book, Homegrown: Guidance and Inspiration for Navigating Your Homeschooling Journey.  

Homegrown is such a unique book. Amber gathered and edited essays from 30 different home schoolers. In this book you’ll hear from veteran home schoolers, home school dads, those home schooling outside the US, home schoolers of different ethnicities, those home schooling one child or many, and second-generation home schoolers (like me!)  I have never read another homeschool book like this and I absolutely being a part of this book and now getting to share it with you. 

*And here’s your reminder to take a minute today to leave a rating and review for this podcast! It is so helpful for more people to be able to find the show. Thanks for continuing to support and share the podcast. It means the world! 

Where to find Amber:  

Listen to Amber’s first interview on my show here 

Find Homegrown book here 

Find Amber’s website here 

Find Amber on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today’s guest is Allie Marie Smith, life coach, founder and creator of Wonderfully Made and author of the new book, Social Media Reset: A 30 Day Guided Journey to Unplug, Reconnect with God and Reclaim Your Joy.  

In this episode, Allie and I talk about how so many young girls don’t have a true understanding of who they are in the eyes of God. That can cause them to turn to other things to feel worthy—alcohol, drugs, promiscuity and even social media. The problem is, of course, that those things don’t satisfy.  

Since 2010 the suicide rates for young people ages 10-24 has gone up 62% and over 145% among girls. Some teen girls are spending more than 40 hours a week on social media. These numbers should make us sit up and take notice! Allie calls this a  technologically induced mental health crisis. Alli’s response to this crisis has been to share her own story of a mental health crisis and then to offer help to girls just like her to have something better. She wants to help them understand the truth of their worth to God in a world that is trying to tell them otherwise.  

In this episode, we discuss having radical boundaries with social media, how social media can be used for good, but it can be used for bad or can cause harm, and how social media can keep us from being present in the moment. We encourage you to delay social media for your kids as long as possible and explain why you should. This is an invitation to step away from the digital world and live the life we were intended to live—deeply connected to God and others. We are inviting you and the people you love to an unplugged and flourishing life. Please accept this invitation to lean into something better and start by tuning into this honest, helpful and hopeful episode! 

Resources mentioned in this episode 

Find the Gabb phone here  (Use the code GRETA for a discount) 

Find other safe phones here, here here and here 

Find The Anxious Generation book here 

Where to find Allie: 

Find Allie’s blog here 

Find Allie’s website here 

Find the Wonderfully Made website here 

Find Social Media Reset book here 

Find  Wonderfully Made book here 

Find her upcoming conference for girls here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Buckle up friends, this episode is wild! And it is honest and fun and so good! 

As the title suggests, we are talking about sex. More specifically, how to teach our kids about sex that is honoring to ourselves, others and God. 

Today’s guest, Rodney Wright, is perfect for this job. He is honest, brave, kind and filled with joy! And as the author of the book, How to Talk with Your Kids About Sex, he has a lot to share. Rodney is passionate about helping people, families, and kids be healthy in their sexuality, because it is a God given gift.  He reminds us that we don’t need to have negative thoughts about sexuality because God created it!  

So many of us are afraid to talk to our kids about sex because we have our own stories of sexual brokenness or sexual dysfunction of some kind. We want to do better for our kids but we don’t know how. Rodney reminds us to look at our own story, not with shame but with compassion. And then we continue to learn and grow, because when we know better, we can do better! 

Ultimately, we need to give our kids a different view of sex than the world is giving them. We need them to know it is about dignity, honor and respect. That is not the world’s messaging about sex. Let’s give our kids a better framework. 

I have so much more I want to say about this episode, but instead I am just going to have you listen to it! And please be sure to rate and review this podcast and share this episode! Oh, and then go do some puzzles for that healthy dopamine hit! (You’ll get that when you listen to the episode) 

Where to find Rodney: 

Find the organization Rodney works for, Pure Desire, here 

Find Rodney’s book here 

Find the Pure Desire Podcast here 

Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today’s guest is the author of 10 books, a mom to 3, a wife to a fire chief of their small town, the founder of The Midnight Moms Devotional Community, has what she calls a neuro spicy brain, and is the author of the new book, Healing Rest: An Invitation for Mommas Who Carry So Much to Lean into the Arms of the One Who Holds It All. 

Becky and I have a lot of fun together in this episode. We met long ago at my beloved Forest Home camp and just click. But we also dove into deep conversation, like the topic of her new book, which calls us to true, deep rest. Spiritual rest. I resonated so much with the topic of this book. I think so many of us moms can. 

If you’ve been tempted to parent and live in anxiety, listen to this episode and get Becky’s book. If you’ve been tempted to parent and live in fear, especially when it comes to protecting your kids from pornography, read my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn. Both these books will remind you of the truth that God really carries and protects your kids. It’s not all on you. 

I know you’ll love this episode like I did! And if you do, please consider leaving a review of the podcast on iTunes. It only takes a moment but does a world of good. Thank you! 

Where to find Becky: 

Find Becky’s new book here 

Find Becky on Instagram here 

Find Becky’s Midnight Moms Devotional Community here 

Find Becky’s website here 

Find Becky’s Bible study here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today’s episode is a going to challenge you to think outside the box. Or at least outside of the way so many parents in America are parenting. My guest today is Claire Morell, author, mom, wife, policy creator, researcher and passionate about offering kids and families something different than the norm for growing up with tech. Through her work in the tech policy space, Claire recognized that kids’ health was in danger due to smart phones and being on social media. She finally decided to put her research into one place, her new book called, The Tech Exit. 

It is the sobering and convicting guide we need. 

But it is also really hopeful, helpful, practical and purposeful. 

Based on dozens of interviews with families who really are living out a tech free childhood, this book shows parents that this lifestyle is possible and it allows kids to thrive. 

My hope is that you’ll take some of the ideas Claire offers in this episode to help your kids begin taking a tech exit this summer:  

Here are some ideas to consider: 

*Focus on real life experiences that will overshadow the experience on a screen.  

*Get lots of practical ideas for this way of life in my book Adventuring Together right here. 

*Let your kids be bored and learn to play independently and creatively.  

*Engage with them in play and experiences rather than sending them off to those things on their own. 

*Or be even bolder and engage in the 30-day tech detox Claire mentions in this episode. 

It might feel overwhelming or that you can’t make those changes now, but remember what Claire says, “it is never too late to reverse course!”  

I know you’ll enjoy this episode and find it really encouraging, helpful and hopeful! 

Where to find Claire and her work: 

Find Claire’s book here 

Find discussion questions for the book here  

Find Claire’s Substack here 

Find Claire’s work at the Ethics and Policy Center here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Also, if you’ve read my new book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, I’d be so grateful if you leave a review. Leaving a review, especially given the topic of this book, is immensely helpful for getting others to be brave enough to read it. You can leave a review of the book here! Plus, the book is on sale this week for a really great price! Pick up a copy or 2 to share! 

Now, onto the show! 

I know you guys are going to love this podcast episode with Kara Stout. Kara vulnerably shares her story and in doing so, she shows us how doing this can bring healing and hope to others. Kara’s story reminds us that God comforts us in our troubles and brings peace, even when if we are dealing with anxiety. I found a lot of reminders of God’s comfort myself, both in talking with Kara and in reading her book. I hope you’ll get some of that same hope and help when you listen to this episode. 

Where to find Kara:  

Find Kara’s book here 

Find Kara’s website here 

Find Kara on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

One of the most important things discussed are the power of going first—being willing to vulnerably share our story so that someone else has the courage to go next. Going first might also be the one to recommend the book first (like my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn) or the podcast episode (like this one!) to just start the conversation. Every one of us has the ability to go first and bring good to the people around us! 

Additional things discussed were best practices for responding after your child has been exposed to porn, understanding why people use porn to medicate pain, the positive value in being the first one to talk to your kids about pornography, the importance of getting help for parents of kids who have used or are using porn,  pornography does not mean your child’s story is over and so much more! 

Like the last episode, this one is filled with hope. And that is possible because we serve One who is greater than he who is in the world! I hope you will listen and share this episode and the last one far and wide. 

One last thing, if you appreciate this podcast, would you consider leaving a rating and review of it? You can do that on iTunes here and on Spotify here.  On iTunes, scroll down to the reviews and look for button that says, “leave a review”. On Spotify, you just leave a rating. It’s easy!  Doing this is one of the best ways for more people to discover the podcast. Thank you so much! 

Resources mentioned in this episode and last week’s episode: 

Find Pure Desire Ministries groups and books here 

Find Summit Ministries here 

Find my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

Find Hopeful Mom here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

This episode is part 1of this conversation. Part 2 is coming next week where I go through some of the most important things John and I talked about, and I go into them with a little more depth. In part 1, this episode, John Begeman tells his story of pornography exposure as a child that led to years of addiction, shame and hiding. But then he shares the story of the healing he is walking in now as a man in his 20s, free from the bondage porn held in. 

John also shares how his parents handled this issue of pornography exposure and addiction in his life—what didn’t help and what did. He is very honest, and I believe what he shares is incredibly helpful and important for every parent to hear.

You can’t see it because this is audio and not video, but I cried through this entire episode. I cried for John, for his mom, for every child that is exposed to porn and suffers as a result, and for every mom that finds her child has been exposed to porn and has to navigate the fear and hurt that comes from that. I cried for all of us and the way porn is devastating and destroying lives. This episode is raw and real and honest, but ultimately it is hopeful. YES! There is hope still in the darkness. There is always hope because there is always the love of God, which is bigger and stronger than any darkness.

And my hope is that with this episode and then with the next, you will feel empowered with tools to make the best choices to help your kids and yourself, wherever you see yourself in this story. John’s testimony as well as the resources he mentions will be such a great help. I pray this episode is a blessing to you and I am so grateful for John and the work he’s doing to help set people free.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Find Pure Desire Ministries here

Find Summit Ministries here

Find my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here

Find Hopeful Mom here

Find the 7 Pillars workbook and groups here

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Through a series of more learning and growing, Julia embraced minimalism where she got rid of 75% of her family’s things, downsized to a smaller home to reduce debt, and she and her family haven’t looked back. In this process, Julia realized that she needed to declutter her outer home but also her inner home—her heart. 

She and I discuss the question: what is cluttering up our heart? What do we, and others, use, consume, buy, or do to fill that void? 

Julia’s book, Declutter Your Heart and Your Home: How a Minimalist Life Yields Maximum Joy, made me face some uncomfortable truths about my own possessions. It was really eye opening and helpful. I really loved talking to Julia about those revelation, her book and so much more in this episode, and I know you will love listening to it!  

If you loved this episode and you love this podcast, will you consider leaving a review? 

It really helps the podcast grow and helps other people find it easily. Just go to your favorite podcast platform and leave a rating or a review, or both! Thanks so much! 

Where you can find Julia: 

Get Julia’s new book here 

Find Julia’s website here 

Find Julia on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

And while it would be easy to believe kids nowadays really aren’t interested in church, Thom’s research shows something different. He has found that kids today are interested in spiritual things and are longing for a place to belong. Inviting them to church is not something we should be afraid of. Rather, it should be at the top of our list of things to do to reach the hearts of today’s youth. And if it’s our own kids we’re talking about, Thom’s advice is that we model showing up for church and actually being involved in church. That is the best way for our kids to care about being part of church—by seeing that we care. 

You will find this conversation encouraging and hopeful. Thom is a loving father and grandfather and his wisdom and kindness felt like a warm hug to me. I loved having him on the show and you will love hearing him share. Go pre-order his book today so you can read it as soon as it hits the shelves. You won’t be disappointed! 

Where to find Thom: 

Pre-order Thom’s new book here 

Find Thom’s website, Church Answers, here 

Where to find Greta: 

Find Greta’s new book here 

Find Greta’s website here 

Find Greta’s other books here and here 

Find Greta on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

It felt like it was time for a life update, so this episode catches you up on all the big happenings and some of the littler ones too. 

The biggest one is our eldest son’s engagement to the love of his life, and a girl he’s known since they were both 5. It’s the sweetest story and I loved sharing some of it with you in this episode. 

The rest of the episode is full of other life updates—trips and conferences where maybe we’ll get to hang out! And also, yes, why I changed my Instagram handle after 10 + years. 

There is a lot here and you’ll want to check the show notes to links for all the things. 

As always, thanks for listening and being a part of my community. It means the world! 

Links mentioned in this podcast episode: 

Find out more information about Forest Home Family Camp here. Mention my name for the 1st time family discount! 

Message Greta to get tickets to the Literature Soirée or with questions here. (scroll to bottom of page) 

Find out more about Greta’s women’s walking retreat through the Cotswolds here 

Make sure you are keeping up with Greta and her new Instagram handle here 

Check out Greta’s beautiful new website here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Book clubs are a way to take reading to the next level and make it feel more special. Invite friends! Make fun snacks! Dress up! Or just gather some friends to sit around the picnic table, have some popsicles or iced tea, and talk about the book you read together. No matter how you do it, being intentional about gathering to read a book together and then celebrating it will be a gift in your life. And I am inviting you to try it this summer!

Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:

My book, Adventuring Together, that has a whole chapter with instructions for a kid or mom book club and book lists. Find it here.

My friend Ainsley’s inspiring Wild + Free book about book clubs. Find it here

Find some Instagram posts about our kids book club here, here,here, here and here, and the famous Hobbit book club here.

Find some Instagram posts about our moms book club here, here, here and here.

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

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     Rosie’s work is two-fold: fighting to educate women about porn use/addiction in the lives of their partners or husbands in order to provide preventative help, and fighting to come alongside women whose partners or husband’s porn use/addiction has caused great hurt and destruction in their lives. Both aspects of her work come out of the pain of her own story with two men who had porn addictions, one who was unrepentant and didn’t see it as a problem and one who admitted a problem but needed help to break free of it. In both cases, Rosie’s compassion and love for women who are suffering greatly due to their partner or husband’s porn use grew and she knew she had to do something to help these women. She let God give her pain purpose and so many women, including myself, have benefitted from Rosie’s courage, vulnerability and wisdom.  

     You will find this episode to be so full of practical, helpful information. If you are walking through this very thing in your marriage, you will feel seen and understood. We hope you will realize you are not alone. If this is not your story, we hope you will listen anyway, because it is the story of a sister, a friend, a neighbor, a daughter, or a women that sits next to you in church, and she needs your support. Get educated and grow your compassion so you can share both with a woman who is hurting, yourself or someone else.  

     This episode is very dear to my heart, and I am so deeply honored I get to share it with you. I am so deeply honored I get to share Rosie and the incredibly important work she does with you. Please listen and share this episode. It matters so much. The freedom is worth it! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find your 4 steps for help with a partner/spouse and their porn use/addiction  here 

Find the Fight for Love Facebook group here 

Find Pure Desire Ministries here 

Find Pure Desire groups for porn users/addicts here 

Find Pure Desire groups for betrayed spouses here 

Find Called to Peace here 

Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, here 

“Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ashes.” Elisabeth Elliot 

Where you can find Rosie: 

Find Rosie’s website here 

Find Rosie’s book here 

Find Rosie’s podcast here 

Find Rosie on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Eryn’s love of nature and God’s word have taught her much about the importance of pursuing rest. But this learning actually began when Eryn was a young teen.   At the age of 14, Eryn learned that she had a potentially life-threatening disease that required rest to keep her alive. This started Eryn on a journey of learning to manage the stress and anxieties of life in a way that was healthy and holy.  

In this episode, Eryn talks about her new book, The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living, and how it is the story of all she’s learned about rest from her own life journey, to studying creation and God’s word. Eryn is a joy to talk to. She is a wealth of fun and fascinating nature knowledge, as well as a wise guide to biblical living. I love this episode, and I know you will too! 

Be sure to get Eryn’s new book today! You can find it right here. 

Resources mentioned in this podcast: 

Find Eryn’s new book here 

Find Eryn’s first book here 

Find Eryn’s website here 

Find Eryn’s podcast here 

Find Eryn on Instagram here 

Find more about Awana programs for kids here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Angel Q exists to keep kids safer online by using AI as a buffer and guide while kids are online. Unlike other browsers that have no built in safety features, and that are constantly serving up more and more content for kids, Angel Q curates a child’s time online to not just keep them safe from problematic and dangerous content, but also to bring their time online to a natural end after a reasonable amount of time. 

This episode is full of a lot of really important information for parents to be aware of. From the predatory nature of the tech industry, the growing rates of depression for teen girls, and the ways AI can be used for good to keep our kids safe, even though that felt confusing to me at first. I came away from my first, and now my second, conversation with Josh feeling so incredibly impressed by what Angel Q is doing to protect my kids and yours.  

And listen to this! Angel Q has given my listeners the incredible opportunity to get an entire year subscription for free! Just use the code : FOUNDERSFREEYEAR 

This is a limited time offer so take advantage! I can’t stress enough how important this tool could be for your family. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Learn more about Angel Q here 

Sign up for Angel Q here  (don’t forget to use the free code!) 

Learn more about Josh here 

Find Angel Q on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

This is a fun and insightful episode, albeit kind of random. And I can’t decide if my ability to talk about practically any subject at length is my superpower, or just one of my most annoying traits. If it’s the former, break it to my gently, OK? 

I hope you’ll get some helpful insight from this episode and be sure to check out the links below as I have included all the things mentioned in the episode. I know you’ll get a lot out of them. 

Last thing, please remember to order my new book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, if you haven’t already. Or if you have read it, to leave a rating and review on Amazon. You can do that right here and it is wildly helpful when you do! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Greta’s favorite stove top espresso maker here 

Find Greta’s favorite milk frother here 

Find copies of The Hiding place here (original version) here (young readers) and here (youngest readers)  

Find Instagram post about visiting Corrie ten Boom’s grave here 

Find my Home School 101 highlight here 

Find Greta: 

Find Greta’s books here, here and here 

Find Greta on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

One of the things I love about Abbie is that she is vocal about her how much she loves spending time with her teens. Like me, she really enjoys the teen years and has made it a bit of her personal mission to remind the mamas with littles that the goodness doesn’t stop the moment their kids hit puberty. 

So in this episode Abbie and I talk about all things having teens. We talk about parenting with expectant hope. That means determining that we’ll love our kids through their whole life, not just when they are cute and cuddly babies. We discuss ways to connect with our teens and how that starts by enjoying being with our kids when they are little and then continuing that as they grow. 

One of the things our kids will face as they grow up, and especially in the teen years is exposure to pornography. Abbie and I talk about how we can prepare our kids for growing up in a porn saturated world and also share with them about God’s good plan for sex. This part of our conversation was really helpful and honestly so powerful. I just know you’ll get a lot from it! And friends, if you are looking for more information on this topic, and still haven’t gotten my new book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, this is your sign to get the book! It’s time! Get your copy right here. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find the Parenting and Pornography video here 

Where to find Abbie: 

Find Abbie’s books here and here 

Find Abbie’s website here 

Find Abbie’s podcast here 

Find Abbie on Instagram here 

I met today’s guest, Aubrey McGowan, at a home school mom conference called Wild and Free! What a fun way to meet this guy. Aubrey and his wife Jen are tremendous musicians, and they have performed at many of the Wild and Free conferences I have been a part of. Aubrey is also creative in other ways: he’s a passionate communicator and a gifted writer. 

In today’s episode we are talking about Aubrey’s new book, Filter the Noise: how to Hear God’s Voice in a Culture of Chaos. 

We have so much noise in our life--the noise of the physical world, the noise of the digital world and the inner noise—those voices in our head that so often tell us things that aren’t true. 

Aubrey asks the question: what does Christ say to this?  

While the world tells us we always need more, Christ tells us He is enough. 

Aubrey shares with us the practice he outlines in the book that can help us filter the noise we don’t want or need in this life. But Aubrey reminds us: “The power is in Jesus, not in the practice” 

This practice is a way to point people to Jesus 

Friends, this is a longer than usual episode, but when Aubrey gets fired up he brings the wisdom and the fire and I don’t want to stop him! So sit down, grab a cup of coffee and be inspired by what Aubrey shares here. Let’s go! 

Resources from this episode: 

Quote from Gordon Hempton: "We have an epidemic of extinction of quiet places in our world." 

Pray Psalm 23 every morning 

Find the book God’s Smuggler here 

Quote by Corrie ten Boom “If the devil can’t make you sin he’ll make you busy” 

Where to find Aubrey: 

Find Aubrey’s book here 

Find Aubrey’s website here 

Find Aubrey on Instagram here 

Find Aubrey’s Family Field Guide ministry here 

Find Aubrey’s men’s ministry Whetstone here 

Listen to Aubrey and Jen’s music here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

I “met” Sally when I was 19 years old, through one of the books she wrote about homeschooling. I was babysitting a homeschooling family and found one of Sally’s books on their bookshelf. After the kids went to bed, I began to read and I’ve been the biggest Sally fan ever since. 

Unbelievably, Sally has become a real-life friend. And today she joined me on my podcast. It is just beyond what I could have imagined all those years ago. 

In this episode Sally shares that she is wild at heart! She likes to shake things up , have adventures and live outside the box. 

We talked about how God made us out of the box women and mothers and that He made our children that way too.  

And Sally reminds us that letting our children be out of the box is such a gift to them! 

We also talked about feeling alone in mothering kids who are different and finding the freedom to let our kids be themselves rather than worry about what other people think about us or them. Sally reminds us that life isn’t about being the perfect mom, but getting to know the perfect God and living in His perfect plan for your life. 

Sally is just amazing and you’ll love hearing from her in this episode.  

Find Sally: 

Find her book Different here 

Find her book Uniquely You here 

Find her book Well Lived here 

Find Sally’s website here 

Find Sally on Instagram here 

Find Sally’s podcast here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

You will walk away from this episode feeling excited and inspired about how important it is that we nurture our kids and their learning, that we nurture ourselves as mothers and also that we nurture each other in our motherhood journey. I know you’re going to love it! 

And since you do love this podcast, would you consider leaving a review on iTunes? Just a sentence or two about how The Greta Eskridge Podcast is meaningful to you will help other people find it and learn from it. You can also give it a quick 5 star rating and that helps too. Than you friends! 

Where to find Lori Beth: 

Find Lori Beth’s website here 

Find Lori Beth’s podcast here 

Find Lori Beth on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

They are not fighting porn in a timid and embarrassed way. 

They are bold and brave in their message. But also speak with compassion and true care for anyone caught in the web of porn consumption. What they really want is to inspire change by educating people about the harm porn does. This episode is extra helpful if you have older teens or young adutls. 

In this episode we talk about how porn harms everyone and no one is immune to it, that many teens and young adults turn to porn for their sex education and that no one has ever told them that porn is not real but also that it is harmful. Fight the New Drug is all about education so they remind us that the best thing we parents can do is talk to our kids about porn. 

And I know a book that will give you all the help you need for that! I wrote It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn and you can purchase it right here. You don’t have to have those conversations alone. 

Where to find Fight the New Drug: 

Find their website here 

Find their info for parents here 

Get Fast Facts to share with your teens/young adults here 

Find out about the live events here 

Listen to their podcast here 

Watch their videos on You Tube here 

Find them on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today’s episode is very important and so powerful. I get to have a really honest conversation with Barb Winters about how to respond when a child sees, or even seeks out, pornography. 

Barb Winters is the founder of Hopeful Moms, where she supports parents in an online world. She has created a safe space for parents to discuss difficult topics. And Barb is such an incredibly helpful voice in a very lonely place. She bravely shares her own story of walking through her son’s confession of porn use, porn addiction and then his recovery.  So many parents don’t feel safe sharing their own story like this so Barb gives them the place to do this. 

In this episode Barb and I discuss all kinds of important and helpful information, such as: how to respond to a child’s confession of pornography use or exposure, dealing with our own grief in this situation, understanding the predatory nature of the pornography industry, how pornography impacts the user physically, emotionally and spiritually, teaching our kids the goodness of sex, that recovery and restoration are possible, how to remain hopeful in a dark and lonely time and so much more. 

Wherever you are at in your parenting journey, I know this episode will bless you. And if you are walking through this situation right now, know you are not alone! Barb and I are giving you a virtual hug.  

Where to find resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, here 

C. S. Lewis quote: "To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you".  

Where to find Barb: 

Find Barb’s ministry, Hopeful Moms here 

Find Barb’s book Sexpectations here 

Find Barb on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Now onto the show! My guest today is Jaime Fenwick, the founder of Bringing Inspiration Home, lover of slow and intentional travel, photographer and home schooling mom of 3.  Jaime loves the idea of bringing the inspiration of any kind of travel, and especially slow travel, home to her family and day to day life. 

One of the ways she does this is with her women’s walking retreats in the Cotswolds of England. 

AND THE BIG NEWS IS: I get to team up with Jaime on this trip and you can come! 

Each aspect of these retreats are designed by Jaime. She is a gifted planner and detail oriented and has created these retreats to be so fulfilling in every way. 

First, it is a gift to have all the details planned for you. No decision fatigue! Jaime has all the details taken care of—where we’ll sleep each night (quaint and cozy inns!) where we’ll eat (local restaurants and pubs!) and the beautiful section of the trail that we’ll walk through the Cotswolds. Luggage is ferried from place to place for us and we only carry a day pack and hiking poles. 

How incredible it will be to unplug, slow down from our frantic pace of life and enjoy in nature and together. For you it might be a time to find space to celebrate, heal, connect with your soul, with God, or with a friend. It might be a time to adventure, have fun, or seek creative inspiration. No matter what, I know it will be good for us, mind, body and spirit. 

Want to come?? 

You can get more details about the trip right here! 

Where to find Jaime: 

Find Jaime’s website here 

Find Jaime on Instagram here 

Find trip details here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Also, my new book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, comes out today! This book has been over 15 years in the making. It’s been 15 years of prayers, sometimes tears, of learning, and of hope. And today, you can hold it in your hands.  In honor of the book coming out today, my dear friend Megan Marshman is my guest host, and she is interviewing me! 

Megan and I talk about how I became an unlikely porn fighter, how God grew compassion in my heart for my husband and so many other victims of pornography, and how God gave me a vision of hope and generational change for my own family and yours. We also model what it looks like to talk to your kids about porn whether they’re younger, older, have already seen porn or not. We show you that this conversation doesn’t have to be as scary or difficult as you think it will be.  

Megan and I are thrilled to share this hopeful conversation with you. And if you haven’t ordered my new book yet, today is the day! You can find it right here. 

Where to find Megan: 

Find Megan on Instagram here 

Find Megan’s website here 

Resources mentioned in this podcast: 

Quote from Tim Keller: “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God." 

Bible verse: Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

And now onto episode 53! I got to talk to my new friend Tabitha Panariso about her incredible new book, Loyal in His Love: An Invitation to Be Held by Jesus When Others Let You Go. This book is so special, insightful and comforting. It deeply touched me. And talking to Tabitha was like the icing on the cake because she, like her book, is wise and comforting. You’ll love this conversation. I sure did.  

Where to find Tabitha: 

Find her book here 

Find her on Substack here 

Find her on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Now onto episode 52! It’s another fun Q+A session with me. I answered quite a few of the questions you sent in. I explained how I became a sprinkle influencer, how my midlife hormones are doing, shared some of my favorite books, and some more fun stuff. I love doing these Q + A episodes because I feel like I am just hanging out with you. Be sure to check out the links below. There are some good ones in from this episode. 

Where to find Greta: 

Find Greta on Instagram here 

Find Greta’s books here 

Find Greta’s website here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Dutch sprinkles here and here 

Find my fave tide pooling beach in Malibu here 

Find the Huntington Gardens here 

Find The Getty Museum here 

Find my fave faith filled book here and here 

Find 2 of my fave fiction books here and here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

In this episode Leah tells us all about a new book series she’s written called Tales of Boldness and Faith. The first two books in the series were just released and we get to hear all about them. 

These books are narrative biographies written for the middle grade reader, but they are books that any parent will love reading with their kids, or on their own like me. You’ll love listening to how Leah grew this series from the seed of an idea into fully blossomed books. And you’ll love hearing all the fun tidbits about writing the books, and the fun surprises she has hidden in the books for your kids to discover. They might love listening to this episode too. Above all, these books will inspire your kids to grow a bigger, bolder faith.  

Don’t forget to pre-order my book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: a Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity. The book comes out in 3 short weeks and your pre -orders are wildly important to helping this book get into more hands. Thank you for helping me spread the word! 

Where to find Leah: 

Find her on Instagram here 

Find her website here 

Find her books here 

Find her community on Substack here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

In this episode we focused on what Christina’s life looks like now as a homeschool mom who loves to travel and adventure with her family, and how she makes it happen.

That is where I think this episode shines!

You’ll want to hear what Christina has learned about making family travel doable and affordable as she shares tips with us like: traveling in the off season, and especially midweek, reaching out to hotel and homeowners directly (not through Air B&B!) and exploring your own part of the world with day trips instead of making it an overnight.

And if you feel like travel is impossible for you, remember what I shared about travel with my kids when we didn’t have a big, or any, travel budget: I traveled the world by exploring where I lived! You don’t have to go far or go big to make your travel count. There is beauty, adventure and inspiration all around you.

There is so much more on this episode: we talked about the magic of misadventure, how it connects us, the time I peed in a trashcan while tent camping in the middle of a lightening storm in Yosemite, apologizing to our kids when we don’t handle misadventure well…..you’re gonna love it!

Where to find Christina:

Find her on Instagram here

Find her media and travel inspo Instagram account here

Find her You Tube channel here

Find her podcast here

Find her Made 2 Homeschool community here

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Find Air B&B here

Find my book on connecting with your kids through adventure right here

Find the Made 2 Homeschool digital conference here

The conversation we had planned for this episode was going to focus on Christina’s life as those things, but it took a different turn as we talked about her choice to drop out of high school as a teenager, and how she chose a less traditional path for learning. Then we discussed how she became a public high school teacher, went through a divorce, never thought she’d marry again, but did, and then eventually became a home schooler. It was such a good conversation about how life may take some unexpected and even difficult turns, but God’s hand is present the whole time. It was beautiful to hear Christina share her story. I just loved this episode, and I know you will too. Enjoy! 

Remember, one of the best ways to show your support for me and this podcast is to leave a review and to share with your friends! I can’t tell you how much both of those things help my podcast and my message get out into the world. Would you consider doing one, or both those things today? Thank you! 

Where to find Christina: 

Find her on Instagram here 

Find her media company on Instagram here 

Find her on You Tube here 

Find her podcast here 

Find her Made 2 Homeschool community here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

So in advance of the book coming out, and in hopes to help you see all the ways it will be helpful to every parent, teacher, youth worker, aunt, uncle, and anyone who cares about kids, I am answering questions you asked about the book.  

I am also asking you to help me spread the news about the book by sharing my Instagram post about it, sharing this podcast episode, and by pre-ordering the book if you haven’t already. Your support will get this book into so many more hands! 

If you’d like to pre-order the book, below you’ll find all the places to do so. Thank you for all your help and support. You can’t know what it means to me, and far more to the many kids and families whose lives will be touched because of you. 

Where to pre-order my new book: 

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

Christian Book.com  (currently on sale!) 

Baker Book House  (currently on sale!) 

Thrift Books 

 The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

She is a former pediatric RN, a home-schooling mom to 6 and she runs her own holistic living business. 

Elizabeth helped me learn to pursue natural healing remedies for my family, starting with her elderberry syrup. Her Instagram page is full of truly helpful tips from what to do when your child has a wart, to how to help your child with an ear infection or a burn and so much more. I have learned so much from her in an area of my life and motherhood where I really wanted to grow. 

In this episode Elizabeth and I talk about how she moved from the traditional medical field to a more wholistic, natural led mindset, when there is a place for each. We also talk about her surprise twins born at home, yes really! We cover home schooling, making simple choices to start whole health living and so much more! I loved our conversation, and I know you will too. 

Please be sure to follow Elizabeth so you can start learning from her too. 

Where to find Elizabeth: 

On her website here 

On Instagram here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Elisabeth’s elderberry syrup here 

See the “Swaps Highlight” in Elizabeth’s Instagram highlights here 

Find more information on Bible Study Fellowship here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Now about today’s episode. 

I loved talking with my friend, Sue Lee, or Madame Lee, as her French students call her. Sue is a real life friend of mine, a home schooling mom to 3 and a home school French teacher to students all over the US. She is wise and funny, smart and cultured, motivational and kind. She’s just great! 

Sue shares her story of learning 4 languages, and ultimately landing on French as her absolute favorite. She also shares why she believes it is so important for everyone to learn a new language and how doing so opens up worlds of culture, art, food and culture. You will come away from this episode inspired to learn French alongside your kids with Sue’s new course, French Feast with Madame Lee. I know you’ll love this episode! Find all the info about Sue and her courses below. 

Where to find Madame Lee: 

On her website here 

On Instagram here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find French Feast here 

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

For this last episode of the year I decided to do a Q & A. It was a lot of fun! And I promise that if I didn’t get to your question this time, I will in the future since I am going to be adding these to my podcast line up every month or so. Thank you for sending in such great questions. You make my job easy! 

And this is your last reminder of 2024 to you to grab your copy of my upcoming book, It's Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn: a Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens Develop Sexual Integrity. If you pre-order now you’ll get it as soon as it releases, won’t get charged until the book ships, and your orders get the book out into more book stores and retailers. It truly helps more people see this book and get the message they need so much! Pre order info below! 

I am already looking forward to all that 2025 holds and I can’t wait to share it with you. 

God bless you! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Pre-order your copy of It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

In this episode I am so excited to share one of our family’s favorite Christmas stories with you. It is a true story from WWI, and happened on Christmas eve and Christmas day in 1914. There are numerous places where you can read about the real life event. There are even pictures, taken by soldiers who were there experiencing it. 

This is a heartwarming tale and I hope it fills your heart with hope. And that it will remind you that even in the darkest times, the light still shines!  

God bless you all. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Get your copy of Shooting at the Stars here 

Read more about the Christmas truce of 1914 here 

See pictures and watch a video about the Christmas truce of 1914 here 

See James and Lilly’s original coloring sheets here 

There are so many ideas for Christmas this year and next. I came away inspired and I bet you will too. 

Where to find Lyndsey: 

Find Lyndsey on her website here 

Find Lyndsey on Instagram here 

Find Lyndsey on You tube here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Get 15% off all products from the Treehouse Schoolhouse shop here  

*Use the code GRETAESKRIDGE15 

Find Greta’s cinnamon roll recipe here 

Find The Legend of the Candy Cane book here 

Find An Orange for Frankie book here 

Find The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey here 

Find the “Favorite Things” party details here 

Find the “If You’re Sad at Christmas” post here 

Some of my favorite quotes from this episode: 

“We need to see something pretty that helps us strive toward something and at the same time we need to know how to do it. I want to be a place that provides both.” Lyndsey Mimnagh 

“We can see who God has designed our children to be when they play.” Lyndsey Mimnagh 

“School doesn’t have to be in a classroom. School doesn’t even need to be in a home. School can be outside!” Lyndsey Mimnagh 

“If you missed the start date of advent, you can start on whatever day of December you’re on! This is the freedom we need as we celebrate Christmas.” Greta Eskridge 

“Wherever you are at this moment in December, it’s OK to say, I am going to put some of these ideas into practice this week. It’s not too late!” Greta Eskridge  

“If you are in a season where it feels heavy and hard, and you have circumstances that don’t lend themselves to doing all the Christmas things, that is OK. But also, if you are in a season where you can, or you are a person who finds doing all the crafts and Christmas activities life giving, that is OK too. We can be in both places at different times.” Greta Eskridge 

“What kids want and need is a calm and peaceful mom.” Lyndsey Mimnagh 

“Even if I want to be the Pinterest Christmas mom, if that comes at the expense of my peace, then it is not worth it for me.” Lyndsey Mimnagh 

“You have the freedom to do as much or as little as you can mange this Christmas because the focus of Christmas is Jesus and that is what we want to bring our kids back to over and over again.” Greta Eskridge 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org 

What a perfect time to talk to my friend Alyssa Bethke about her new book, When Doing it All is Undoing You: Meeting God in Your Unmet Expectations. The Christmas season feels so full of to-do lists and activities and many, many expectations that are impossible for us to meet and that leaves us feeling like we’re letting down others and often feel let down ourselves. Alyssa shares her own journey of coming to a place of being undone and what it looked like to draw near to Jesus and His care for her when she began to tend her heart. 

We also talk about the importance of travel, having novelty and wonder in our lives, and peeing in the woods! So take a deep breath and settle in to be encouraged by this episode. I know you’ll come away from this episode feeling refreshed. 

Where to find Alyssa: 

Find her and her husband Jeff’s website here 

Find Alyssa on Instagram here 

Find Alyssa’s book here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Matt 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Ann Voskcamp’s gratitude journal here 

Some of my favorite quotes from this episode: 

“When I go for my walks, I try to notice one thing that is different or new. It helps me be less distracted and more present, to put away my phone and to ask myself what do I see and what do I feel?” Alyssa Bethke 

“Being an observant person, a curious person, a person who finds joy in your every day are powerful and important things to make a part of our everyday life.” Greta Eskridge 

“I felt like it was my responsibility to make sure everyone around me was OK.” Alyssa Bethke 

“I think you need a season of caring for your heart.” Alyssa Bethke 

“The goal of life is not to be free of pain but to be more and more intimate with the Lord, and letting Him see us through the pain rather than keep us from the pain.” Alyssa Bethke 

“It’s OK to come undone and come to the end of ourselves because that is where God does His best work in our lives.” Alyssa Bethke 

“I wanted to live in my ideal life not my reality, but when we are honest with God He will meet us in our reality.” Alyssa Bethke 

“God always meets us with such grace and kindness. It’s His kindness that leads us to repentance.” Alyssa Bethke 

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘who or what are we doing all this for? What is my legacy? What do I want to leave behind?’” Greta Eskridge 

“Every day I go for a 30 minute walk, without my phone, and I’m going to talk to God. And I ask myself, ‘where have I felt God’s presence and where have I not felt God’s presence’? This was such a time for me to tend to my heart and commune with Jesus.” Alyssa Bethke 

“The world is telling you all these things you need to be and do and that is going to leave you disappointed. But instead, by tending your heart and going to Jesus you’re going to find the antidote to that anxiety and stress and disappointment.” Greta Eskridge 

“There is always wonder to behold so go on a wonder hunt!” Alyssa Bethke 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Find her website here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Corrie Ten Boom’s book, The Hiding Place here 

Find out about visiting Corrie’s grave here 

Read about when Davy and I visited Corrie Ten Boom’s grave here 

Find the graphic novel Corrie ten Boom’ story here 

Find Good Book Mom’s reviews and book lists here 

Find the Christmas Mice book here 

Find the Promises Made, Promises Kept book here 

Find the Manger in Danger book here 

Find the A Wonderous Mystery book here 

Find the Little Pilgrims Progress book here 

Find the Little Christmas Carol book here 

Find The Best News of All book here 

Find the Shooting Stars book here 

It was rough. 

And it felt so symbolic of the weary season of motherhood I was in at the time. I wrote the piece to remember that moment, but even more to remember that weariness. I don’t ever want to be smug towards a mom of littles who is stretched so thin and just needs to be seen and heard. 

So this essay is for you if you are in that season now, or if you need to remember it. I am with you in both those places. 

I hope you enjoy hearing me read it! 

And if you’d like to read it yourself, you’ll find it right here. 

Thanks for listening and sharing! 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Where to find Elizabeth: 

Find her website here 

Find her Seasoned Moms guide here 

Find her on Instagram here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find the Seasoned Moms Interview Guide here 

Some favorite quotes from this episode: 

“My mom was always right there and very intentional about what we did.” Elizabeth Ensor 

“Her approach to motherhood and life has inspired me and every good part of me is from her!” Elizabeth Ensor 

“There is this idea in the business world, this 3 percent rule that if you invest back into yourself, you set money aside, then you are going to grow as a person and a leader. So even as a mom and home educator, we may not be bringing in a lot, but our emotional health and wisdom runs the home.” Elizabeth Ensor 

“Every seasoned mom just tells me to enjoy it. Enjoy your kids.” Elizabeth Ensor 

“Wisdom is mentioned in the Bible over 200 times and we are commanded to seek it.” Elizabeth Ensor 

“We need to have the humility to say, ‘I don’t have this all figured out and I need some help and wisdom from someone farther along than me and someone whose children I admire. Those are the people I want to learn from.” Greta Eskridge 

“The investment you make, not just in your children but in yourself as a mom, to raise your children well is valuable.” Greta Eskridge  

“Whatever season I am in, I want to fully enjoy it.” Greta Eskridge  

“We need to be heard in the moments when it’s hard and then we need to be reminded to really celebrate, even when it’s hard, because the seasons don’t last forever.” Greta Eskridge 

In this episode we talk about Barrett’s newest book, Disciple Them Like Jesus: Leading Your Kids the Way Christ Led the Twelve. We discussed what discipleship is and how we can disciple our kids. As a dad to 5 and grandparent to 8, Barrett is full of practical and Godly wisdom for raising our kids to know and love Jesus better. I found his book and our conversation so helpful. 

Please be sure to listen to the end of this episode as Barrett shares a current battle he’s facing and yet manages to encourage mightily. I’d be so grateful if you’d join me in praying for him. 

Resources: 

His website here 

His Instagram here 

His book here 

His courses here 

My new book here 

“We’re all imperfect, normal families and we serve a God who loves us that way!” Barrett Johnson 

“The Bible is full of principles, guidelines, directives and stories about what is important to God. And that is training people up to know who Jesus is and join Him on His big agenda to redeem humanity. The Great Commission says to ‘go and make disciples’.” Barret Johnson 

“If making disciples is important to God, why wouldn’t we be doing that in our homes?” Barrett Johnson 

“Discipleship fundamentally is learning to walk in the ways of Jesus and join Him in His plan. Live out Ephesians 5:1. Be imitators of God.” Barrett Johnson 

“Since our kids imitate us, we need to imitate God.” Greta Eskridge 

“When we walk with God, He helps us discern and see what is really going on in the heart of our child. Not just their behavior, but what is happening in their heart.” Barrett Johnson 

“We need to model to our kids how to pursue relationship with Christ.” Greta Eskridge 

“When your kid comes to you and confesses something you can say to him, ‘we’re going to run together to the arms of God’.” Barrett Johnson 

“Deeply connected relationships with our kids do not happen automatically or accidentally.” Greta Eskridge 

“I am finding joy and wonder in lots of little things that I would have neglected before my current circumstance. I am saying, ‘God, show me the good things in this day that you’ve given me.” Barrett Johnson  

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

And would you consider leaving this podcast a rating and writing a quick little review? A sentence or two would be so great and helpful. You can leave one here. 

Both of these things would be so helpful to me in spreading the word about my mission to help families create connection in a disconnected world. Join me! 

Today I am so excited to welcome homeschool grad and young author, the wonderful Millie Florence! This was my first time meeting Millie, but we share some friends and life experiences, so it felt like we were old friends right away. Millie has multiple middle grade novels out in the world, and her newest novel, Beyond Mulberry Glen comes out in January of 2025. I loved talking to Millie about this new book, about home schooling, about creativity, writing, publishing and more! I know you’ll love this conversation too. Enjoy! 

Where to find Millie: 

Her website here 

Her newest book here 

Her Instagram here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Pre-order goodies here 

Brave Writer (a home school writing program) here 

Honey Butter (Millie’s first book) here 

Ingram Spark (self-publishing book distributor) here 

Waxwing Books (Millie’s publisher) here 

Some favorite quotes from this episode: 

“Home school is customizable.” Millie Florence 

“My mom wanted our home school to be directed by the things we delighted in.” Millie Florence 

“There was never a time in my life when I didn’t want to be a writer.” Millie Florence 

“You’re never going to be ready. You just have to do it.” Sarah Mackensie 

“Look at what you have and use that to the best of your ability.” Millie Florence 

Where to find Alicia:

On her website here

In her home school journal here

On Instagram here and here

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Some favorite quotes from this episode:

“Hard things are not bad things, and sometimes they’re the best things!” Alicia Hutchinson

“The growth that happens from 14-18 is phenomenal and I would not miss that for the world.” Alicia Hutchinson

“High school is like the frosting on the cake!” Alicia Hutchinson

“There is a fear that comes with keeping kids home in high school but we don’t have to give into that.” Greta Eskridge

“I can’t teach my kids physics, but I bet I can find someone who can!” Greta Eskridge

“Everything you say yes to, you are saying no to something else.” Alicia Hutchinson

Today’s episode is extra fun because it is my first episode with a guest from outside the Untied States. Meet Dave Boden, my friend from England! Dave is also the husband of one of my dear friends, Leah Boden, who is also known as Modern Miss Mason. Dave and I thought it was great fun that he was a guest on my show before Leah was. We sure had a great time together in this episode. I especially loved talking to Dave about his heart for reaching the next generation for Christ. Whether you have teens in your life or will one day, this episode will remind you that teenagers and young adults are craving meaning and purpose in their lives and we can help them find that through Jesus. I know you’ll love this conversation. 

Where to find Dave: 

On Substack here 

His website here 

On Instagram here 

His book Like or Follow here 

His book Parallel Faith here 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Get a discount on bulk orders of Dave’s book Like or Follow from 10 of Those here 

Some favorite quotes from this episode: 

“The heart of my family is all about the next generation. That is what we’re passionate about. We’re captivated by reaching the next generation.” Dave Boden 

“If we’re open to teens and we don’t think the worst of them, we’ll see they’re such incredible people. At that time of life, they’re so excited about the world and they have ideas and questions and they want to learn.” Greta Eskridge 

“Discover how Jesus can reframe your world with hope and purpose.” Dave Boden 

“A part of our call as Christians is to leave our Christian bubble, bridge the gap and go where people are.” Dave Boden 

“There are three questions every person has: who am I, what am I here for and where do I belong? Young people are asking these questions and searching for the answers.” Dave Boden 

“Jesus is a real person who answers the real questions in our lives, but the places young people are searching won’t necessarily lead them to this answer.” Dave Boden 

“Your kid might be pretty good at attending church. But the goal of Christianity is not to church people. The goal of Christianity is to help people become like Jesus.” Dave Boden 

“So for me the end result is how Christ like are my children becoming? And how can our children become Christ like if they don’t know Christ?” Dave Boden 

“Young people are looking for adventure. They’re looking for a sense of purpose. They are looking to right wrongs. And they’re longing for hope.” Dave Boden 

“Teen don’t want to just be told about their faith. They want to go out and do it!” Dave Boden 

“We’re meant to be inspired by Jesus and then go out and do inspiring things with Jesus! That message is incredible for teenagers! It helps them know they’re called to a great destiny.” Dave Boden 

“Let’s rebel against low expectations! Jesus has incredible expectations for all His disciples.” Dave Boden 

“Parents are so scared of the teen years. And I just tell them that it is an amazing time! Just like they were incredible humans when they were babies and toddlers and preschoolers, they’re incredible humans when they’re teenagers!” Greta Eskridge  

“We should say to teens, “look at all you can do as a young person of faith!” Greta Eskridge  

“As parents we need to support our kids as they make their faith their own. And a lot of times that looks like saying, “yes, you can have your friends over to sit around and talk about God. I’ll make snacks.” Greta Eskridge 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

I have been asked to write this book for years and now, I have! Your pre-orders are tremendously helpful in growing the reach this book will have. I need your help in getting this book into as many hands as I possibly can, so pre-order and share away! 

You can pre order It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

In today’s episode, I get to talk with my friend Amber Johnston. Amber is a wife, a home-schooling mom to 4, a world traveler, author and speaker. She is also a world changer! One of the things that has most impressed me about Amber in my years of knowing her is the way she sees something that needs to be done and she does it. This is the way she changes the world. It is inspiring and hopeful. We talk about this and so much more in this episode. You are sure to enjoy it. 

Where to find Amber: 

Find Amber’s website here 

Find Amber’s first book, A Place to Belong, here 

Find Amber’s second book, Soul School, here 

Find Amber on Instagram here 

Where to find the books mentioned in today’s episode: 

Find Soul School here 

Find The Read Aloud Family here 

Find Honey for a Child’s Heart here 

Find Honey for a Woman’s Heart here 

Find Honey for a Teen’s Heart here 

Find Book Girl here 

Find Read for the Heart here 

Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

“The freedom of home schooling is one of, if not the best parts of home schooling. Even as a kid, I recognized the beauty of the freedom of home schooling.” Greta Eskridge  

“My husband originally suggested home school and I burst out laughing. It was literally the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. Then I joined a home-schooling group and that changed everything for me becau was in constant community.” Amber Johnston 

“Those moms gently and consistently told me I was the best. They spoke truth into me and built me up and that made all the difference.” Amber Johnston 

“My kids were always visitors to someone else’s stories and that was something we had to radically change.” Amber Johnston 

“You know your kids and you know what makes their learning come alive. That’s a beautiful part of home schooling.” Greta Eskridge 

“If there is a book you want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Toni Morrison 

“Don’t complain. Don’t talk about it. Be about it!” Amber Johnston 

“I am really proud to have that work not just for home school moms but into perpetuity and into society and to be able to say there was a point in time when these authors and illustrators were given their flowers and really focused on.” Amber Johnston 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

You can pre order It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

Today’s episode is part 2 of my conversation with Anna and Nathan Sutherland. Today I get to speak with Nathan and our conversation it going to enlighten and inspire you! Nathan and his wife Anna are the founders of Gospel Tech, an organization that exists to equip families to use tech in a God honoring way in a tech saturated world. Rather than painting all tech as bad, Anna and Nathan want to help families talk about tech, communicate the gospel and connect the hope in the gospel to the use of tech. It is a beautiful mission and they are doing it so well! 

In an effort to get more of this message into the hands of more people, Nathan wrote the book, Gospel-Centered Tech: Raising Faithful Followers of Christ in a Digitally Distracted World. This book will enlighten and inspire you to push forward in using tch in the best way possible with your family—a way that honors God. Yes, you can honor God with your tech use! Nathan’s book and our conversation is honest and helpful and it is also hopeful. That is such an important element whenever we talk about tech use and screen time. It is not all doom and gloom! I know you are going to love this episode like I did. 

Where to find Nathan: 

Find Nathan’s book here 

Learn more about Gospel Tech here 

Follow Gospel Tech on Instagram here 

Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

“There are two kinds of tech: tool tech and drool tech. Tech that helps us build is on the tool side and tech that helps us consume is on the drool side.” Nathan Sutherland 

“Drool tch comes to the table with it’s own goals. It wants to take our time and our focus and our money. And until we understand that, we’re going to wonder why we keep fighting with our family. We’re never going to understand why it’s always Fortnite and never Microsoft Word.” Nathan Sutherland 

“We aren’t perfect in our tech use. But the goal isn’t to be perfect. The goal is to be humble enough to recognize we need a savior and that applies to our tech too.” Anna Sutherland 

“We need to know understanding what operant conditioning is so that we can have compassion for our kid when they’re stuck in the loop of social media or a video game.” Greta Eskridge 

“Technology isn’t fair. It’s designed to increase engagement and build habits. That is not an accident. They’re using a mind bending amount of data to give you things you didn’t even know you wanted. And to make you think you need things that you never wanted.” Nathan Sutherland 

“The definition of addiction is when you give up what you need to get what you want.” Nathan Sutherland 

“When we understand how tech works it gives us the opportunity to come to our kids with compassion and grace and understanding rather than the frustration we often resort to.” Greta Eskridge 

“Dumb phones are great!” Greta Eskridge  

“Porn is bombastic now. I don’t know if the porn I saw in 7th grade even counts as porn anymore. I’m not 100% sure that we adults understand what kids are experiencing from their pocket device or their friend showed them on the bus.” Nathan Sutherland 

“It’s not about porn proofing. It’s about equipping them to make the best choices. It’s about not being afraid to bring it up with them. It’s about not being afraid to answer their questions. These are all things we can do to help our kids be resilient in this world that is saturated with porn.” Greta Eskridge 

Pre Order It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here 

And now, for the rest of today’s episode:  I get to speak with Anna Sutherland and our conversation it going to inspire and excite you! Anna and her husband Nathan are the founders of Gospel Tech, an organization that exists to equip families to use tech in a God honoring way in a tech saturated world. Rather than painting all tech as bad, Anna and Nathan want to help families talk about tech, communicate the gospel and connect the hope in the gospel to the use of tech. It is a beautiful mission and they are doing it so well! 

In alignment with that mission, Anna just wrote a book called The Graceful Disconnect:  25 Days to a Quieter Heart in a Tech Saturated World. In this episode I get to talk with Anna and Nathan, but really focus on Anna’s book. Next week you’ll get to hear from Nathan and his book! Anna’s book is a challenge, but it is a doable challenge. And an inspiring one that most of us, if we’re honest, need to take part in. I can’t wait for you to learn more as you listen. 

Where to find Anna: 

Find Anna’s book here 

Learn more about Gospel Tech here 

Follow Gospel Tech on Instagram here 

Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

*“Moms, this is why I am writing to you. As much as we’d like to turn a blind eye to that screen time number that pops up (our own and our children’s) we simply cannot. We are fools if we think the conditions of our hearts aren’t impacted by what we digitally consume.” Anna Sutherland 

*“Most conversations take at least seven minutes to really begin.” Sherry Turkle 

*“The car is a space where we default to isolation. What if, instead, it became a place for conversation and connection?” Anna Sutherland 

*“You can speak a common language because you share the time in the car instead of everyone doing their own thing.” Greta Eskridge  

*“Even as a kid, I recognized there was a break in connection when people put their headphones on.” Greta Eskridge 

*“We’re playing the long game as parents. We want these kids to launch and to be successful adults. Our job is teach them how to do that. Life is a parenting opportunity.” Anna Sutherland 

*“Tech is the easy default because we don’t have to deal with our kids. But easy is not the goal.” Anna Sutherland 

*“My grandma was a stay-at-home mom and her ministry was cookies. That’s attainable. I can make cookies! And she prayed for us every day and it’s incredible to have that kind of prayer covering. She made a difference for the kingdom.” Anna Sutherland 

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast. And I’d be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating and a short review of the podcast. 

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

There were also a lot of questions from my Instagram followers. They wanted to know details like: how old are our kids when we let them start dating, how do set up healthy boundaries with dating, how did I feel about “losing my sons” (spoiler alert—I’m not losing them!) and so many more questions. 

So I decided to turn it all into a podcast episode and here we are! I can’t wait for you to listen and to get a glimpse at the beautiful and good way God can uses dating in our kids’ lives to bring them toward Him and toward pursing relationships that are honoring to Him and to one another. 

The two books mentioned in this episode can be found here: 

Chasing Love: Sex, Love and Relationships in a Confused Culture by Sean McDowell 

Outdated: Find Love That Lasts When Dating Has Changed by Jonathan “JP” Pokluda 

If you enjoy this episode, will you please consider sharing it on your socials? Or text it to a friend? Sharing my podcast is so helpful and I deeply appreciate it! 

And I also always appreciate podcast reviews. Have you left one on iTunes yet? I’d be wildly grateful if you leave one today. Thanks, team! 

Love, 

Greta 

John is also the author of several books, including Honest Talk—a New Perspective on Talking to Your Kids About Sex, which we talk about today. 

John vulnerably and courageously shares his story of sexual and pornography addiction and how God has redeemed his story to give him a purpose driven by hope and healing.  

I loved talking with John!  

He is full of wisdom, reassurance and, there’s that word again, hope. He encourages parents to be honest with their kids about their own sexual past and then shows us how to do it. I read his book cover to cover in a few days and I can’t encourage you enough to get your own copy. But start by listening to this episode and getting to know John better. You’ll be so glad you did! 

Find John here: 

Be Broken Ministries 

Find John’s books here: 

Honest Talk—a new perspective on talking to your kids about sex 

Father-Son Accountability : Integrity Through Relationship 

Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

*”I was a little afraid to get into this work but God kept shutting all the other doors. It was like He said, “I didn’t bring you out of this for nothing.” John Fort 

*”There is so much freedom in honesty.” Greta Eskridge  

*”Look at what God did! He did it for me and He can do it for you.” Greta Eskridge 

*”If parents would be brave enough to tell their own story then their kids would be able to say, ‘oh you do understand!’ and then they could talk.” John Fort 

*”He realized at that moment that he was not too broken to be loved by his parents or by God. For the first time he felt a surge of hope that he had someone to talk to about sex and maybe his father could help him. That event , just hearing his father’s sexual story became the turning point for this young man to actively engage in his own journey to sexual wholeness.” John Fort 

*”My problem had nothing to do with sex. I was using pornography and other sexual things to deal with emotions I didn’t know what to do with.” John Fort 

*”The days I looked at pornography as a teenager were the days something bad happened and I didn’t know what to do with that.” John Fort 

*”If in our house we never talk about body parts, we never talk about anything, that gives the silent message that it’s not OK to talk about these things.” John Fort 

*”We surveyed a bunch of teenagers and asked why don’t you talk to your parents about sex. They had two answers: ‘I’m afraid my parents won’t understand my past’ or ‘I’ll get in trouble for what I say or even what I ask.’” John Fort 

*”Your story is simply a way to show them it is OK to talk about these things.” John Fort 

*”We can pretend its not happening or we can just talk about it.” Greta Eskridge  

*”You don’t even know what your kids are dealing with until you ask. And the older they get the more often we have to ask them what they’re seeing and what they’re hearing.” John Fort 

*”People are looking for help for their addictions and hope for their broken hearts. They want living water. If we run away or become judgmental or uncomfortable any time we see sexual pain, we will miss the greatest opportunities to enter the pain of their sexual brokenness and share the love of Jesus Christ.” Julie Slattery 

*”Emotional resilience is connected to sexual wholeness.” Greta Eskridge  

*“We think that telling our story is going to make our kids not respect us, but the opposite is true if we do it well.” John Fort 

Thank you so much for listening and being a part of my show! I’d be so grateful if you’d leave a rating and review of the podcast if you haven’t already. I appreciate each one of you. 

Keep chasing joy! 

Greta 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

One of the things I appreciate so much about Anjulu is that she doesn’t try to fix everything with some cliché sentiment. Instead she listens intently and asks how I feel, thus inviting me to take my feelings to God instead of pushing them away. She is also not afraid to be vulnerable and through that she invites me into intimacy with her again and again. She is the kind of friend you want on the other end of the phone, text or across the table. 

Anjuli is a fellow author. She and I have walked through writing 3 books together! Her latestes book is called Feel—a Collection of Liturgies Offering Hope for Every Complicated Emotion. This book is like having a conversation with Anjuli. You’ll feel seen, heard, and loved as you go through the book. It is a beautiful book and unlike anything I have ever seen. Our conversation will give you a glimpse of the book and all it has to offer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

Where to find Anjuli: 

Get Anjuli’s newest book, Feel, here 

Find Anjuli on Instagram here 

Find Anjuli’s website here 

Finds Anjuli on Substack here 

Get Every Moment Holy book here 

Some of my favorite quotes from this episode: 

“It takes time to look at your feelings, all of them, as an invitation to look at what your heart is trying to tell you.” AP 

“Feelings are an invitation to wholeness, growth and intimacy.” AP 

“The relationships that are the nearest and dearest to our are the ones where we can be vulnerable and share our true feelings.” AP 

“God can hold it all.” GE 

“God wants to be with us where we are.” AP 

“He wants to heal us not to fix us—not just be better, do better, feel better.” AP 

“God cares about what we feel, but He cares more that we become--whole, loving children of God who reflect His son.” AP 

“We can hold both the good and the hard at the same time and they don’t cancel each other out!” GE 

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.” Washington Irving 

“God made us feelers and we don’t have to be afraid of the feelings that He put in us.” GE 

Here are links to some of the things I mentioned in this episode.  

I hope you find them helpful! 

Want to have me speak at your event, conference, church, for your home school group, womens’ retreat or in some other capacity, get more information about booking me  here 

Find my Home School 101 Story Series on Instagram here 

Find all the home school articles on my blog here 

I talk about home schooling in high school and in college in episode 24. Listen to it here 

Learn more about high school transcripts here 

Learn more about Hamborg Academy of Art, in person and online art classes from one of our favorite art teachers here 

Learn more about home schooling and dyslexia in episode 25. Listen here 

Find Wild and Free bundles here 

Sign up for legal protection with a membership with Home School Legal Defense Association here 

Find Beautiful Feet Books curriculum guides here (they’re my absolute favorite!) 

Find Ambleside Online booklists here 

Read my book Adventuring Together to get fun back to school traditions (and lots of other ones as well) Get your copy here 

Give your kids a back to school copy of 100 Days of Adventure and dream up a bunch of fun adventures you can do together in the coming year. Get your copy here 

Read my blog post, The Early Years, here 

Thank you so much for listening and being a part of my show! I appreciate each one of you. 

Keep chasing joy! 

Greta 

Hear how Carole’s son JJ has joined her in sharing the message of home schooling. What a dream that is! She shares books galore too. My favorite kind of episode! 

Carole Joy Seid is a joy indeed and you are going to love the encouragement and wisdom she brings from speaking on home schooling for 30 + years. 

Here are the resources Carole recommends in this episode: 

Read and learn about home schooling’s pioneers: 

John Holt 

Dr. Raymond Moore 

Susan Schaeffer Macaulay 

Read their books: 

How Children Learn by John Holt 

Better Late Than Early by Dr. Raymond Moore 

For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay 

For the Family’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay 

Here are the other books Carole recommends in this episode: 

The Common Rule—Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction 

Theology of the Body for Beginners 

The Least of These My Brothers  

Father Arseny—priest, prisoner and spiritual father 

Little Britches series 

Where to find Carole: 

Her website here 

Her seminars here 

Her podcast here 

Her Instagram account here 

Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

“God doesn’t waste a thing.” GE 

“Home schooling was the farthest thing from my mind.” CJS 

“Home schooling is a huge liberty, and we don’t want to take it for granted.” CJS 

“It’s so thrilling to see the next generation of home schoolers carrying out the way of living that is so rich and blessed.” CJS 

“Sharing the message of home schooling has been the joy of my life.” CJS 

“The very first home school conference I ever attended was with Carole Joy Seid and it was absolutely transformational.” GE 

“You can home school with a bible, a library card and a math book.” CJS 

“High school and college is where your child’s theology makes up its mind.” CJS 

“If you’re tired, do something fresh and give yourself a grace package. Because that is what God gives to us.” CJS 

“Your goal is to get shining eyes!” CJS 

“The gift of home schooling for me has been all about freedom. The freedom to pursue education in the way that works best for our family, the way that works best for each kid and the way that works best for me as a teacher.” GE 

“Be the expert on your child.” CJS 

“Never stop reading out loud to your children.” CJS 

“The gospel needs to permeate everything you do.” CJS 

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast. And I’d be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating and a short review of the podcast. 

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

Monica is a mom to four boys and lives on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. Monica home schooled all her boys, 3 of which have graduated, and is still home schooling her last one. She recently wrote a book called Becoming Home Schoolers, sharing the story of their home schooling journey, along with tons of other helpful ideas, information and inspiration. Monica and I had the best time talking together. You’re going to love our conversation and all the stories we tell. You’ll feel like you’re just hanging out with 2 of your friends. Come join the fun! 

Places to find Monica: 

Her website her 

Her podcast here 

Her Instagram account here 

Her books here, here, here and here! 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from this episode: 

“Home school kids have more time to pursue their passions.” Monica Swanson 

“Home schoolers are prepared for the real world.” Monica Swanson 

“The number one reason we chose to home school is because I wanted learning about God, praying together, and reading the Bible together to be a part of their school experience because that is the most important thing you’ll ever learn.” Greta Eskridge  

“There is no such thing as a neutral education.” Monica Swanson 

“Home schoolers are critical thinkers, they’re learners, they’re readers, and they know how to figure things out. Not every home schooler, of course. But a lot of them!” Greta Eskridge 

“It’s so tempting to have a whole curriculum for your 3 year old but if you just live life with your 3 year old and have him be a part of it, what you’re creating is a lifelong learner because you’re showing them that learning is happening all the time.” Greta Eskridge 

“Sometimes we forget how important it is to enjoy our kids. We get so caught up in what we feel like we have to do that we forget to enjoy our time with them or to enjoy them.” Greta Eskridge 

“The best is yet to come! The late teen and young adult years are so fun and it is the best reward.” Monica Swanson 

“It is painful joy to watch our kids fly. We’re excited for them and we have joy for them but there is pain there because things are changing.” Greta Eskridge 

“The home school lifestyle is not just a way to educate your kids but a way to get to know them and be involved in their lives.” Monica Swanson 

This episode is full of a lot of helpful and practical tips for families that are home schooling dyslexic learners.  

Here they are: 

*Have your child teach someone else something, or explain something they love 

*Spend way more time on your child’s gifts and talents than on the things they’re struggling with! 

*Use the dyslexic font for your computer 

*Use speech to text because it is not cheating! 

*Have your child read aloud the paragraph they wrote using speech to text and then help them edit as they read it aloud 

*Use Grammarly –its your writing tutor! 

*Use audio books (Audible, Hoopla, Libby are 3 great ones!) 

*This article breaks down a bunch of audio book options. Read it here. 

*Math U See is Carrie’s favorite math curriculum 

*Use colored markers, drawings or symbols to help them differentiate the words they’re learning and/or memorizing. 

Places to find Carrie: 

Her website here 

Her podcast here 

Her books here here and here 

Her Instagram account here 

Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

*“Homeschool kids don’t just turn out OK. They can really flourish, even if it’s hard in the middle.” GE 

*“Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we’re doing something wrong, or that our home schooling wasn’t working, or that our kids are never going to learn. It just means it’s different. “ CF 

*“If your kid has dyslexia or dysgraphia or dyscalculia they are gifted. They are gifted in so many ways. They have so many gifts they are going to be better than OK!” CF 

*“The Lord created our kids to be learning machines and we just need to trust the process.” CF 

*“God is going to use this. We don’t know how and we don’t know when, but we can trust Him.” GE 

*“Listening to books is reading books.” GE 

*“According to a study from Harvard, the number one thing that helped kids with dyslexia and dysgraphia be successful was to have at least 1 person in their life who is their cheerleader. At least one person who was their encourager.” CF 

*“As their moms, we know they are super smart and super intelligent, they just don’t know it yet and it’s our job to show them.” CF 

*For all the things that technology brings that can be problematic, there are also wonderful parts of technology that helps people with things like dyslexia. It can give them an opportunity for success.” GE 

*“Spend way more time on your child’s gifts and talents than on the things they’re struggling with!” CF 

*“Our culture likes to celebrate success right now, not the long, slow, version of success that some kids achieve.” GE 

*“Tell your kids over and over, ‘I love that about you’” CF 

Here are some of the resources mentioned in this episode: 

Learn more about Home School Legal Defense Association here 

Home School High School: a Handbook for Christian Education by Carrie De Fransisco  

Becoming Home Schoolers: Give Your Kids a Great Education, a Strong Family, and a Life They’ll Thank You For Later by Monica Swanson 

Learning Well community with Alicia Hutchinson 

Cloud 9 Adventure  James Eskridge’s first illustrated book with 1000 Hours Outside 

Include these life skills in high school—cooking, travel, finances, home repair, community service, household chores, child care, hospitality, event planning, navigating the doctor’s office, the DMV, filling out forms and paperwork…these are all things they should be learning and doing in high school. 

The Early Years a blog post by Greta Eskridge 

Home School 101 Instagram highlight by Greta Eskridge 

Here are some favorite quotes from this episode: 

*”Being home schooled is one of the greatest gifts of my life.” GE 

*”Someday your kids will be the ones to say to you, ‘mom, dad, being homeschooled is one of the biggest blessing of my life.” GE 

*”There is no perfect educational system.” GE 

*”You are your kid’s first teacher.” GE 

*”You need to have a vision for your home school journey. You need to have a vision for where you want to end up.” GE 

“There are so many reasons to keep home schooling through high school. 

Some of my favorites are: freedom, flexibility, so much less social pressure, the ability to have solid biblical truth as part of their studies, and so much more time together in the last years they’re going to be home.” GE 

*One thing that holds parents back from wanting to home school their kid in high school is that they think their kids are going to miss out on what they see as really important things. But parents need to ask themselves, “is it important to my kid or is it important to me?’” GE 

*”Their high school experience is going to look different than yours because they are home schooled. But different doesn’t mean bad. It just means different.” GE 

*”You don’t need much to home school your kids. You can home school with a Bible, a math book and a library card”. Carole Joy Seid 

*”Home schooling is best when it is personalized to your family and all the ways you live and learn best.” GE 

“Find ways to inject joy into your home school.” GE 

In her book, Joy bravely shares her own journey from addiction to freedom. She educates her readers on the way porn use fuels harm, addiction and shame. But she doesn’t leave us there. Instead, she offers so much help and hope to her readers who might be struggling with these issues themselves or want to help someone who is. This book is going to be such an incredible resource to many. It is going to change lives. This episode is full of so many practical tips, encouragement and hope. I am truly honored to introduce you to Dr. Joy today. And I am so proud to share this conversation with you. 

Some helpful links from today’s episode: 

Get resources from Dr. Joy’s website here 

Follow Dr. Joy on Instagram here 

Get Dr. Joy’s book, Her Freedom Journey, here 

Get more resources on all kinds of sexual issues from Authentic Intimacy here 

Hopeful bible verse: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 

Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

 *“Look at all that God has done!” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*“Girls use porn too. And girls need to be protected from porn too.” Greta Eskridge 

*”If we don’t talk about it for women and they’re secretly struggling, there is just so much more shame and so many more problems down the line.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*”Do you know what gave me the courage? Someone else went first. I heard a courageous woman share her story at a college student women’s event. Until that moment, I had never heard a woman admit she struggled with sexual sin. For the first time I realized I wasn’t alone and I wasn’t a total freak for being a woman who struggled with sexual sin.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*”Really what I needed was healthier coping mechanisms.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*”Not only is sexual sin addictive, but it is damaging to your brain. It reconstructs your neurological pathways and bonds you to the images because God created you for intimacy.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*There is more to it than ‘just stop watching porn’. You have to heal your brain and your body too.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*”You were not created for sex, but for intimacy.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*”God created us with a longing to be loved and to have intimacy that can only be met through Him. So if we’re turning to these fake things that are trying to give us fake intimacy, we’re always going to come up short and continue to have a longing for more.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*”By delighting in Him, you find something that doesn’t just numb the pain, but heals the pain. That’s what God does.” Greta Eskridge 

*”The good news is this: we worship a God who redeems and restores our broken sexuality. Not only does God restore the beauty from ashes, but He also restores and renews our brains. We can have hope that even if we have been negatively affected by porn, we can be healed!” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*”We worship a God who can restore anything and that’s our hope. God’s power and His healing and His miracles can restore and redeem anybody’s brains.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*”The porn industry is purposely creating porn for women. They have a whole branded type of porn, they call it ‘romance porn’. They also have porn to draw in kids because they know if they capture them they’re going to stay with us and be our clients for decades.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

*”Satan wants us to stay in that place of shame. He wants us to feel afraid and to feel like we’re cancelled because of the mistakes of our past, the decisions we made, the things that happened to us, even the things that aren’t our fault. He wants us to hide in that shame. And he wants us to stay quiet. But God can use our story when we bring it into the light.” Greta Eskridge 

*”The enemy thrives in the darkness and he thrives in the shame. But if we bring it into the light, that’s where the healing happens.” Dr. Joy Skarka 

Some links from today’s episode: 

Find Jennifer’s website The Peaceful Press here 

Follow Jennifer on Instagram here 

Get Jennifer’s book, Habits for a Sacred Home here 

Listen to Jennifer’s podcast here 

Find out about the homeschooling community Wild and Free here 

Find the book The Benedict Option here 

Find the book How the Irish Saved Civilization here 

Find the book For the Children’s Sake here 

Find Tish Oxenreider’s Rule of Life course here 

Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

*As mothers, we are teaching our children to value the natural world. We are teaching our children how to read and how to value living books. Appreciation of art, reading real books, picking up after themselves, having dinner around the table and looking at each other in the eye--these are all classical and practical arts, lost arts, that we are saving as mothers.” Jennifer Pepito 

*We as moms are saving our culture with normal, everyday practices we engage in with our families.” Jennifer Pepito 

*“There is power in seemingly simple acts like eating dinner at the table with our family every night.” Greta Eskridge 

*”So much of what we do as mothers can seem hard in the moment, but when we can recognize how powerful it is and what heroes we are for doing it, it can give us a new perspective and make us feel more empowered by what we’re doing.” Jennifer Pepito 

*”The real change starts at home and it starts with moms.” Chris McKenna 

*”We are stepping into the lives of our children and making generational impact.” Greta Eskridge  

*”It’s so important for moms to have a vision of what they could be like.” Jennifer Pepito 

*”The fight to which we have been called is not an easy fight. We are touching the very center of the devil’s power and kingdom, and he hates us intensely and fights hard against us. We have no chance at all of winning in this fight unless we are disciplined soldiers, utterly out-and-out and uncompromising, and men and women of prayer.” Amy Carmichael 

*”If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.” Corrie ten Boom 

“I do not think anything worth having in the spiritual world is easily attained. There is no shortcut to holiness. But there can be a true, humble, loving choice of the soul, and that choice, becoming a habit, will lead it into peace.” Amy Carmichael 

A childhood experience with a tricky person, her love of music and wanting to help protect kids all unexpectedly led her to write a song and a book that teaches and equips young children to use their voice to protect themselves. Her book, her music and her work are fantastic and so helpful to many families. You are going to come away with so many practical, helpful tips for keeping your kids safe from tricky people. I am really glad to have Sara on the show today! 

Some links from today’s show: 

Visit Sara’s website here 

Follow Sara on Instagram here 

Find Sara’s music here 

Find Sara’s book, Shout No! here 

Download the Shout No song and coloring sheet here 

Find Sara’s book, Poetry for the Wild and Curious Ones, here 

Find Greta’s book here 

Some of my favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

*”Parents don’t want to talk to their kids about tricky people because they want to protect their kid’s innocence. But we have to tell our kids that tricky people exist so we can give them to tools to protect themselves from the tricky people.” Greta Eskridge  

*”I wanted to write something gentle yet effective that would equip kids from an early age and would give the words to shout no and run away from tricky people.” Sara Ernst 

*”We can react to our experiences by simply moving on, or we can let them fester and turn to bitterness or shame or we can say, “I wish that wouldn’t have happened, but I’m going to do something positive with it now.” Greta Eskridge 

*”When we tell our kids not to cross the street without us we don’t go into graphic details about what can happen if they get hit by a car. We just tell them, “you could get hurt” because that is all they need to know. It is the same with giving our kids information about predators. We don’t give them scary information; we give them empowering information.” Greta Eskridge 

*”Music is sticky!” Sara Ernst 

*“Teach your kids that anyone can be a tricky person, because most abuse happens with people the children know. And teach them how to respond to tricky people.” Sara Ernst 

*” We are empowering our kids not making them afraid.” Greta Eskridge 

Mary Jo is a rocket scientist turned artist, blogger, and now author of the book, Still, the Art of Noticing. She married to a James Beard award winning food writer, a mom to 2 kids, and she lives in St. Paul Minnesota. 

Mary Jo’s art has made her into a “noticer”. Collecting pieces of nature and photographing them daily has made her slow down and really notice all the beauty there is in the natural world, no matter the season. We have a great discussion about her art and her book and the ways we can help our kids become noticers too, even though they are growing up in a world that doesn’t really celebrate slowing down. I know you’ll come away inspired by this episode. And maybe you and your kids can start a habit of noticing nature and loving the beauty of nature, just like Mary Jo has.  

Some links for you from this episode: 

To see the art of Lisa Congdon, the artist who was an inspiration for Mary Jo, go here 

To learn more about the 72 micro seasons in Japan, go here 

Find the Beatrix Potter book here 

Find Mary Jo’s book here 

Read Mary Jo’s blog here 

Follow Mary Jo on Instagram here 

Some favorite quotes from this episode:  

*“The natural world drew me in first not as a source of beauty to observe, but as an expression of mathematics, and physics: I loved natural shapes for the trial-and-error perfection of their function; I loved seed pods for the ingenuity of their dispersal mechanisms; I loved the algorithms of spirals, saw toothed leaf tips, and the shapes of trees that imitated the shapes of rivers and their tributaries.” Mary Jo Hoffman 

* “We don’t value slowing down very much as a culture and we miss out as a result.” Greta Eskridge  

*”As the project progressed, so too my definition of seasonality was redefined. I noticed not big sweeping changes in temperature and light, but daily changes. I noticed the exact day the sap began to run. The day the first catkins exploded. The day the lilacs opened. And the day the first orange maple leaf appeared. And I captured it all, one high-resolution image at a time, for ten years. The attentiveness required to make an image a day led to a depth of understanding I had not expected. The more narrow and deep I went, the more my world expanded.” Mary Jo Hoffman 

*” Kids don’t know the names of anything in nature anymore. How do we grow tomorrow’s stewards of the environment if the kids don’t have an attachment to it?” Mary Jo Hoffman 

*” Learning names of things in nature makes you care about them more. Because then you have a relationship and connection beyond, that’s a pretty flower.” Greta Eskridge 

*”How do you raise creative kids? You model it every day.” Mary Jo Hoffman 

*”Give your kids space and time for creativity.” Greta Eskridge 

*” Part of being a noticer is having childlike wonder.” Mary Jo Hoffman 

*” Owning the responsibilities of sharing the awe and wonder of the natural world is one of the duties of being a parent.” Mary Jo Hoffman 

*” Look for micro joys in your life!” Mary Jo Hoffman 

If you haven’t already, please take a minute to subscribe to this podcast. I’d also be so very grateful if you leave a 5-star rating and write a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

I’m also sharing something exciting for you all, my podcast community! For the month of July and August I am inviting you to join me in an online cook club, reading my book Adventuring Together. If you have already read the book, you can join, or if you’re picking it up for the first time, you can join too. We’ll spend the month of July reading the book and then you can join me for a live book club meeting where we’ll chat and you guys can ask questions and it will be a great time! I’ll also be sharing one of my most favorite talks, The Connecting Power of Adventure” online for the first time. And my podcast listeners will have the opportunity to see that too. To take advantage of these opportunities I’m inviting you to join me on Substack. If you aren’t a Substack reader yet, its simply an online platform where writers like me can share our work and create a community with our readers. You can visit my website or my Instagram feed for all the details. I know we’re going to have a lot of fun, and be motivated and inspired to cultivate lasting connection with our kids and this beautiful world we live in! 

Important links from today’s episode here: 

My favorite herbal blend of tea for sun tea here (I also like to add 2 or 3 bags of decaf black tea to the brew to make it a little stronger)  

Find my website and all the book club info here 

Find my book, Adventuring Together, here 

For more adventurous, connecting ideas, see my children’s book here 

Follow me on Instagram here 

See Erin Loechner’s book, The Opt Out Family, here 

Some favorite quotes from today’s episode: 

*”In order to help our kids opt out of social media, video games, endless screen time, and even pornography use, we have to offer them something better!” Greta Eskridge 

*”The algorithms are designed to make us want to stay on the screen, to scroll, and to watch for hours. So, we have to offer our kids something better!” Greta Eskridge 

* If our only goal is to check a lot of adventures or activities off the list with our kids, but we’re not using those things to build, and cultivate connection with them, then we’re all missing out.” Greta Eskridge 

*”Adventure is the vehicle, but connection is the goal.” Greta Eskridge 

*” If we consistently offer our kids the opportunity to experience the real world with the people they love to be with, they’ll want to choose that over the false connection, and even the false experiences offered through technology.” Greta Eskridge 

*”If people can just have an amazing virtual experience, why would they want to go through the effort, expense and bother of having a real one? Why would they want to have real life friendships, or real life relationships when they can have that with an image on a screen? This is the danger of satisfying your desires in a made up world, where life is easy and you expend no physical or emotional energy.” Greta Eskridge 

*”It is critical we create an appetite for real adventure and real experiences and real connection with the world and with it’s people in our kids! They need to experience struggle and hard work and being emotionally connected to others. There is so much at stake here.” Greta Eskridge 

*”It imperative that I not only pursue real life connection with my kids, but also teach them how to recognize it and to pursue it themselves.” Greta Eskridge 

*“This is more than just a list of things to do with your kids this summer. This is an invitation to you to begin creating connection and relationship with your kids that will stand the test of time.” Greta Eskridge 

In this episode Erin shared with us about her brand-new book, The Opt-Out Family: How to Give Your Kids What Technology Can’t.  Erin’s book is a call to action and an invitation for every parent. It calls them to sit up and take notice of how the algorithm is coming after our kids, and then invites them to do something about it. The book is full of compelling research and helpful, practical ideas for helping your family opt out.  

What makes Erin’s book even more compelling is that she is actually living that life with her family. Four years ago Erin left her successful career as a social media influencer, shut down her social media accounts and opted out. She knows what she is talking about. I really enjoyed this conversation with Erin and I learned a lot. I know you will too. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from this episode: 

*I wanted to model for my daughter what it looked like to have a vibrant career and life without social media.  

*If my kids say, “I don’t like how social media makes me feel, but I don’t know any other way. I want to be able to say, I’ve got another way. Let’s do it together.”  

*You can’t know the opportunity missed but you can know the fruit gained.  

*This is the world our children live in, where playground swings become selfie props. It is not an accident. It is the work of the algorithm. It is the work of a machine, a mission and a great strategy dreamed up by people in board rooms who make a living by stealing a life.  

*We are no longer asking why we would opt out. We are asking how we opt out.  

*It’s not enough to say no to devices. We have to say yes to something better.  

*We parents can do it better than the tech guys!  

*Our kids just want to be with us. It’s really so simple.  

*There is a powerful message being sent to parents that our kids don’t want to be with us, especially as they grow up. Then we get afraid and think we have to compete, to be cool, to be better than Tik Tok. But when we slow down and just spend time with our kids, even our teens, we find out that they really do want to be with us.  

*Start here: Give your kids your eyes.  

The 2 books Erin and I talked about are: The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio (here) and Grandma Gatewood’s Walk (here) Chase joy and go read them now! 

Find Erin’s book here 

Visit her website here for additional resources and helpful info. 

If you haven’t already, please take a minute to subscribe to my podcast.  

I’d also be so very grateful if you leave a 5-star rating and write a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

My guest, Megan Ziegenfus, is the creator of Body Talk Basics. It is a course that includes videos, a book, and guided conversations about puberty for moms and daughters to experience together. I have read and watched this course and I loved it. I am so glad to have resources, to share with my daughter and yours, that celebrate how incredibly and beautifully designed the female body is. The course also makes sense of how our bodies work and explains those things in an easy to understand and straightforward way. I can only imagine the next generation 

You’ll love this episode and come away with some great things to offer your daughter and probably yourself too! 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from this episode:  

*I saw a need for this to be a bonding conversation between moms and daughters instead of just a transfer of information. 

*The conversation, even the awkward part, is where the bonding occurs. It is an opportunity for the parents to show the kids, “I love you so much I am willing to sit in this challenging space with you. I want to be with you.” It builds trust and communication. 

*It’s empowering to learn how our body works and the incredible purpose behind it. 

*These conversations about puberty are a part of creating a healthy sexual culture. 

*So many moms say, “I didn’t know how healing this course would be for me.” 

*Deep down, girls want to be told how their body is working and that it is designed with a beautiful plan in mind. 

*You’re giving your daughter a gift when you say, “look how amazing you are! God designed you this way. He made me this way and you’re here because he made me this way.” We have to celebrate this! 

Be sure to check out Megan’s website here and follow Megan on Instagram too. Her account is a lot of fun and really helpful. 

You can use the promo code: GRETA for a discount on the course. Sign up here. 

*Please take a minute to subscribe to this podcast. I’d also be so very grateful if you leave a 5-star rating and write a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team. I love you guys! 

Greta 

Today I talk with my new friend, Jackie Gibson, an Australian living in Philadelphia with her husband and children. Jackie is also the author of the book, You Are Still a Mother: Hope For Women Grieving a Stillbirth or Miscarriage.   

I read Jackie’s book in one sitting. Even though I experienced a miscarriage 14 years ago, her book deeply ministered to my heart. I felt so seen and comforted and so equipped to help my fellow mama’s who experience this kind of grief. I can’t recommend this book enough, whether you have walked through pregnancy loss yourself, know someone who has, or just want to have resources to refer to when loss comes. 

Jackie shares her own story of losing her daughter at 39 weeks to still birth. And then we discuss the hardship of suffering, and the way Jesus comes alongside us in suffering. We also cover a lot of other topics, like how we can share about loss after it happens, the strange feeling of shame that can happen after pregnancy loss, how we can help moms who are experiencing loss, PTSD and trauma after pregnancy loss and so much more.  

My tears were near the surface through this whole episode because I have such a tenderness for every other mama who has lost a baby. I hope you’ll listen to this episode knowing that if you are hurting you are not alone, and in my heart I am giving you the biggest hug. 

Here are some quotes that really stood out to me in this episode: 

*This is a club no one wants to be a part of.   

*Miscarriage can be such a very lonely grief.  

*We need to invite people into our grief and ask them to walk through it with us and pray for us. But for some reason we have this fear in doing that and part of that is this shame that we have done something wrong or that our bodies have failed us.  

*I’d been a Christian for many years, but in those moments, I felt like I met Him (Jesus) again for the first time.  

*God can give us gifts even in suffering.  

*Even though your arms are empty, your heart still carries your baby wherever you go.  

*To write names down or to say them, when these mothers rarely get to hear their babies named or acknowledged, means so much to a grieving mom, whether it is fresh grief, or it’s been years.  

*Our babies have dignity and value no matter their size because they were made by God.  

*From the very start, their lives matter and they are worthy of both grief and honor. GE 

*It is never too late to remember your baby and to mark that little one’s preciousness. JG 

*This is a story about Him and how He is always good, even in the darkness. JG 

*The moon is still round even when we can’t see it, and God is still good, even when we don’t feel like He is. JG 

*Are we going to keep believing in the darkness what we have seen in the light? Lilias Trotter 

More about Jackie: 

Jackie’s husband wrote a book about loss for kids as a result of talking to their son through the loss of his baby sister. It is called, The Moon is Always Round.  

Jackie isn’t on social media, but please share her book and this episode with friends who need the comforting and helpful message she brings. 

If you haven’t already, please take a minute to subscribe to this podcast. I’d also be so very grateful if you leave a 5-star rating and write a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

One of my favorite parts of the book and this episode is learning about Molly’s mom. She was a writer too. You can check out Molly’s mom’s book here: Home before Morning: The Story of An Army Nurse in Vietnam by Lynda Van Devanter. 

There are so many other great parts to Molly’s story—some very, very hard and others so funny and wildly entertaining. I know you will love Molly just like I do. 

Here are a few quotes from the episode that I especially loved: 

*”Every broken, messed up story has a purpose and its possible to gain everything if you’re willing to surrender it all to Jesus and that’s the best reason to tell your story.” 

*”I learned that oftentimes people don’t need to hear our condemnation for the mistakes we’ve made, but instead our commendation for getting the help we so desperately need. I learned that encouragement, even from strangers, can provide the strength, energy and emotional stamina to do hard things. I learned that prayer is powerful and when we offer to pray for someone, even when it seems uncomfortable, we could be planting a seed that we may never see to harvest. And on the flip side, when we accept prayer, it has the power to change hearts.” 

*It is never too late to apologize for something. 

*Joy is an essential part of thriving. 

*Chase joy by slowing down. 

So much good stuff, right? Be sure to read Molly’s book, and check out her blog and podcast. 

Please take a minute to subscribe to this podcast. I’d also be so very grateful if you leave a 5-star rating and write a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team. 

I love you guys! 

Greta 

In this week’s episode, I get to talk to Kristen Miele from Sex Ed Reclaimed. I love the mission of her organization: to empower and encourage families to have consistent, honest conversations while accessing God-honoring sexual health education because God calls us to disciple the next generation. And her vision is just as powerful: to break the cycle of silence about sex in the Christian world. Gosh how we need Kristen’s voice and message in our world today!  

Here are some key takeaways from this episode: 

*Sex is good and it is God’s gift, so we don’t have to be afraid or embarrassed to talk about it. 

* It’s a work of the devil to shut us up about sex and to add shame to it. 

* The world is constantly talking about sex. They are discipling our kids on the topic so we need to step in and add God to the conversation. 

* Sex is an opportunity to talk about Jesus. (Yes! This is my favorite.) 

Some tips Kristen gave are so helpful: 

*Our kid’s questions are an opportunity for discipleship. So answer their questions honestly. 

*Only give them as much information as they need—just a little bit at a time. 

*Think about the expression on your face and the tone of your voice when you answer their questions. Don’t panic! Instead be warm and welcoming. 

*Invite your older kids to look at the world around them and answer the question, “is that working for them? Are they joyful, peace filled, and hopeful?” 

Be sure to check out the courses at Sex Ed Reclaimed. 

There are courses designed for families, home school students, Christian schools and churches and for ages 3-18. 

You can get curriculum samples on her website. 

Kristen generously gave my podcast listeners a discount of 15% off. Just use the code: CHRISTIANPARENTING 

Please take a minute to subscribe to this podcast. I’d also be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating and write a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

You will laugh and maybe cringe at my faux pas. 

You might cry with me at the end of the episode, and you’ll definitely learn about a lot of great books. 

In this episode I get to talk to my dear friend Elsie Iudicello.  

Elsie is a wife to my friend Jeff, and mom to 4 boys. Elsie lives in Florida where she is a farmer, a writer, a reader, a cook, and one of the most compelling and hilarious speakers I have ever the pleasure of hearing.  

Here are some highlights from our conversation: 

*Elsie tells me she loves old movies but also loves natural disaster movies. *Well, only one really. The movie Twister. For an interesting reason! 

*This is when I suggest another movie Elsie might like but that doesn’t actually exist and if it did, you might see it behind the curtain at Blockbuster. Enjoy the laughter that ensues. I’m never going to live this one down. 

*Elsie shares: “books bonded us in the beginning because we got to go play in different worlds together, and that has sustained us in the teen years. 

*We can meet on the bridge of a story. 

*Kids want a book where the author isn’t talking down to them. That doesn’t preach at them or sanitize everything. 

*Reading biographies and especially missionary biographies are so good for our kids to read. 

*Give them books about people stepping out of their comfortable worlds. Read those things into their hearts! 

* I want my kids to get to know people who have had to fight for their faith. 

* Parents need to be readers too. Because this statistic is true and makes my heart sad. “roughly a quarter of American adults say they haven’t read a book in whole or in part in the past year in print, electronic or even in audio form”. 

*”Don’t be in such a hurry to read the great books that you miss the good books.” Cindy Rawlins 

*On re-reading books: “I would rather be friends with 40 or 50 good dear books than read all the books in the world once.” 

*Find Elsie on Instagram at Farmhouse Schoolhouse 

Here's a list of all the books we mention in this episode: 

Ourselves by Charlotte Mason 

The Emperor’s Handbook by Marcus Aurelius 

The Good Master by Kate Seredy 

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder 

The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit 

Little Britches by Ralph Moody 

Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 

Green Ember by S. D. Smith 

Wing Feather Saga by Andrew Peterson 

The Mad Scientist Club by Bertrand Brinley 

The Great Brain by John D Fitzgerald 

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey 

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 

Jules Verne books 

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing 

God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew 

10 Fingers for God: the life and work of Dr. Paul Brand by Dorothy Wilson 

Christian Heroes Then and Now series  

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morely 

The Awaking of Miss Prim: a Novel by Natalia Fenollera 

The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery 

The Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter 

Little Women Louisa May Alcott 

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 

How Green was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn 

The Count of Monte Christo by Alexander Dumas 

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating of the podcast and also a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

I loved this conversation with Sam. We have a lot of fun together because he is a story teller and I love stories! 

Here are some highlights from our talk: 

*The book that turned him into a reader around the age of 15 was Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. 

*Some of the other books that were read aloud to him by his mom and his teachers and shaped him as a storyteller were: 

The Chronicles of Narnia 

Little Women 

The Box Car Children 

God’s Smuggler 

*As an adult, Sam has loved and re-read the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O Brian. 

*My favorite part of our conversation was when Sam gives a message to all parents, but especially to Dads about connecting with their kids through stories: “kids just want attention and time. They want their dads so much! They’re desperate for their dad’s attention. So if you’re a dad and you just make up a story about something you care about, it’s going to be really, really fun for them. They love it when you care. They love it when you try.” 

*And if you can’t think of your own story, take a note from my husband and re-tell movies and books to your kids. You can change the names if you want and your kids will be none the wiser. Until they grow up and watch the movie and figure it out. Then you’ll all get a great laugh over it! 

*I love Sam’s motto for life: Modesty, fidelity, and audacity. 

*Sam shared he’s chasing joy by taking walks, which he finds to be an opportunity to pursue connection, creativity and beauty.” 

*You can find Sam on Instagram, on his website and in his books! 

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating of the podcast and also a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team. 

I love you guys! 

Greta 

Since we haven’t just hung out and talked for a while, I decided this episode will be a little bit of that along with a special Mother’s Day message at the end. Because mothers matter so much to me! 

Here is all that I talk about in this episode, along with the all the links I mention. 

*Get tickets to my online seminar “Parenting in the Digital Age” right here. 

*My seminar will encourage you, inform you and empower you! 

*Remember this about parenting in the digital age—there is a lot we can do wrong, but a lot we can do right! 

*Find me on Instagram here. 

*Learn more about the Wild and Free homeschooling community here. 

*Read the “Tale for the Weary Mom” essay here. 

Some thoughts to remember from my message to moms: 

* Moms are one of the best gifts God has given to us. 

*The love of a mother can be one of the most grounding , supportive and safe things in a really crazy world. 

*If you didn’t have a mom that loved, supported and believed in you, you get to write a new story for your own kids! 

*The work you’re doing as a mom matters even if no one is really noticing. 

* The work of motherhood is holy work. 

*The world may not value the work you’re doing but it has eternal value. 

*Mama, you’re doing a good job. 

*Galatians 6:9 “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 

Please take a minute to subscribe to this podcast. I’d also be so very grateful if you leave a 5-star rating and write a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

Some key takeaways from this episode here: 

*If our kids are growing up in a world that is trying to offer them an unhealthy and dangerous view of sex, it is our job to show them the opposite of that. 

*Your kids have questions about sex, even if they’re not asking them. Create a culture where they can ask you anything. Be their Google! 

*Let’s raise kids who aren’t afraid of God’s good gift of sex, but also have a healthy respect for God’s plan for it. 

*The message of the world is that “sex is everything” and “sex is nothing”. What a confusing world for our kids to grow up in. 

*Our kids need help to see themselves and all people in the world around them as fully human, to cherish and uphold, not objectify, or dismiss. *Read my article about objectification here. 

*Teach your kids that sex and their sexual body parts are  not shameful.  

*Use real, anatomically correct language for all the body parts. 

*Books to read with your littles on these topics  

God Made All of Me 

God Made Me In His Image  

*Creating a healthy sexual culture is an investment in our children’s future.  

*A healthy sexual outlook can help protect your kids from porn because it shines the light of truth in the darkness.  

*“Like it or not, we either add to the darkness of indifference and out-and-out evil which surrounds us, or we light a candle to see by.” Madeleine L’Engle 

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast. And I’d be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating and a short review of the podcast. 

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

In this episode, Megan and I discuss how things could be so different if parents knew how to talk to their kids about sex in this healthy way. 

Here are some key takeaways from our conversation: 

*We don’t have to be afraid of these conversations--2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 

*Remember, the story of sex is good news! 

*The world wants to shout out a bad story, but we have a good story to tell! 

*We need to talk to our kids pornography just like we speak to them about every other danger in their life: be careful crossing the street, touching the stove etc. 

*Your kids need to know they can ask you anything instead of googling it. 

*This is the number one safe search tip! Be their google! 

*For kids under 10: 

*Kids have a God given curiosity about sexual things and that is not a bad thing. 

*Use anatomically correct words for body parts. These are not bad words and these are not bad parts! 

*Answer tough questions like this: “That is a great question and I am so glad you asked that.” 

*For kids 11+ 

*Be direct and have honest and open conversations. 

*Bring up these topics and stories at the dinner table. Discuss as a family. 

*Be a safe landing spot for them even if you are uncomfortable. 

*The Lord has equipped you for the children you have! 

Find more from Birds and Bees here. 

Find the amazing course at Birds and Bees here. 

Get 20% off the Birds and Bees course by using the code GRETA20. 

Find the course here. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast, and give it a five-star rating. I’d also be so very grateful if you leave a review of the podcast wherever you listen. Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

Some other key takeaways from this episode are: 

*We are built for connection and few things cause greater disconnection than pornography. 

*Corrie ten Boom said there is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still. I’d add, even the pit of pornography. 

* Pornography is a health crisis. It impacts the very body, the mind and the very soul of the person who is consuming it. 

* Pornography is not just a male issue. It is a human issue. It impacts every one of us—man, woman, boy and girl. 

* Conversation is the number one tool in keeping our kids safe from pornography. Routers, software, and parental controls are important, but if your kids can’t talk to you when those things fail, then all the safeguards you have put into place mean nothing. 

*Your littles need a definition of what porn is, but give them the least amount of information needed to keep them safe. 

*Tell them: “Porn is bad for your body, brain and heart. I want to keep you safe!” 

*We want to talk to our kids before they are exposed to pornography. That is why we begin these conversations when they are around the age of 5, 6 or 7 years old. 

*Your middles need to know that porn is dangerous, and they need a way out if they see it. Give them an escape plan. 

*Help them see porn impacts their brain and heart by explaining what objectification is. Read my article here for help. 

*They don’t need a smart phone. They need a safe phone! 

*Check out Gabb phones and use my code GRETA for a discount. 

*Also look at this article for more safe phone choices. 

*Your teens need you to discuss porn with them even if you never have before. Now is the time! 

*Also discuss topics like sexting, nudes, and sextortion. Do they know what to do if they are in those situations? 

*Delay social media for as long as possible with teens. Not before 16 and I suggest waiting until after high school. 

*Your young adults don’t need you to preach to them but rather to invite them into conversations on this topic.  

*My challenge to you: have the first conversation about pornography with your kids this week! 

*And look for tickets to my online seminar on protecting kids from porn happening in May! 

Books I recommend in this episode: 

*Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. 

*Good Pictures Bad Pictures 

*How to Talk to Your Kids About Pornography 

*Chasing Love 

*A Students Guide to Culture 

*Website: Fight the New Drug 

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating of the podcast and also a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

In this episode we are talking about an idea that Chris often shares with parents: delay is the way! 

Here is some more of our conversation: 

*No parent ever says “I’ve failed as a parent because I gave my kid snapchat too late.” 

*Chris shares this quote from Dr. Mitchell Princstein, chief science officer of the American Psychological Association, “there are no findings showing harm to children who stay off of social media, in fact, some emerging evidence suggests that the most socially competent kids are refraining from using these platforms.” 

*Chris suggests waiting until high school for a smart phone. 

*I suggest waiting until after high school for social media. 

*“May we raise kids who don’t have to recover from their childhood.” Pam Leo 

*Chris shares tips for parenting in the digital age with our littles, middles and teens. 

*For littles: Get a router that will help prevent early accidental exposure. The router is your guard! Use it! Everything you need to know about routers from Chis found here. 

*For middles: Build that relational connection Have conversations that assure them no matter what happens they can land softly and safely with you!  

*Use parental control software on all devices (learn more about those here)  

*Give them a plan for what to do if they see pornography or other problematic things in the digital space. More on that in episode 8! 

*For teens: Keep talking! Almost annoy your kids with the frequency of these convos! 

Where to find more help from Chris? 

Website here 

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating of the podcast and write a quick review.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

In this episode, Chris and I talk about: 

*the quiet that is missing from the lives of children today.   

*the need to parent with empathy and compassion. 

*that it’s tough to raise kids right now, and it’s hard to be a kid right now. 

*our kids need to know we are on their team in this digital journey.  

*where digital trust is high, digital friction is low. 

*we need to stay calm when we’re talking to our kid about porn  

*we need to stay calm when we’re talking to them after they’ve seen porn. 

*we need to respond like Jesus, with grace and truth. (John 1:7) 

*the truth that porn is bad for them and that we must protect them and the grace for their mistake. 

*a child needs to know 2 things after he’s made a mistake: am I going to be OK and are you still OK with me? 

*parents have to do their own work in preparation for these moments. This is part of parenting in the digital age. 

*read the blog post where I talk to my daughter about the inappropriate half time show here. 

Be sure to come back for part two next week! 

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

Here's some more of what we talked about: 

Sarah tells us she loves roller coasters. She recently rode one 6 times in a row and read her kindle while in line. 

This quote by Andrew Pudewa launched Sarah deep into the world of reading aloud with her kids: the best way to help kids become better communicators is to read aloud a ton and memorize poetry. 

Sarah noticed that reading aloud didn’t just make a positive impact on her kids academically, but there was a relational impact happening too. 

She noticed as her kids were growing up and sometimes she and they were at odds with each other, reading aloud put her and her kids on the same side of the fence. 

Sarah says: reading aloud is a powerful way to connect with our kids in a really noisy world. 

Its simple, free, quick: that’s a lot of dividends from a small investment. 

We learn that audio books count every bit as much as reading a book with pages. 

And we learn that data says whether they read early or late, by 8th grade most kids are at about the same reading level if kids are being exposed to good books all along. 

No need to fear if you have a late reader! 

I’ve had 3 myself. 

And here is the list of all the books we discussed together. 

Each one is linked so you can see the cover and even put it in your cart if you want to! 

For the younger kids: 

Buffalo Fluffalo 

Jonas Hanway’s Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly, Sensational Umbrella 

Sheep in a Jeep 

Morris the Moose Goes to School 

For the middle grades: 

Umbrella Mouse 

Note: there is some mild language in this book and the ones below. Sarah and I both feel that mild curse words said in a British accent don’t feel troubling to us, but handle it as you wish. All Creatures Great and Small (children’s version and beloved by my kids) 

All Creatures Great and Small (book for middle grades and up) 

All Creatures Great and Small (show) 

Adventures with Waffles 

Astrid the Unstoppable 

Pipi Longstocking 

Chronicles of Narnia (a must have for every library) 

Tuesdays at the Castle 

Vanderbeekers 

Penderwicks 

For the teens: 

Glitch 

Screwtape Letters 

Surprised by Joy 

Find out more about book clubs for kids and grownups in Greta’s book: Adventuring Together 

Sarah tells us she is chasing joy by playing a new board game with her family called : Seven Wonders 

You can find all of Sarah’s endeavors in the links at the top of these show notes. You’ll want to follow her and glean all the book goodness she has to share! 

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team. 

I love you guys! 

Greta 

In what is becoming a trend, I was moved to tears multiple times in this episode. Talking with Leslie will do that to you. She is so calm, loving and warm. She is also honest and says the hard things. I absolutely loved our time together and I know you will too.  

Here's some more of what we talked about: 

I recommended this book to Leslie when I found out she loves miniature things: The Borrowers. Get the whole series here. 

We recently read this book in our kid book club: learn how to start your own kid, or adult, book club here. 

Leslie loves trying new things, which shows her kids they don’t have to fear failure and that they are free to be a learner. Learn more about this idea here. 

Leslie and her husband intentionally pursued connection with their kids from the beginning, but she had a key insight early on: making mistakes as parents was their biggest motivator to pursue relationship with their kids. 

She realized that if she didn’t make changes she’d destroy relationship rather than foster it: “I can do just as much good as I can do damage. I can be better.” 

Another key insight from Leslie into cultivating relationship with our kids: “Look at your children with a lens of gratitude” rather than as people we want to shape and change. 

A key word stands out as Leslie describes the way her parents cultivated connection with her as a child: available. 

Leslie’s mother was physically and emotionally available.  

Cultivating a strong relationship with parents as an adult child has a lot to do with: forgiveness. 

Gratitude also changes a fractured relationship 

Leslie reminds us to include our parents: invite them because they might be wondering “where is my place in my adult child’s life?” 

Everybody likes to be invited. 

A book that reminds us that connecting with our kids does not have to be complicated is: Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers. 

More ideas for creating simple connection points with your kids can be found on Leslie’s free downloadable 30 Days of Connection Calendar 

More tips for creating connection with your kids: connection can be body to body—hugs and squeezes. 

Be in their physical space—hang out in their room and talk to them. 

Make eye contact during a conversation. 

Invite kids into your space too—like cooking with your kids, telling them about the book you’re reading, sharing your prayer requests, inviting them on errands, helping them with their chores. 

Give them your time. 

Give them your attention. 

We need to make sure we’re seeing our kids! 

Leslie tells us she’s chasing joy right now by learning about neuroplasticity and engaging in activities that grow and change her brain. 

Be sure to visit Leslie’s website here to find more of her work.  

Follow along with her in Insta here. 

And don’t forget to look for her book, coming this summer! 

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

Here's some more of what I talked about: 

I share the idea that our kids can get to know their Creator by spending time in His creation because: we see and experience different parts of God’s character in the world He created. 

Spending time out in nature is an investment in our kid’s spiritual health. 

This concept was so important to me that I have made a point of spending a full day outside every single week. Read more about it my book Adventuring Together. 

Stop and marvel at God’s creation because when our kids see us respond to the wonder of creation, they our faith is not fake or forced. 

And don’t discount even the little bits of God’s handiwork: even the small things in creation point us to a big God. 

We can read books that show us more about God in His creation: like the book I’m reading with Davy right now A View From the Zoo. 

This blog post has a whole bunch more books about nature and all of them point us to God. Read it here. 

Remember, spending time in nature is a gentle and powerful way to introduce our kids to God. 

Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 

We need to embrace discomfort and consider it a gift. 

When we experience comfort all the time it makes us a less grateful person. 

Discomfort helps us become more grateful because it gives us the opportunity to be grateful. 

Discomfort also gives our kids the opportunity to grow their grit, resilience and perseverance. 

None of those things grow in the midst of a lot of comfort. 

When we walk through difficult situations alongside our kids we aren’t taking the growth opportunity away. But we are showing them we’ll be there for them. 

When we show up and help carry the little burdens, they know we’ll be there to carry the bigger burdens later on. 

Discomfort is also very connecting relationally. 

I wrote a blog post about this and you can read it here. 

Some key points to take away:  

Moments of discomfort are connection points that push us together 

We can ask ourself: how can I see God’s good plan at work when things are hard? 

We can also ask: how will this become a story of redemption? 

Often God changes our attitude even when he doesn’t change our circumstance 

And remember, even when things go wrong: it will make a great story later!| 

I share that one of the ways I am chasing joy right now is by listeing to audio books. 

We are huge fans of audio books in our family.  

Here is a great blog post I wrote about the value of audio books and a list of some of our favorite audio books. 

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team.  

I love you guys! 

Greta 

Here's some more of what we talked about: 

The connecting power of books and this quote by Kim John Payne: “In a world where almost everyone is a writer or content developer it takes an act of humility and intent to become a reader.” 

The principle from 19th century British educator and philosopher, Charlotte Mason, that changed everything for Ginny when she didn’t like life as a mom: children should be outside 4-6 hours whenever the weather is tolerable. 

Getting outside is a way to grow our faith: we see God’s character through His creation 

How reading this book reminded Ginny that God gives us hands on spiritual principles through His creation: Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children 

Ginny’s answer for what to do when it’s hard to get outside with our kids: “It's almost always hard and that’s why we have a goal for it. You don’t have a goal for things that are easy.” 

Alastair Humphreys reminds us that sometimes the hardest step to take is the one out our own front door: The Doorstep Mile: Live More Adventurously Every Day. 

And yes, it is worth getting our kids outdoors even though it’s hard because it teaches: grit, resilience, and gratitude. 

Books that remind us of this: The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self and There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom’s Secret for Raising Healthy, Resilient and Confidant Kids. 

I share one of our family mottos as found in my book, Adventuring Together: It will make a great story later. 

Ginny tells us how she’s chasing joy right now: with more analog activities like cross stitch from Caterpillar Cross Stitch, reading more fiction like The German Wife, taking walks, baking sourdough, playing the piano and using her hands as inspired by Jill Winger and her book Old Fashioned On Purpose: Cultivating a Slower, More Joyful Life. 

Ginny and I remember that we owe our meeting to the fabulous Ainsley Arment of Wild and Free 

Be sure to read Ginny’s newest book: Until the Streetlights Come On: How a Return to Play Brightens Our Present and Prepares Kids for an Uncertain Future. 

You can listen to Ginny’s podcast here. 

You can follow her on Instagram here. 

And you can learn more about her global movement, 1000 Hours Outside, here. 

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team. 

I love you guys! 

Greta 

I am so happy to be partnering with Christian Parenting to create this show. You’ll find them to be a wealth of helpful resources for you as a parent, wanting to raise your kids to know God in a world that wants them not to. 

There is a lot to look forward to and I share a little bit about that in this episode. 

Here is some more of what I talked about: 

Saying yes to this podcast felt scary and hard but I’ve never regretted saying the scary yes. 

It's been a steep learning curve: I’ve struggled but it’s OK to be a beginner. 

My show always starts with an introduction: enjoy mine! 

I also ask guest to share something we wouldn’t find in a regular bio.  

Here are mine: 

I hate sneezing, I love your mom jokes, and I was once in a plane that got stuck by lightening while in the air! Exciting and terrifying! 

I share the two books I’ve written: Adventuring Together and 100 Days of Adventure 

Each week I’ll be covering a topic on my own or discussing one with a guest: I’m learning interviewing is a skill and I’m getting better at it slowly but surely. 

We’ll be talking about everything from fighting porn, cultivating friendships, and having adventures to grief, tide pooling and creating family traditions: this podcast will be all over the place because life is just too interesting to talk about one thing! 

You can find more of my work and writing on my website here. 

You can follow me on Instagram here for all the up to the minute goings on in my life. 

And please don’t forget to like and subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team. 

I love you guys! 

Greta 

But I believe a joyful, connected life is possible with Jesus’s help because he offers us life to the full!

It’s time to open our eyes to the wonder God has put all around us, so join me each week on The Greta Eskridge Podcast as some of my favorite friends and I explore ways to create connection in our families and chase joy through both the peaks and valleys of parenting and life.