Ep. 136: Raising Responsible Kids (A Chat with RuthAnn Zimmerman)
M Is for Mama Podcast
Abbie Halberstadt
4.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 25 February 2026
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
One of my biggest FAQs involves questions about chores, kids’ responsibilities, and teaching children self-discipline.
On this episode, I invite my friend RuthAnn Zimmerman to share her wisdom about intentionally facilitating responsibility and stewardship in children through hard work, discipline, and appropriate expectations.
She talks about how they chose to take on animals and tasks for the sake of giving their children meaningful work, how we as moms should be “working ourselves out of a job”—at least for a time— and why our idolization of childhood can actually hold our children back.
Sponsor Info:
Voetberg Music Academy
Voetberg Music Academy provides online, at home, shareable lessons so that your kids can pursue their musical passions without stress or hassle.
Use Code: MISFORMAMA20 For 20% Off Of Each Month That You're Enrolled!
Guest Info:
RuthAnn Zimmerman
Visit RuthAnn's Site Here
Buy Her Book The Heart of the Homestead Here!
Bible References:
Ephesians 2:10
Galatians 6:9
Matthew 11:28-30
1 Corinthians 10:31
Matthew 5:46-48
Jeremiah 17:9
Links:
The Gentleness Challenge
Penny Reward System
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the MS for Mama podcast. I'm your host, Abby Halberstadt, happy wife, |
| 0:09.8 | mama to 10, Bible Believing Christian. And on today's episode, I have a guest that you guys |
| 0:16.7 | have been asking me for for the longest time.anne zimmerman is here today to talk about chores |
| 0:22.3 | and childhood responsibilities and i just love her no nonsense get right down to it practical approach |
| 0:28.6 | and i know you guys will too before we dive into that conversation with her i want to highlight |
| 0:32.6 | our podcast sponsor as always voteberg music academy where you can have siblings learning together for as |
| 0:38.9 | little as $30 a month in instruments like piano, ukulele, guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. |
| 0:46.6 | You can use the code MSRama 20 for 20% off each month that you're enrolled. |
| 0:50.8 | And you can even have your kids earn cash and ribbons for their accomplishments sent to |
| 0:57.0 | their front door who does not love receiving gifts like that in the mail. And I know each kid |
| 1:02.5 | that earns those prizes will be so excited to continue learning. And that's the best thing about |
| 1:08.0 | Boberg is that your kids will want to continue practicing and learning more about their lessons. |
| 1:13.8 | Don't forget to use the code MS for Momma 20 for 20% off each month that you're enrolled at Votebergmusicademy.com. |
| 1:21.2 | Okay, friends, this is going to be such a treat and a blessing to everyone who listens, I know, but also I'm just |
| 1:30.9 | personally excited because my friend Ruth Ann Zimmerman is on the podcast today, and we have worked |
| 1:36.7 | so hard to get to this interview. Hey, Ruthanne, how are you? I am good. I am glad that you and I are both on the other side of the dental work that kept us postponing our podcast. |
| 1:52.5 | And I think one thing that that says tells listeners about us is we are in the same stage of motherhood. |
| 1:59.6 | The stage where your teeth start showing your age. |
| 2:04.2 | My goodness. Your teeth start showing your age and how many children you've had. |
| 2:09.8 | Like it's, it's, yes. Man, those pregnancies are really, really hard on your teeth. I wish I knew back |
| 2:16.6 | when I was, you know, first becoming pregnant, like, |
| 2:19.2 | ways to help my teeth along. But yeah. Well, you know, I've thought about that. But I, now that |
... |
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