Helping Phone-Free Teenagers Stay Connected, Regrets in Parenting Toddlers, and Managing Sibling Rivalry (Q+R)
The Intentional Parents Podcast
Intentional
4.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 8 October 2025
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this Q+R episode, we’re tackling your questions about parenting through some of the more complex seasons — from helping phone-free tweens stay connected to navigating sibling rivalry and reflecting on what we might have done differently with our younger kids.
We start with communication and technology, sharing practical ways to help teenagers connect with friends without giving them full phone access. From using your own devices intentionally to trying creative tools like the Gabb Watch, Gabb Phone, or even a landline, we talk about modeling healthy communication in a digital world.
We also look back on the preschool years and what we’ve learned since — how much those little minds absorb, and how we wish we’d focused less on behavior and more on heart formation. Rhythms like reading Scripture at meals (1 Timothy 4:13) and recognizing the difference between willful disobedience and emotional dysregulation have shaped how we parent now.
Finally, we dig into sibling rivalry and the hope that our kids will one day be close friends. We share thoughts on speaking that vision over them, teaching repair in relationships, and remembering that these seasons ebb and flow. Proverbs 31:26 reminds us that “the law of kindness” should guide our words — especially when helping our kids learn to love each other well.
Scripture Mentioned: 1 Timothy 4:13 + Proverbs 31:26
Submit Questions: Send a voice recording to hello@intentionalparents.org, mentioning your name and where you’re from.
Intentional Fatherhood: Website, Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts + YouTube
Intentional Fatherhood Retreat: February 19-21, 2026 in Costa Mesa, CA
Motherhood Retreat 2025: October 23-25, 2025 in Portland, OR
Follow Us on Instagram:
FREE Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Parenting PDF
FREE Text Message Daily Devotional
Grab a Copy of Our Book:
Raising Passionate Jesus Followers (Now available in audiobook!)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey friends, mark your calendars. The Intentional Motherhood Retreat is coming up October 23rd through 25th in Portland, Oregon. |
| 0:10.7 | It's a meaningful few days to slow down, connect, and refocus on what matters most in your motherhood journey. |
| 0:18.1 | Also some exciting news. Intention intentional fatherhood has officially launched on all |
| 0:22.2 | podcast platforms, including YouTube, so go subscribe, check out the first few episodes, and share it |
| 0:27.6 | with all the fathers in your life. For more details and registration info for the motherhood |
| 0:31.8 | retreat, you can go to intentional parents.org, or you can go check out our new website for fathers intentional fatherhood.org. |
| 0:43.5 | You're listening to the intentional parents podcast brought to you by intentional. |
| 0:48.8 | Intentional is all about spiritual formation in the family. |
| 0:52.6 | We desire to bring biblical hope and practical help. Enjoy this |
| 0:56.5 | week's conversation. Welcome back to the intentional parents podcast. Elizabeth just started us |
| 1:07.9 | with a really great idea for this episode. Oh my gosh. Did not know you were going to start there. Oh, I wanted to because she started with, I really miss when we used to be able to do this in sweatpants. Tell us more about that, sweetheart. Well, my kids get very surprised when they see me in like jeans or normal clothes and ask, where are we going? Mom and dad are working today because now there's a camera. |
| 1:29.4 | So literally this morning they saw me come downstairs |
| 1:31.5 | and Scarlett goes, are you podcasting today? |
| 1:34.3 | What gave it away? |
| 1:36.1 | She didn't know. That's even better. |
| 1:37.6 | My outfit gave it away, apparently. |
| 1:39.2 | Wow. |
| 1:40.1 | Well, welcome back. |
| 1:40.8 | Very nice. |
| 1:41.7 | Oh, thanks. |
| 1:42.6 | Yeah. |
| 1:43.1 | You got it from your mom. Oh, gosh. Well, welcome back. Well, thanks. Yeah. You got it from your mom. Oh, gosh. Well, welcome back. And we're going to respond to questions today. You guys send so many questions in. This is the truth and we love it. And so we just want to do a proper job of having a good flow of questions that we're responding to that you're sending in. And so thank you for doing that. And you know, I'm going to say it. So I'll just say it really quickly. Thank you to everybody who's rated and subscribed. It really does make a huge difference. So thank you if you've done that. If you haven't left to comment and this content's helped you or blessed you, would you just leave a comment that also lets the algorithm know that you're interested and helps send it to more people? So thank you for that. Also, YouTube have to mention that. That's a whole space. You can watch all of this. And we're looking forward to jumping into your questions today. So who's ready? You guys don't know what these questions are. I actually don't know. You never of them. I don't tell you, but I don't also know all of them because there's just too many, too many. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Intentional, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Intentional and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.