Sex and pornography are topics that feel uncomfortable for parents to talk about, but if we aren’t our children’s main sex educators, culture will be.
If you wonder how to navigate this over sexualized society with your teen or pre-teen, this interview will help equip and encourage.
Rodney and Traci Wright, authors of How To Talk With Your Kids About Sex, travel the country as speakers and educators about healthy sexuality.
We cover how to start talking about sex early, what it looks like to heal from our own experiences, how we can frame this topic in a way that is helpful, and why vulnerability is important.
Consider sharing this episode – most parents need help navigating this tricky topic.
National trends show we are sending kids off to college with impressive resumes, but without the tools to handle their emotions or make meaningful social connections. Educator Margo Long joins The Open Door Sisterhood to give us the "state of the union" as far as teenagers' social and emotional health. A lifelong educator of educators, Margo has spent her career training young adults as they enter the education field. She has worked specifically with gifted students who often have the academic skills to complete assignments or talent to compete athletically, but not the emotional and social skills to be truly successful.
Margo reminds us that it is never too early to introduce the language of feelings to our kids. We can ask them about tasks AND ask them how they feel about the tasks at hand. We can also practice speaking and listening through regular times at the dinner table or through weekly family meetings, giving everyone the chance to take a turn sharing successes and struggles. As kids grow we give them age-appropriate space and responsibility so they can practice the range of social, emotional, and academic skills they will need to be successful adults.
The pandemic has made it especially difficult for teenagers to have meaningful connections with people outside of their immediate family. We can be intentional about their stressors and our conversations around them as we move ahead. This conversation can help us coach our teens with a little more intention.
Every year Alex and Krista do a round up of their favorite things from the past year. From beauty products, gift ideas, kitchen gadgets, clothing picks, TV shows and more, they give their best and most useful tips.
It’s Valentine’s Day and though YOU are really our favorite, we also like to share other “practical” favorite things with you. Part 2 of this episode will be sent to our email subscribers this week via email. Sign up at The Open Door Sisterhood to get the second part.
7 Wonders Game (strategy)
Ed Emberley’s Complete Funprint Drawing Book
Studio Series Ink Pad Set (15 colors)
Cozy Earth Sheets – Krista’s item of the year
Mon Chateaux Luxury Collection faux fur rugs
12 qt. Yedi Air fryer
The Always Pan – replaces your fry pan, saute pan, steamer, skillet, saucier, saucepan, non-stick pan, spatula, and spoon rest.
Nespresso Vertuo Coffee Machine
Costco Business Center to stock my own convenience store
Capers
Pray As You Go my item of the year
Scallop apple watch silver/gold jewelry strap
Street Level Reversible Tote – black
Barefoot Dreams Lite Long Cardigan
Ann Taylor Loft seasonal clearance
The Bridgetown Daily – walked Krista through COVID
The Art of happiness with Arthur Brooks
Nice White Parents, 5 part series by the NYT
Eryn Eddy wasn't setting out to develop a lifestyle fashion brand. She simply wanted to reinforce the message she was giving her music fans, "You are worthy of love." Her unplanned t-shirt adventure has turned into a business shipping products around the world. But in all of that fashion merchandising, Erin began to absorb the message for herself. She began to dig deep into what it means to be worthy of love and practice self love. This meant examining long held beliefs about herself and contrasting them with what the Bible said about her. It led her to places of honesty with herself and with God.
In this 30-minute conversation we talk through what resilience looks like, how to determine if someone should be speaking into you, and how caring for ourselves allows us to better care for others. We cover how to take first steps when feeling overwhelmed and how those first steps give us confidence for next steps. Eryn tells us what she wrote on her mirror with dry erase marker and why she celebrated with a night in a Tiki Airstream trailer.
If you are wondering how to deal with feelings or thoughts that are destructive, this episode could be a good place to start. It's easy for us to tell you that "God loves you", it's much harder to absorb that message. This conversation will offer some first steps toward health.