Parenting Made Practical

Moms Notes

What are Mom’s Notes?

The “Mom’s Notes” presentations give practical application to the biblical teaching and principles learned in Growing Kids God’s Way. The presentations are titled, Mom’s Notes as Carla presented them to Mom’s groups across the country (Joey joins Carla on some of the sessions). The Mom’s Notes presentations are written by both Joey and Carla and Moms and Dads are encouraged to go through them as well.

The Notes provide the script Carla used while being taped. During the taping sessions she adds more illustrations and at the end of each session (when time allows), she takes questions from the audience. The teaching is designed to follow the instruction given in Titus 2:5 “Older women are to teach the younger women how to love their husbands and raise their children…”

There are a total of 43 presentations. The presentations can be purchased in Volumes, individually, in two or three-part series or in Starter Packs. One Starter Pack contains six of the best presentations for parents of toddlers and preschoolers and the other contains five of the most commonly requested presentations for children of all ages. There is also a Starter Pack for First-time Obedience, which contains the CD, Notes and laminated chart for that presentation, which is also in the Starter Pack for All Children.

There are eight presentations per Volume, which are not sorted by topic. When taping a Volume over the course of a school year, whichever presentations were written during that time on whatever topics are contained in a given Volume.

Some presentations had to be recorded in two sessions because of the length of the presentation. Therefore, 2-part series are in fact one presentation taped in two sessions. Both parts of a 2-part series needs to be purchased to get the complete information of that topic. 3-part series were written in such a way that each part can stand alone. Therefore, 3-part presentations may be purchased individually or as a 3-part series.

If you would like to use the Mom’s Notes in a GEMS or Mom’s group, you will find information on how to do this on this website under “Using the Mom’s Notes in Groups.”

The Mom’s Notes were originally written for those who had complete the Growing Kids God’s Way parenting class. They are now used by parents whether they have taken this class or not.

We thank Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo for their support and encouragement of the Mom’s Notes, and for their permission to use the teaching in the GFI parenting curricula as the foundation for the information in these presentations.

ALL 40 Moms Notes Presentations

VOLUME 1

  • UNDERSTANDING FREEDOMS (Part 1 and Part 2)

This 2-part series explores the meaning of the statement “With responsibility comes freedom.” Are you frustrated with your children because you are constantly reminding them to do the things they know they should? In this presentation you will learn what to do when your children are not taking ownership’ of their behaviors in attitude and action.

Part 2 of this presentation looks at how to effectively train your children in the Repentance, Forgiveness, and Restoration process.

  • STRUCTURING YOUR CHILDREN’S DAY (Part 1 and Part 2)

To structure one’s day or time is to provide a routine for family living. Part 1 discusses the four areas in every Mom’s life that need to have routine. Ideas for managing the home and chores are given. Part 2 looks at ways to add structure and routine to your children’s day which will help develop their character as well. This series shares how to have a routine with kids of all ages.

  • LEGALISM/PERMISSIVENESS, WHERE’S THE BALANCE?

When balancing legalistic or permissive tendencies in your parenting it is hard not to have blind spots. Everyone tend to lean one way or the other. This presentation looks at the characteristics of the legalistic and permissive parent and discusses ways that you can bring balance to your parenting.

  • IS YOUR SPOUSE YOUR BEST FRIEND?

Should your spouse be your best friend? We think so. Taking a look at the biblical model of submission that is required of women and what exactly it means to be a ‘helper’, this presentation shares ten ways to assist you in building a positive friendship relationship with your spouse.

  • UNDERSTANDING PEER PRESSURE (Part 1 and Part 2)

Many parents don’t think about peer pressure until their children are into late elementary school grades or beyond. The effects of peer pressure can be felt and seen much earlier than this. This 2-part series discusses six relationship realms in our lives in which we can be affected by peer pressure. It explains how children can have friends that are like-minded and friends who aren’t. It tells what a parent can do if their child is already established in friendships that are not good for them.

VOLUME 2

  • RISING ABOVE THE LEVEL OF MEDIOCRITY IN YOUR PARENTING

In the Bible, we are continually challenged to raise the standard in our parenting. What does it mean to truly parent at a higher standard? This presentation gives eight principles that share why you should set a high standard for your parenting and ways to get there. Encouragement is given to those who feel that they are alone in their desire to raise children with high moral standards and Godly character.

  • UNDERSTANDING CHARACTER TRAINING (Part 1 and Part 2)

“How do I know I have gotten to the heart of my child?” is a frequent question asked us by parents. This 2-part series lays the foundation for understanding what character training is and how Godly character is developed in one’s children.

Part 1 – Laying the Foundation

Part 2 – Getting to the Heart of Your Child

  • WORKING WITH YOUR CHILD’S ‘BESETTING SIN’ (3-Part Series)

A ‘Besetting Sin’ is a sin pattern that can control a person to such an extent that it overshadows the good that is in his heart. This 3-part series deals with the most common sin pattern inherent in each of the four temperaments.

Part 1 – The Choleric: “Training the Angry Child”

Part 2 – The Phelgmatic: “Dealing with a Child who is Stubborn and Unmotivated”

The Sanguine: “Working with the Child who Lies”

Part 3 – The Melancholy: “Teaching Your Child to Deal with His Emotions”

  • FOCUSING AND CONCENTRATING SKILLS FOR CHILDREN

The ability to focus and concentrate, is that a skill or moral behavior? If your child is easily distracted, doesn’t ‘remember’ what he is asked to do, and has trouble staying on task, then this presentation is for you! Practical ways to work with this child are discussed.

  • ON ‘BEING WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES’

This presentation looks at the forms that ‘Being Wise in One’s Own Eyes’ can take. It shares how parents can know if they are dealing with a child who is characterized by pride and arrogance and if so, what can be done about it.

VOLUME 3

  • FINDING THE BALANCE IN BIBLICAL PARENTING (3-Part Series)

Part 1 – Fundamentals

‘Fundamentals’ discusses ten often overlooked principles such as meeting your child’s love language, giving him praise and encouragement and more, giving fresh, practical tips for applying them.

  • Part 2 – Understanding First-time Obedience

Ephesians 6:1 says, “Children obey your parents in the Lord”. What does obedience look like? Can parents expect their children to obey? This presentation discusses the biblical standard of obedience ‘first-time’, and provides helpful age-appropriate suggestions for parents on how to get their child to obey.

  • Part 3 – Discipline Issues

Learn when and how to use four methods of correction, age-appropriate. Commondiscipline situations are presented.

  • COMMONLY ASKED TEEN QUESTIONS

Questions we are frequently asked about teens are addressed in this presentation. Issues pertaining to dress and entertainment are discussed. In addition, guidelines are given sharing how parents can guide their teen by their influence versus by the power of their authority.

  • TEN WAYS TO FIGHT FAIR WITH YOUR SPOUSE

Conflict is normal and to be expected in a marriage relationship. While it cannot be avoided, there are ways to handle it appropriately. This presentation discusses ten ways to fight fair with your spouse.

  • BUILDING FAMILY IDENTITY

It is stated in Growing Kids God’s Way that ‘Peer pressure is only as strong as family identity is weak.’ Building a positive family identity takes time and effort. Practical ways to develop identity as a family both spiritually and emotionally are given in this presentation.

  • DEALING WITH SIBLING CONFLICT (2-Part Series)

In Part 1 of this presentation, the difference between sibling conflict and sibling rivalry is defined and how to recognize it is clearly outlined. Ways that parents, perhaps unintentionally, promote sibling rivalry are also discussed. In Part 2 of this presentation, ways that parents can deal with conflict resolution among siblings are given.

Part 1- Understanding Sibling Conflict

Part 2 – Conflict Resolution Part

VOLUME 4

  • UNDERSTANDING THE FUNNEL

This presentation gives a thorough understanding of the concept of the funnel, including guidelines for getting your child back into his ‘funnel’, evaluating how to deal with freedoms and choices, and how to correct for ‘funnel issues’.

The following presentations deal with the training of children in specific age categories. The presentations explain ‘normal’ behaviors for each age, including age-appropriate discipline measures. It also describes what should be the primary focus of parents when training children in each of the following age groupings.

  • TRAINING TODDLERS (Children ages 18 months – 2 years)
  • TRAINING PRESCHOOLERS (Children ages 3 – 5 years)
  • TRAINING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN (Kgn – 5th Grade)
  • TRAINING MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN (6th – 8th Grade)
  • PARENTING AS PARTNERS

Once children arrive, parents find they often do not agree on how to deal with them, becoming inconsistent in day-to-day living. This presentation discusses what wives wish their husbands understood about their role as Moms, what husbands wish their wives understood about their roles as Dads and gives ways to bring spouses together to parent as partners, not rivals.

  • TRAINING THE PASSIVE REBELLIOUS CHILD

No parent has a truly compliant child. Find out how to effectively train the ‘passive rebellious’ child – the child who ‘forgets’, ‘doesn’t remember’, never seems to be doing what he/she is supposed to, yet are generally agreeable and polite children.

  • USING THE BIBLE IN THE INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING OF YOUR CHILDREN

Parents can get moral instruction and training into the hearts of their children using the Bible as their main resource. This presentation defines areas parents should train their children in before they leave home for the adult world.

VOLUME 5

  • ALL OF A SUDDEN

When describing a parenting scenario to us, parents frequently get to a point in their story when they say, “And all of a sudden…” We know from experience that rarely does a problem with children develop ‘suddenly’. ‘All of a sudden’ reveals gaps in the training of children that are already there. Find out how to rid your household of ‘sudden’ discipline problems.

  • THE DISCIPLINE YEARS – (Birth to 5 Years)

Information on the first transition, often referred to as the ‘terrible twos’ and on the first phase of parenting– ‘The Discipline Years’ is covered in this presentation. It tells parents what their training objectives should be during these years of their children’s lives.

  • THE PARENT-TRAINER

How do parents know if their child is ready to transition from ‘The Discipline Years’ to the second phase of parenting – ‘The Training Years’. In addition, it discusses necessary components of the role of the parent as the primary ‘trainer’ in a child’s life, including the parent as the ‘Leader/Director’, ‘Bender/Pruner’, ‘Instructor/Teacher’, and as the ‘Former of Habits’

  • IT’S ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE – (Ages 6 – 12 Years)

The transition from ‘The Discipline Years’ to ‘The Training Years’ can be summarized in one word – Attitude. This presentation gives guidelines to parents on how to deal with their child’s attitude, which is the key to training a child’s heart.

  • THE MIDDLE YEARS TRANSITION – (Grades 5-8)

In-between ‘The Training Years’ (elementary school) and the ‘The Coaching Years’ (high school) is ‘The Middle Years’. This is a critical time of development morally, physically, and spiritually in the life of a child. Just when parents think things are going well, their child moves into the middle years and an entire new set of challenges present themselves. This presentation discusses how parents can know when they need to use their authority in dealing with their pre-teen, or when they can start moving to working with this child by the power of the parent’s relational influence.

  • BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST WITH A REBELLIOUS TEEN

This presentation takes an updated look at ‘The Father’s Mandate’ (first shared in Growing Kids God’s Way) and gives point-by-point advice on how to use this timeless information in building a relationship of trust with a rebellious teen. It describes to parents how they can soften the heart of their teenager and how repentance and restoration can be achieved on the part of both the parents and teen.

  • THE COACHING PHASE – (Ages 13-22 Years)

The teen years can be the best years of parenting! This presentation gives helpful guidelines on understanding when a teen is ready for freedom and independence. It also takes a look at the third and final transition, (Ages 19-22 Years) and discusses what scenarios are common to this period in the life of parents and their now nearly adult child.

  • A FAMILY FORUM WITH THE LINK FAMILY

Parents asked our children, Michael, Briana, and Amy (at the time of the taping 22, 17, and 14 years of age) parenting questions. This forum will encourage and challenge parents to ‘hang in there’ for the entire season of their child’s formative years, as the Link children share heart-felt answers to these questions.

Volume 6

Liar, Liar Pants On Fire

Every child lies at one time or another. Parents need to figure out “why” their child lies to know what they should do about it. Learn the many forms lying takes and how to recognize them, how to deal with it and how the child can rebuild his parents and others’ trust.

Fighting the Consistency Battle

Learn 10 reasons why parents are NOT consistent in parenting their kids and 7 characteristics of consistent parents. Discover your tendencies and how you can become a consistent parent.

Kids, Get Self-Control!

“How many times have I told you…” comes out of Mom’s mouth when she can’t believe her child did something again. Kids have self-control; they just don’t use it unless they want to. This presentation teaches parents of 5 and under how to begin getting self-control. It also gives parents of 5 and older 8 key areas parents need to train their kids in self-control character and suggestions on how to accomplish it. A child knows he is supposed to brush his teeth but doesn’t have the self-control to take the time to pull the brush out of the cup, put the tooth paste on it and brush his teeth, yet later that day he has the self-control to dribble a soccer ball with his foot with other teammates on the practice field which takes a lot of self-control. The same is true for the character of your kids!

MOM’S NOTES RECOMENED FOR SPECIFIC AGES

For  Parents of Toddler & Preschool age kids

  1. The Discipline Years Phase” (Birth – 5 Years)
  2. “Training Toddlers”
  3. “Training Preschoolers”
  4. “Understanding the Funnel”
  5. “Structuring Your Child’s Day, Part 1”
  6. “Structuring Your Child’s Day, Part 2”

For Parents of Early Elementary School Age Children

(Kindergarten – 2nd Grade):

  • Structuring Your Children’s Day, Part 1 and Part 2 (Volume 1)
  • Understanding First-time Obedience (Volume 3)
  • Discipline Issues (Volume 3)
  • Understanding Character Training, Part 1 and Part 2 (Volume 2)
  • The Parent-Trainer (Volume 5)
  • It’s All About Attitude (Volume 5)
  • Understanding the Funnel (Volume 4)
  • Training Elementary School Age Children (Volume 4)

For Parents of Elementary School Age Children

(3rd – 5th Grades)

  • Understanding Freedoms, Part 1 and Part 2 (Volume 1)
  • Understanding First-time Obedience (Volume 3)
  • Discipline Issues (Volume 3)
  • Understanding Character Training, Part 1 and Part 2 (Volume 2)
  • The Parent-Trainer (Volume 5)
  • It’s All About Attitude (Volume 5)
  • Understanding the Funnel (Volume 4)
  • Training Elementary School Age Children (Volume 4)

For Parents of Middle School Age Children

  • Understanding Freedoms, Part 1 and Part 2 (Volume 1)
  • Understanding First-time Obedience (Volume 3)
  • Discipline Issues (Volume 3)
  • Understanding Character Training, Part 1 and Part 2 (Volume 2)
  • Understanding the Funnel (Volume 4)
  • Training Middle School Age Children (Volume 4)
  • The Middle Years Transition (Volume 5)

For Parents of Teens:

  • Understanding Freedoms, Part 1 and Part 2 (Volume 1)
  • Understanding First-time Obedience (Volume 3)
  • Understanding Character Training, Part 1, and Part 2 (Volume 2)
  • Understanding the Funnel (Volume 4)
  • Commonly Asked Teen Questions (Volume 3)
  • Building a Relationship of Trust With a Rebellious Teen (Volume 5)
  • The Coaching Phase (Volume 5)
  • A Family Forum with the Link Family (Volume 5)