Kari Walters
September 10, 2025
The parenting resource Growing Kids God’s Way was a part of both my husband, Caleb’s and my upbringing, though we only knew it from the child’s point of view. After having our firstborn, we knew we needed to look into it more seriously for ourselves.
While visiting my mom in Minnesota, she handed me the Mom’s Notes CDs to take back to Mississippi, where we lived as Caleb was stationed as an an Active Duty Navy Seabee there. The Link’s have been a part of our lives since I was a girl, and I knew they were experienced leaders who taught other leaders like my parents how to best disciple those in their classes.
Once we sat down to listen to “Training Toddlers”, I looked at Caleb and jokingly said, “We’ve messed up our kid.” All joking aside, we knew we wanted a standard for our family and the Mom’s Notes gave us a realistic perspective on how to accomplish that.
Over the years, the practical application the Mom’s Notes share helped us to be able to parent consistently and be on the same page. Parenting in this way was helpful during the transition of Caleb leaving for orders that didn’t include us going with him to reintegration when he came home; because the standard for our kids stayed the same. Our kids knew what to expect and they clung to the standard we had set as it created security and stability for them.
The resources helped equip our family for times when I must parent alone. Others are in awe that my two-year-old can sit with his hands folded and wait with his sisters while I attend to the business or errands that I must get done.
Over the last few years of using the principles found in the Mom’s Notes in our home, we felt we were missing a piece and that is when my mom explained that the Growing Kids God’s Way parenting class had foundational principles that the Mom’s Notes were built off of. We see so many opinions, thoughts, and voices telling us how to “best” parent our children in the world today via the internet. Some had a good thought or two, yet it wasn’t for us as we watched it in practice. Caleb and I knew we needed something more. We signed up for the Growing Kids God’s Way parenting class with Joey & Carla Link as our teachers and at another time took their class, How Temperaments Impact You, Your Spouse & Your Kids. Having completed these classes with Joey and Carla, we are starting to see the difference in ourselves, our marriage, and our children as we consistently apply what we learned. We have peace knowing we are setting a good, positive and biblical foundation for our family.
If you are in the same place Caleb and I were, feeling something is missing from your parenting, we would encourage you to get plugged in to a class. The Growing Kids God’s Way class the Link’s are leading this fall is full, but they are taking registrations for their class on Temperaments. You can find more information about it here. It is a 4-week class starting on Thursday nights, Sept. 11, 2025. It will bless you and your family.
We are so thankful for the resources Growing Kids God’s Way by Gary & Anne Marie Ezzo and the Mom’s Notes sessions by Joey & Carla Link that have been a big help for parenting our family. They provide us with a jump start on the standard and foundation we want to parent from. Being a military family, they also help in the consistency of our parenting and knowing how to provide security for our kids when Caleb’s orders take him away from home for a period of time. It makes leaving and coming home an easier transition for him, the kids and I.
“He must manage his own family well,
having children who respect and obey him”
1 Timothy 3:4, NLT
Have you listened to these Mom’s Notes presentations?
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 groups.
“Training Toddlers (18 months-2 years)”
“Training Preschoolers (3 – 5 years)”
“Training Elementary Years Children (6-10 years)”
Parenting Made Practical Podcasts
Home should be a place Dad wants to come home to after a long day at work. What does Dad usually walk into when he comes home to your house? Are the kids getting along or are they fighting? Are you yelling at them to calm down while you are trying to finish dinner? Dad wants to walk into a peaceful home but that’s not always possible. In this podcast Dad will find tips on what to do when he gets home, no matter what’s going on.
#71 Getting Your Kids to Listen to You
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