Save Stuffing for the Turkey: Helping Kids Manage Holiday Foods

“Transition is good and it’s right. And it may feel uncomfortable because it’s unknown, but that’s exactly how we were made to experience that transition and throughout all of our transitions, we have a God that doesn’t change.”

In this episode of Ask Alice, Alice sits down with Kaila Thomas, a Licensed Master Social Worker, to discuss how parents can help their children navigate transitions, both big and small. Alice and Kaila discuss the most common transitions children face, how parents can engage with their child’s emotions regarding transitions, practical tips for helping your child through a transition, and much more. As Summer ends and we make the transition to a new school year, parents will not want to miss this informative and grace-filled conversation. 

Show Notes: 

Kaila Thomas is a Licensed Master Social Worker practicing on Galveston Island, a barrier island off the coast of Texas. She works as a school-based therapist at an elementary school. Kaila graduated from Baylor University with both a Bachelor and Master of Social Work. Kaila enjoys running, visiting friends and family, and going to concerts.

Check out Kaila’s articles on the Rooted blog! 

Order Anxiety: Finding the Better Story by Liz Edrington today!

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In this episode, Alice interviews best-selling author and speaker, Heather Holleman on her upcoming fictional book for tweens, This Seat's Saved. Heather and Alice discuss the feeling of lunchroom rejection that commonly occurs in middle school, and how to encourage our kids with the truth that they already have a seat at the table with Christ. Alice discusses the emerging diagnosis, Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, and explains its common characteristics. Parents will be encouraged to see how the gospel is good news for both parents and teenagers who struggle with the hurt of rejection. 

Dr. Heather Holleman is an associate teaching professor at Penn State, speaker, and author. She has written eight books, including the bestseller Seated With Christ: Living Freely in a Culture of Comparison.Heather also serves with Faculty Commons in the professor and graduate student ministry of Cru. She has two daughters and three cats, and she blogs daily at www.heatherholleman.com.  When she's not writing or teaching, Heather is growing a plum orchard, looking for turtles in the woods, or gathering with friends for dinner and a movie.

References:

Rejection sensitive dysphoria definition from Cleveland clinic

This Seat’s Saved by Heather Holleman is out on June 6th and is available for pre-order now.

“Seated With Christ: Living Freely in a Culture of Comparison” by Heather Holleman

In this episode of Ask Alice, Alice interviews author and mental health counselor, Liz Edrington on her 31-day teen devotional: Anxiety: Finding the Better Story. Listen in as these two experts in teenage anxiety discuss common misconceptions of anxiety, how to spot patterns of anxious behavior in your child, and how to walk with a child or teenager who is struggling with anxiety. Using her own story with anxiety, Liz invites us to consider how Jesus invites both us and our children into wholeness in the face of anxiety. 

Resources:

Pre-order Anxiety: Finding the Better Story by Liz Edrington today! 

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In this episode of Ask Alice, Alice interviews longtime superintendent and former principal, Dr. Dicky Barlow, on being a Christian in public education. Dr. Barlow speaks as both an administrator and as a Christian parent. He understands the concerns parents have with the public school system, yet he underscores the excitement of having a child growing up in the age of accessible technology. He addresses ways that parents can partner with teachers so that their values systems are more aligned, as well as the standards to which he holds the teachers in his school system. 

Dicky Barlow serves as the superintendent of a public school system in Alabama. Dr. Barlow earned his doctorate at Samford University.

Resources:

Subscribe to Ask Alice!  

Follow @therootedministry on Instagram  

Sign up to join us for our 2023 conference in Nashville, TN! 

Family Discussion Questions by Dr. Barlow

In this episode of Ask Alice, Alice interviews mom Suzanne Jones on how she addresses drinking with her own teenage children. As someone who has been sober for years, Suzanne candidly and wisely offers insight to teenage drinking after being in the depths herself. She and Alice discuss the driving factors of underaged drinking, as well as warning signs for parents to look for. Their conversation includes practical methods for parents to openly discuss the dangers and consequences of drinking and ways to provide teenagers with in-the-moment excuses when they are offered alcohol. Suzanne encourages parents to offer grace without shame while still enforcing consequences for illegal behavior. You’ll learn that there is hope for the teenager who drinks to fit in, escape, or numb— all found in Jesus. 

Resources:

Suzanne Jones is a jewelry designer based in Birmingham, Alabama. She and her husband have four children, and she loves sharing her experience of walking away from alcohol in early 2000’s and the transformation of her life and marriage. 

Subscribe to Ask Alice! 

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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare

To Drink or Not to Drink: Is That Really the Question? By Liz Edrington 

Underage Drinking: Just Say YES! (Sort Of) by Cameron Cole 

Sharon Hersh on the Anatomy of Addiction 

In this episode of Ask Alice, Alice interviews counselor and author, Julie Lowe about her newest book, SafeGuards: Shielding Our Homes and Equipping our Kids. Julie teaches parents how to guide our children into discerning the behavior of another, not merely evaluating their character. She and Alice detail their thoughts about spend-the-night parties, and the better alternative to 'stranger danger.' Julie concludes with practical role-playing conversations to guide critical thinking in our children, as well as compassionately addressing those parents who have already experienced unsafe people in their children's lives.

Resources:

Safe Guards: Shielding Our Homes and Equipping our Kids by Julie Lowe

Rooted Reservoir

For our daughters, relationships with other women are often the most important aspect of their lives. In this new year's episode of Ask Alice, Alice interviews author, speaker and counselor, Sissy Goff, on how to nurture healthy relationships between moms and daughters, and daughters with friends. She provides practical tips on deescalating emotionally intense conflicts, as well as addressing the balance between being a mom and being a friend to your daughter. Sissy addresses the growing sense of anxiety that both moms and daughters experience in our pre- and post-Covid world. She also discusses the change that social media has brought to adolescent relationships and how to help our daughters identify unhealthy friendships.

Resources: 

The Worry-Free Parent: Living in Confidence So Your Kids Can Too by Sissy Goff Lpc-Mhsp MEd Lpc-Mhsp

Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World by Sissy Goff and Carlos Whittaker 

Brave: A Teen Girl's Guide to Beating Worry and Anxiety by Sissy Goff

Braver, Stronger, Smarter: A Girl’s Guide to Overcoming Worry & Anxiety by Sissy Goff and Alena Pitts 

Are My Kids on Track?: The 12 Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach by Sissy Goff, Melissa Trevathan MRE, et al. 

www.raisingboysandgirls.com

For those families dealing with divorce, the holidays bring an extra layer of complexity. In this episode of Ask Alice, Alice interviews Divorce and Family Mediation and Licensed Marriage and Family therapist, Sara Hadgraft, on how to help both parents and children enjoy the Christmas season - even if it looks different from years past. She addresses visitation schedules and gift giving, as well as providing parents with the language to address both the emotional and spiritual questions about divorce that may arise as children adjust to a new normal.

Resources:

www.sparrowcounsel.com

Coparent Dilemmas podcast hosted by Diane Dierks

BIFF for CoParent Communication: Your Guide to Difficult Texts, Emails, and Social Media Posts (Conflict Communication Series, 3) by Bill Eddy, Annette Burns, et al.

Dinosaurs Divorce (Dino Tales: Life Guides for Families) by Marc Brown and Laurie Krasny Brown

Two Homes by Claire Masurel 

My 2 Homes: A Game to Help Kids Understand and Accept Divorce manufactured by Childswork/Childsplay

With the season of food and fullness upon us, in this episode of Ask Alice, she interviews Registered Dietitian and Professor, Dr. Melissa Powell, on ways that parents can help kids - and themselves - survive the season of sweets and stuffed. She explains the notion of mindfulness and intuitive eating, as opposed to the "anything goes" or "forbidden fruit" mentality. While Alice approaches the emotional component of holiday foods, Melissa provides insight on balancing food choices. She also encourages the notion of hospitality by teaching kids a spirit of gratitude and appreciating foods from other cultures and families.

Resources:

Children Just Like Me: A New Celebration of Children Around the World by DK

The Harvard Nutrition Source 

Melissa-Powell [at] utc.edu

Biblical Wisdom for Teenagers' Eating Habits by Melissa Powell 

While this episode of Ask Alice is geared toward younger children, the wisdom that her guest, Joel Busby, brings is applicable to kids of all ages. Alice and Joel discuss conveying the Gospel through everything from our beautiful world to discipline to allowing kids to appreciate silence. In his thoughtful and kind manner, Joel tackles the tough questions kids often ask such as "Why does God allow bad things to happen?" and "How do I know that my faith is right when my friends worship with other religions?"

Resources:

Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally-Lloyd Jones

How Great is Our God by Louie Giglio

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally-Lloyd Jones