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Jeff Chamblee: and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing Hope for healthy Families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Mental health crisis in kids is getting worse, not better

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of day, getting to spend time with you prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. Listen, we're talking about something really important today. I, ah, invite you to lean in. We're talking about something that is going on in the world that a lot of people are talking, talking about, but maybe not in the way that we should talking be talking about it. You have probably heard because everywhere that I go, one of the first questions that I get is, Jessica, is the mental health crisis in kids as bad as people are saying it is? And I'm a nurse, I feel like I have to be honest. And I tell them, no, it's not as bad as people say it is. It's actually worse. Now, I will say in light of that, I've seen some research coming out just in the last month and even in the last week, there are some glimmers of there is a little bit of easing of that crisis. And where we look at that is how many kids are going to the emergency room for mental health emergencies, the number of suicides, the number of kids who are ta are taking their life or wanting to take their life, having thoughts of taking their life, those are some pretty extreme measures. But underneath all of that, we've also been talking about an epidemic of loneliness. And you know, my personal view of all of this is that this is really an identity crisis that the world is through. We know that the enemy comes to steal and kill and destroy. We know even from the very beginning, the enemy, Satan, he tried to trick Eve with such a subtle deception. Did God really say. And that's the tactic I see being used here today. It's not something that's easy to spot. It's creeping into our homes. And this is how I think it's creeping in with something called image crafting. Now, you may have heard this phrase or it may be news to you. But image crafting is us creating the image of ourselves and our families that we want everyone to see. It's that pressure to kind of present the happy, healthy, thriving, we wear matching PJs at Christmas kind of image that is there. And a lot of times it's not really talked about, but it is felt by kids and by families. And we feel it because we're only looking at other people's, highlight reels. And we start to feel discontent. We see that social media effect where we've got the highlight reels versus real life like we're seeing everybody else's vacations and celebrations and smiles. People aren't posting generally about the struggles that they're having. And we see this comparison trap. Why does their family seem so much easier? They have it more together, so much closer than ours. And kids are absorbing this identity message very early on that looking okay matters more than actually being okay. I'm talking about toddlers and even down to infants because we have that propensity to put everything out on social media like here's my baby, meeting the milestones and talking about these things. And it shows up in our homes because we expect our kids to behave a certain way in public. But we don't address the root issues. We minimize struggles because we're distracted and we don't want to go to those uncomfortable places. And we over schedule, we over perform and these things start early. But there is a hidden cost for this. Kids can feel pressure to know who am I really? This is the age old question, who am I? And why did, why am I here? What is the purpose of life? These are things that Solomon wrestled with in the Bible. This is nothing new, but we do see often families feel isolated, like they're the only ones who are struggling. And kids actually need connection over perfection. That's what they need. authentic, meaningful, messy connection that ruptures and repairs, that ruptures and repairs, that ruptures and repairs because we are imperfect humans and as long as we're walking this side of heaven, we are going to fall, we are going to fail. But we can learn and we can grow and we can, and we can raise children to have strong identities even when we plant those seeds early. My pastor actually was talking about this, this scripture just recently in our church. Talking about train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. And talking about the importance of knowing that that not a promise, that's not okay. If you do this, then your kid's gonna be perfect. It's wisdom and sometimes in the messiness of human life that can be a difficult message because we can see we can do the very best that we can. And our kids can still make choices that are contrary to the worldview that we want them to have, that are oppositional to the choices that we want them to make. But God is not interested in curating your perfection. He is meeting us in truth. Biblical families, Christian families are complic and they're messy and they're real and grace thrives in that honest connection. We have the normalized saying, we're having a hard day, but go back to identity and who they are in Christ. And we are competing with a world that is louder than ever before about identity and never seems to be more confused about it than it is now because we have this amplification of messages and messaging coming at kids from everywhere and the pressure to create their own identity, to craft their own story. Before a child can even form sentences, the world is already speaking narratives over their life about their worth, their appearance, their purpose, who they're supposed to be. From social media to school systems to cultural trends, identity is something that is shaped and distorted sometimes. But what if the most important conversations about identity don't start in adolescence or even in early childhood? We're talking about in the nursery and even in the womb. I am a big fan of reading even before babies are born. The health benefits are there, science shows it. And today we're going to talk about reclaiming one of the most powerful and overlooked roles that parents have. Not just caring for their children, but speaking truth over them in a way that is confident and nurturing and helps craft their identity. Because before the world speaks over them, we know that God has already spoken of their lives.

Joining us today is Laine Lawson Craft with a new children's book

Joining us today again is a friend of the show, Laine Lawson Craft. She has been with me before and shared her tremendous testimony of restoration in her marriage. And she has written about praying for your kids. She has, she's written Warfare, Parenting, the Parents Battle Plan. Such a great conversation. She's a best selling award winning author, a podcast host and a trusted voice for families who are navigating faith and real life challenges. And now she's going back earlier. We're going back to the beginning, the beginning of a child's life. And her newest children's board book, which I have right here called the Beginning of you, is designed to help parents, grandparents, caregivers, the Sunday school teachers, whoever is reading this over a child, speak God's truth and identity and Love over their children before the world gets a word in. And she writes not just from expertise, like I said, from experience. She has walked through some stuff. She's walked through seasons of prodigal parenting and restoration. And she brings a message of hope that is deeply personal and powerfully practical. Laine, welcome back to the show. So glad that you stopped in to spend some time with us today.

Laine Lawson Craft: I love coming here. I just love it. Jessica, you are doing such an amazing work for so many, and I am

Dr. Jessica Peck: so excited to be here today. Well, Laine, thank you. You're already lifting my mood. You know, you're such a voice of encouragement, and I feel like we need that. We need voice of encouragement. And it was interesting. I was just watching, some news reporting this week, even about the dialect that we use, how voices in media have changed. You know, we went from, like, the breathy, oh, wait, try this. This is so great, to now. They said Gen Z wants a voice that's, like, disaffected, that's just kind of neutral, that's just disconnected. And I thought, oh, that's so sad that that's what they connect to. And we often think of identity struggles in the teenage years, but it happens earlier. And you've spent years, Laine, equipping parents of older children. Why have you shifted back? What is God doing in your heart? What are you seeing?

Laine Lawson Craft: Well, I have to share this. It is absolutely God's timing, because I don't know if you realize, I wrote this book 20 something years ago to my own three children. And, it came.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Yes.

Laine Lawson Craft: Isn't that interesting? it came across at a conference, and it was a breakout. And the instructor said, you've got 30 minutes. I want you to pin on a piece of paper what you're most passionate about. And again, this is almost 30 years ago, and God speaks to me in rhymes, and I begin to write this kind of love story to my children. How God knew them before they were in my womb, how he, knows the numbers of hair on their head, and it's anatomical in the book of the beginning of you. And, it laid dormant for 20 something years. And after the Parents Battle Plan got nonfiction book of the year in 2023. And then, the Warfare Parenting Daily devotional that has helped so many parents and loved ones and grandparents that have a prodigal right now, stand firm and hopeful and encouraged during the battle, Kriegel Publishing said, we'd love to publish this book. And it's. It really is. You hit it right on the head for Such a time as this, in 2026, God brought this book because we have got to start speaking his truth, really, before they're born.

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know what I love about this story, Laine, is that, you know, you said you, you wrote this book 25, 30 years ago. And I'm just wondering, like, where is that person who led the conference session? You know, do they benefit of knowing? Like what? Just saying. I'm sure they were praying about what they were going to do and thinking, okay, in 30 minutes, you know, write what God has on your heart. Not knowing that that would be, that would bear so much fruit this, this much time later. And it's so beautifully reflected of what we do for our kids when they're little. We start speaking these messages of identity and you may not see the fruit of that until they are much older. But we know that God's word does not return void. And those investments that are made, I am conv. I am absolutely convinced that the Lord honors those even when they're delivered in messy, imperfect families. And there may be other things that are going wrong. I've heard so many people share their testimony of hearing God's word when they were little and it calling them back home. And I think you've experienced some of that in your own personal life as well, which led you to write your other books, right?

Laine Lawson Craft: That's right. And really you again, I'm, a living testimony. Little did I think, you know, 20 something years ago, I was not even doing what I'm doing now. I was an entrepreneur, I had an advertising agency. What it also speaks to all of us is nothing that that comes from the Lord that he puts on our heart will ever return void either. And that is powerful because I think a lot of us in this, you know, we have this french fry, I love to call it, world we live in this culture, you drive up to a window and you order french fries and you get them within seconds. Sometimes the way the Lord works is years upon years before you actually, as you said, see the fruit.

Dr. Jessica Peck: That is so true. And you've seen that now in your own, in your own kids lives. And as a grandmother, what kinds of encouragement would you give about how important it is to really speak those messages of truth over our kids at such an early age?

Laine Lawson Craft: Well, I don't know if you saw this newest study and I'm sure you did, you know, you were talking about in utero that we've always known music, when your mama's carrying a baby, to let them hear music, classical Music. They just came out with a study about rhymes. And you know, this new book, the Beginning of you is a rhyme book. And it just shows again the power of what we speak over our children can be before they're even on this earth. And that just is just unbelievable to me. And I'm sure it is for you too because it just shows you the significance and importance that it. If we don't tell our children God's truth, if we don't share it in a way that's exciting and where they can't wait to hear that next rhyme, then who will, right?

Dr. Jessica Peck: And we need it to come from that trusted relationship. We know from research on resilience that the number one predictor of a child being resilience because we know every child is going to face something. Some children much more difficult things than other. But the number one predictor of resilience is meaningful relationship and a connected relationship with an adult. So if they have someone who cares about them, someone who's sitting down with them, reading books like this, like the Beginning of you and saying this message over and over and over again, there's some fascinating research too about how important it is for repetition. We know that because there's repetition in scripture, often when you read a chapter, it'll say the same thing over and over again. But in a world that is competing for the hearts and minds of our children, and especially with the advent of artificial intelligence, AI parents have a big battle in front of them because we thought technology was everywhere and you ain't seen nothing yet. AI is going to be integrated into everything. I cannot open any screen now without it telling me, hey, here's. Meet our new AI Integration. Here's where AI is and that is something that is trained to tell our kids what they want to hear, not necessarily what they need to hear. When we come back, I'm going to talk about some shame based language and how we use that in everyday conversation and how we can counteract that with messages such as reading a, book like the Beginning of you by Laine Lawson Craft. We will be right back on the other side of this break. You won't want to miss it. Come right back with us.

An ultrasound provided by preborn helped Candace hear her baby's heartbeat

 : Candace talks about finding out she was pregnant. Thankfully, an ultrasound provided by preborn allowed her to hear her baby's heartbeat. The sonogram sealed the deal for me. My baby was like this tiny little spectrum of hope and I saw his heart beating on the screen and knowing that there's life growing inside, I mean that sonogram Changed my life. I went from just Candace to mom. Thank you to everybody that has given these gifts. You guys are giving more than money. You guys are giving love.

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Love God Love People by Danny Gokey: I've been running in circles Jumping the hurdles Getting caught in that rush Doing so much I'm feeling kind of worn out all this checking the boxes Trying to be flawless has me spinning my head Catching my breath Too afraid to slow it down I tell myself to keep this up that God wants more than just my love But I've been complicating things it's just like me to overthink Gotta keep it real simple Keep it real simple Bring everything right back to ground zero Cause it all comes down to this Love God and love people we're living in a world that keeps breakin' but if we wanna find a way to change all comes down to this Love God and love people oh this is freedom this is freedom Knowing life will be found when love can be loud.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back friends. Love is what it's all about. It's all about God's love. And I love it when I get encouraged to keep it simple. I am convinced that in this increasingly complex world that God has been so gracious to us to give us simple answers, simple rhythms to keep us grounded in life. And one of the ways that you can love your family the best is by reading to them. I don't care how old they are. I'm old fashioned. I know. I think it is perfectly fine for any family of any stage to read aloud to each other. Yep. Bring back all of the the kerosene lamps and read by the firelight. Yep. I'm that kind of old person. But I'll tell you, it's really, really special. And today we're talking about especially reading to little ones. Now I am talking about this a lot because as we see technology advance, I am seeing reading as another thing that is outsourced. Now there's a time and place for technology assisted tools to be able to engage our kids in an educational way in a way that supports their, their biblical worldview. But there is nothing technology wise. There is absolutely no technology advancement that is going to replace the comfort of sitting side by side of having a child sit next to you with your arm around them, them feeling your heartbeat, them emotionally co regulating with you, opening the pages of a well worn loved book and reading A message of hope again and again and again. And I encourage grandparents, just keep books in your house. I encourage parents, just keep books in their house. The ones that it doesn't matter if they chew on them, it doesn't matter. Like if they, if they color on them, like it doesn't matter. These are the things that can make books special. There's nothing that replaces a physical book with kids turning the pages. This is really important. And so I encourage you, if you haven't made it the habit of reading, maybe you're thinking at home like, I'm a grandpa and I haven't read my kids books. Well, maybe next time they come over, just put yourself out there and just say, hey, I want to read you a book. Maybe find a book from your childhood. They would absolutely love that. The book we're talking about today is the Beginning of you by Laine Lawson Craft. She's an author, she is a speaker, she's been on our show before. She is the author of the book nonfiction book of the year, which was really exciting. That's Warfare, Parenting and the parents battle Plan. And she is fighting for our kids from cradle to the grave.

Jessica says parents have more influence in early moments than they might realize

And I want to ask you this question as we start back. I, want you to think, what were the first words you can remember spoken over you in your home when you were growing up? What is the first message? What's the first conversation that you remember having? And how does that still shape you today? Now, some of you are thinking really warm and fuzzy memories. Some of you are thinking, whoa, wish I, hadn't gone there and thought of that. Thanks for the warning, Jessica But the point is that those words matter. And so even in the rote routine, a lot of times, especially at bedtime, I had to really change my mindset as a parent, find somewhere to shift gears in those early afternoon hours to know that bedtime was going to be an investment. And it's one that I'm not sad about, because identity is not accidental. It's formed in those routines and the rhythms. And we know that parents have more influence in these early moments than they might realize. And we are surrounded by messages of identity when we look at who we are. I want to take us for a second just on a little generational perspective. And then Laine and I are going to talk some more about these foundational truths. But I want you to think back to previous Generations and kind of all generally the messages that we carry. And there are some lines in the parenting playbook that have been handed down for generations since World War II. Now, World War II is often referred to as the greatest generation. And they were. The bravery that they showed, the sacrifice, the courage is absolutely amazing. But they all also experienced a lot of trauma. And that's where the mantra came. Children should be seen and not heard. Where children were raised to be quiet because they didn't want to trigger their parents trauma. And when we look at some of those lines that have been passed down, like what were you thinking? And if everybody else was going to jump off a bridge, would you do that? And how could you? And we start to use what I call shame based language where we start to take a struggle that a child is having and we start speaking that as their identity. Instead of, you're a great kid who's struggling with being on time, you're a lazy kid who doesn't care. Instead of being a great kid who is struggling with being respectful and communication, you're a disrespectful kid who doesn't care.

You talk about three foundational truths parents should speak over their children

And Laine, I want you to talk some more about how important it is for us to speak these foundational truths. You talk about three foundational truths that parents should speak over their children. What are they and why are they especially important right now?

Laine Lawson Craft: Well, they are very important. And I would say they are the core, again, to absolutely abolish the lies and misinterpretations of the enemy of our culture. They are this, number one. God made you. God hand knit you. It says in the scriptures, I knew you before you were even in your mother's womb. This can change everything for a child if they hear this. Can you imagine hearing this all the way from utero, even to 7, 8 years old? Because kids love to show that they can read a book and particularly if they were memorizing it. And the rhymes are so fun. So number one, the number one pillow is they grow up knowing God made me. And throughout this book it talks about the hairs in their head, the eyes that are just the right size. So there's another secondary meaning about how God made you. You're not a mistake. You're exactly who God made you to be. And our God is a masterpiece artist and creator. And there are no mistakes or reluctance that he ever had you or made you. Number two is you have purposes and plans. That's also scripturally based. Psalm 119, many others, that God created you, he loves you, He Hand knits you. And then the third one is not just that he loves you, but he loves you immeasurably. Showing children early on that there is nothing it says in the scripture again, that will separate us from the love of God. These. Can you imagine if we spoke these every day in a positive, fun like manner? And I kind of want to go back to your simple, This book is a simple rhyme. It can be simply done. That's the beautiful thing about it. Put it by the changing table, put it by the rocking chair, and you may be exhausted. You may be that new mom. You may be the grandmother keeping that baby for a period of time, and you just don't know what to pray or say. You can pull this book out, read two pages of it, and you have spoken a powerful truth that is a seed that will get into your child's heart, soul, mind, and spirit and again, bear fruit.

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, Laine, one of the things that makes me really sad, that is challenging for mamas today. And I had my kids like. Like before smartphones, like, they were right on the cusp there. I still had a flip phone when I had my kids. And we actually did not have cable tv. We had, And so at nighttime, if I was up in the night with a baby, man, there was only three channels, and all three of them played the TV show mash. So you. You were pretty stuck, you know, So I had a lot of time that I just spent praying, a lot of time that I spent singing over my kids. And I know how much I struggle with my phone today. And I just pray for the mamas today because I think it's so hard. I think I see so many moms who are feeding their babies while they're watching a screen or they're, you know, instead of, like, praying over them, using that opportunity, you know, this thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And I'm convinced that he is trying to steal our time. He's doing the same thing. I feel that from my older kids trying to steal my time and attention and really steal my face. Have, my face be stuck to my phone so that I'm not having that eye contact. But even just opening the first page of your book, Laine, here. Here's the very first page. Before you were born, God thought about you. He knit you together and made you brand new. I mean, what a powerful message in a world that really now what parents are up against with AI is trying to create discontent because they want to create a need for a product that somebody doesn't Even know that they need. Everything is about marketing. And what AI is doing is changing your. Your child's time and attention into a marketing possibility. They're selling our time and attention to the highest bidder. Like, because what platform can we get you on so that we can have a product placement, so that we can tell you, oh, you need this. Oh, do you see how your life doesn't measure up here? You're not quite as organized. This, all of this, all across the lifespan, we have those, those things that just make us obsessed with more about how things look. And I love what you said and what we're talking about and keeping it simple, because that is something I'm convinced that just no matter whether you're reading a book to a baby or you're having a talk at a, with a teenager at the dinner table, it is in the simple rhythms as that. What you've seen. How have you seen that in your family lane?

Laine Lawson Craft: Yes. And, you know, I want to go back to, you know, we've got to talk about the elephant in the room. And that is what our children are inundated. And I say the enemy comes in through the screen, of our children, whether it's on their laptop or on their phone. And listen, AI is making it to where we can't tell if that's really a person. See, now the big thing is to create these avatars that aren't even real, and then they're selling our children a result that is a lie. So, you know, it's so important that this is the truth. We're not in a battle against, you know, politics and all this. We're in a simple battle of good and evil. And so as parents and grandparents and loved ones of these children, the more truth and the more love of God that we can deposit early, particularly, the more we will see that they may bite for a second, but then they go, that's not what I remember. That's not really true. Or have we at least open their eyes to start questioning, is that a robot? Is that a bot? I'm watching. Is this even a true outcome? And I am so thankful that we can have that conversation with our kids. Right. I mean, we can see that's one thing I think really helped as I raised these children, even though they had prodigal years and, you know, one of them, it took 15 years to. For God to come in and rescue them and deliver them. But, we had open conversations from very beginning of our failures or what we thought society was lying to our children.

Dr. Jessica Peck: About.

Laine Lawson Craft: So maybe one of your listeners today, maybe you're not quite sure. How do I open this conversation? they're a little older than the beginning of you, listen, just open it. Just say, hey, what are you. What do you hear most through your phone? What do you feel like is your greatest struggle? And you will be amazed at how much that child will start downloading to you.

Dr. Jessica Peck: I think that is so true. I do think that they're looking for invitation to conversation. They want to be heard, they want to be seen, they want to be known, and they want to be loved. And so often we're just living in a world of distraction where we're just too busy. We're too busy to sit down and read a book again and again, again at night. We're too busy to sit down at the dinner table and have a conversation where we're not distracted and where we're willing just to be. To, step into that awkward space, not in a preachy way, not in a lecturing way, but in an invitational way. And one of the things that I've seen, Laine, is that the world has gotten a lot bigger for my kids. So when they were little, I mean, really our world was pretty small. We would go to school, they would have, you know, their teachers and their classmates, and I would know those people because I was that kind of mom. That was the room mom. You know, this was before Pinterest. I don't know if I could be a room mom after Pinterest, because I'm definitely the Pinterest fail kind of mom. And. And actually, as a side note, one of my kids, at their, their kindergarten Christmas party, I walked in and I thought, man, this is nicer than my wedding reception. Like, times have changed. And some of those things are good because it allows people to share their gifts. But when I look at, you know, they had their school, they had. Maybe if they were in sports, like, we would know who that was. We had a pretty tight control over who was around our kids, who was speaking into our kids, who was influencing them. But Laine, that train has left the station. And now we see so many kids. And I see a lot of parents whose response to that has been to clamp down control, like, okay, we're going to be the parent. We're not going to have smartphones. We. You just won't have one. We will not have screen time in our house. But really, unless they're living under a rock in total social, social isolation, they're around kids who are exposed to screens and they're increasingly have screens as part of their schoolwork. Even if they're homeschooled, you may have a co op, you're in in sports and the world is just so much bigger. All of these identity messages are really powerful and when I listen to kids inner voice, it's really heartbreaking. The things that they will say to themselves are so much harsher than the things that they would ever say to anybody else. Not too long ago, Laine, I was doing a suicide prevention event for young people in our community. And then when they came in, I asked them, I gave them each a post it note and I said, I want you to write something that you see on social media that your parents don't know about. And of course the parents are there and they're waiting on the side because they think it's going to be, you know, violence and explicit content and all these things. But I was, I was shocked, Laine, because the kids wrote a variation of one word. Over 90% wrote one word and that was perfection. They feel pressured to be perfect and then they take those identity messages that I'm not perfect enough, I'm not this enough, I'm not pretty enough, I'm not strong enough, I'm not smart enough, I'm not popular enough, I'm not rich enough. And those things are not true. So we are talking about speaking messages of identity, the beginning of you. This is a message that's encouraging no matter what the age. We'll be right back with more from Laine Lawson Craft Don't go away. We'll see you on the other side of this break.

Everything that you teach in the church has to be rooted in scripture

 : Pastor Erwin Lutzer from the American Family Studios documentary the God who Speaks.

Pastor Erwin Lutzer: When Paul said to Timothy, preach the word, what Paul was saying is everything that you teach in the church has to be rooted in scripture. Now, I believe very strongly that it has to be rooted in scripture. It has to be applied to each generation. So the applications may change. But the basic doctrines, the teachings have to be the foundation of everything that we preach. So it's not a matter of human ideas. It is actually a matter of being committed to the integrity of scripture, studying it in context so that we can say with authority that what we are teaching is based on God's word, not our ideas, nor our word.

 : Visit thegodwhospeaks.org.

More of You by Colton Dixon: I made my castle tall I built up every wall this is my kingdom and it needs to fall I want you and no one else Empty me of myself until the only thing that's left is my make me who I'm meant to be. I choose more of you I need more of you.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is more of you by Colton Dixon. And that is exactly what we need in today's world. We need more messages spoken over our children that reminds them of their identity in Christ. When I wrote my book Behind Closed Doors, a guide for parents and teens to navigate through life's toughest issues, I intentionally created song playlists to go along with each theme. And one of those was talking about social media and how it is causing an identity crisis among young people. So I intentionally curated a playlist that speaks about, that speaks God's truth. I look for songs that spoke specifically scriptures over who God says you are. And I'm thinking of songs like hello, My Name is by Matthew west and. And just other songs that help reinforce that truth. When the world is competing for who is our identity, what kind of influencer are you going to be? What kind of product are you going to sell? What kind of product are you going to buy? What the product will you be to to buy is what's happening. Those are the kinds of messages that our kids are absorbing daily. And we have got to be more intentional in our homes now more than ever. We have got to wake up and we have got to speak words of life and truth. And when truth is repeated, it becomes rooted. And when it's rooted early, it really becomes resilient.

We've been talking to Laine Lawson Craft about her new book

And we think about. We've been talking today to Laine Lawson Craft about her new book. It's a board book for infants and toddlers. It's called the Beginning of you. It's by Laine Lawson Craft and she has written several other award winning books, books including Warfare, Parenting. And that was such a powerful conversation. I encourage you to go back and take a listen because she shared so much of her own story in that. But I think about children's books like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see? See, some of you are chicka chicka boom boom. You can see all of these rhymes that stick with us. And those rhymes are great. Those books are great. But what if we use that, a rhyme like Laine did here to speak messages of God, truth. I think that is a beautiful thing to do. And one of the books that my kids had that was homemade when they were little was, was, Brown Bear, Brown Bear. But it was their name, their name. What do you see? And it was pictures of each member of their family. And I see uncle so and so praying for me. I see Granny praying for me. And they would turn the pages and do that. So I'm just throwing that out there. That's about as Pinteresty as I get, y'.

Dr. Jessica Peck: All.

Dr. Jessica Peck: That's about as good as it's going to be. But we are surrounded by messages about identity and appearance and performance and compassion, comparison, self definition. And Laine's message is blessedly simple. And I believe that is the grace of God, that his answers are simple. His truth is not hidden. It is not unattainable. It is for everyone. It is such a grace that we give that we get from the Lord to be able to anchor truth in our children.

You and I were talking about your parenting journey during the break

And Laine, during the break, you and I were talking about, you know, your parenting journey. You have shared very openly through your writing and, and speaking about raising your own children, going through a prodigal journey, one of them you even said, Lasting 15 years. And now being on the other side of that restoration and being with your, your daughters who. And your. Now you have grandchildren. And we were talking during the break, if anybody ever watched the show Everybody Loves Raymond, like some. There's some people out there who have in laws like that who are just, oh, dear, what are you, what are you making here? And, and not being intentional about it, but speaking words of criticism that then these mamas take as their identity. Let's talk a little bit about your perspective and how especially older generations, grandparents, extended family, how you can really be an encouragement to a mama who is raising babies for such a time as this.

Laine Lawson Craft: Well, first and foremost, I think we've undervalued mamas. I think back in the day, you know, nobody questioned our integrity or any of that or our measure, our success because we chose to be present with our children. So first and foremost, as a grandmama, I try to tell my daughter I have one daughter and, one daughter in law, how proud I am of them, how I know that they are countercultural, that they are not racing to have the biggest house and the fastest cars, because when you're at home and doing one income, it's a big sacrifice. So first and foremost, I would tell grandmamas and granddaddies, encourage that mom and say, you know, you are doing such a great job. You are doing the most valuable job that God could give anyone because, you know, he trusts us to steward these children. They didn't just, you know, fly out of the sky. Even adopted parents went through a process to receive that child. So guide, trust us to steward them. And then secondly, I have to confess, I'm fixing to go into a season of no scroll, starting May, anybody can go to my website and follow with me, but we, got to get around this noise of, ah, perfection, as these young children are telling us. And I'm here to tell you, I don't ever leave social media feeling younger looking, thinner looking, you know, that I

Dr. Jessica Peck: have the best looking house or anything.

Laine Lawson Craft: I always, always leave social media going, man, I'm a little chubby or I've got too many wrinkles or whatever it may be. Well, guess what? That's what our moms are against. Like you said, the perfect pajama picture, the matching pajamas, everything is their best day. Nobody puts their worst day. You know, when a child does, maybe color red paint everywhere and the clothes are everywhere, you can't even film it because the house is such a disaster. I'm just saying our mom today are really being challenged, really by every pillar of our society. vaccinations, you know, all everything, our medicine, our education, our parenting is being usurped. You know, kids are being able to make changes in their gender and parents don't even have to be told that. Come on.

Laine Lawson Craft: So these are huge battles that today's parenting and moms specifically are having to burden and carry. But the good news is simple. Listen. You just continue to do the next right choice for your family and for yourselves and for your children and just lean on God for everything. And again, you will not, you will not fail. The Lord will not let us fail. Amen.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Amen. You know, Laine, that is very true. And it's also true that our, life journeys can be really complex and we may have seasons where we need different resources and different helps and it can be messy back and forth, forth. But the core message of what you and I are saying is absolutely true. And I want to drive that home. That God's mercies are new every morning. And sometimes it is just that simple. It's just going back to basics. Going back to what? Did you say God made you. You have purposes and plans. He loves you immeasurably. Now, I don't care if you're two months old, if you're 20 years old, if you're 200 years old, God made you. You have purposes and plans. He loves you immeasurably. Laine, I'm really glad that you gave a shout out to the stay at home moms because I have had a foot in the, in both worlds. When I was in my mothering journey, sometimes I worked part time. Sometimes, you, know, I had just. I was always looking for some situation that Was going to, to really, you know, allow me to still feel like I could do what God was calling me to do as a mom. And I see shame on both sides. You know, I definitely like this insecurity that's there. But one of the things that I do see is often dismissing what stay at home moms do. And sometimes that may come from insecurity of working moms. I know I've certainly felt that myself. Sometimes that comes from guilt. But I want to offer to our listeners a question that really I started being very intentional about asking when I meet people. Now when we meet people in a social session, setting, Laine, the question we always ask somebody we don't know, it's just kind of like the, the, you know, how are you? I'm fine. And then it's usually followed by what do you do? Like, and then I always see like stay at home moms, like trying to I stay at home. And then they're like, kind of seeing like, how's that land with you? Like, are you gonna be like, oh, you're one of those. Like, oh, good for you. Like, does it get patronizing or does it get, oh, me too. So I, instead of saying, what do you do? Or where do you work? I started asking this question instead. Tell me how you spend your day. And then it's just open ended. They're able to say, I spend my days with my kids at home. I spend my days, you know, on mission at this work. I spend my days, you know, at work or with my family. It just changes the whole conversation.

We have such an opportunity to speak words of encouragement to mothers

And I think that we have such an opportunity to speak words of encouragement. I remember not too long ago I was interviewing a guest who told me about she was taking her kids to the library and they were kind of, you know, I mean, it's a big deal. Like if you're a mama of littles and you're taking them to the library, you know, like, you've had to already look for the library book who's lost. You've already had to tell the kid who doesn't want to go to the library that they have to go to the library and they're going to go. You've already told the one who loves to read, like, they can only get so many books. Like, I have walked this journey. And she talked about this random guy in a minivan rolling down the window and saying, good job, mom. You're taking your kids to the library. What a great mom you are. And that was just some random guy in the parking lot. That she still was carrying around that compliment. I think that we can speak words of God's truth about identity over these mamas, don't you think?

Laine Lawson Craft: Amen. And listen, I want to tell you, I worked part time from home raising my children. I'm all about. There's a. There's a happy medium, there's a great way to manage. and again, with the economy, with everything costing so much, you know, it really almost takes two income. So I don't want anybody to feel like I don't get it, because I get it. I mean, I go to the grocery and I'm just as sounded. Three bags of groceries, 150 bucks. so listen, I just wanted the moms to know the most valuable thing above everything will be nurturing and loving those babies that God gave to you. And there's no greater job or joy that you'll ever have.

Dr. Jessica Peck: I think that is so true. And just to look at a mom and when you see a mom doing a great job, speak that out to her. Have the courage to say, you are doing a great job as a mom. Like, look at, look at your kid being resilient. Look at them obeying the first time, you know, and, and just look at the way that your kid looks at you. Look at the way that you have laid down your own schedule and you are here. If you see a mom who's sitting there watching a sports practice and isn't on her phone, like, say, hey, I just noticed that you're really engaged, that you're not on your phone, I want you to know, I know your kid notices that even if they don't say anything back to you, you. Those are things that we can speak. Identity. You are chosen. You are the apple of God's eye. There are so many words from scripture that we can know. And Laine, I would love to know, with your incredible experience and perspective, what do you wish that you had known differently? Is there anything that you think, man, I wish I would have known that and told myself that when I was a mama of littles.

Laine Lawson Craft: Well, that there's no perfect mama, you know? And that's why I really have a empathy and a huge heart for moms today, because I didn't really have anything to compare it to than I Love Lucy and all of that, you know what I'm saying? I mean, these girls today are having to be compared to truly robots that look human, that are so perfect or have the perfect house or the perfect children. you know, I think I carried, a place of that I just wasn't. Wasn't as good as somebody else maybe. And and what a shame, right? And another thing that I really want to get in here today is if I could do one thing over my little bitties was to share stories of the Bible in a way that they loved to hear it instead of just sitting there reading scriptures. You know, talk about once time there was a man named Jonah and guess what? He got swallowed up by a. Well, let them fall in love with the word of God through stories and then that's a great way to put those seeds in. So I hope that helps somebody today because I know you might go, where do I start? Well, of course my book the Beginning of youf is simple and it's great. But beyond that, if your kids are a little older, it's never too late to start, you know, finding really interactive ways and bring the scripture alive I guess would be that nugget today. Bring it alive in a way that it's relatable and that you can talk about.

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, one thing, a challenge that I would issue to families is no matter how old your, your kids are or even if it's your spouse, I wouldn't. I'm going to give you a post it challenge. I happen to love Post it Notes. If you can't tell, I have Post it notes everywhere. I can be a spokesperson for Post it notes. You don't post it notes if you don't have them. But I will give you a challenge. On any piece of paper, just write a message of God's identity. Write a message of encouragement. Do it for 30 days. Stick it on their bedroom door so every day they see a new message of encouragement and identity. I'm telling you in messages that are marketing driven in. In today's world where kids are just hearing everything, every way, that they are not enough, that they don't have enough, that they'll never be enough, that they it just all of those messages of inferiority. Those messages are counter to the gospel of who we are in Christ. And kids don't have to depend on themselves. They don't have to depend on their own ingenuity, their own resources, their own resilience. Although those things can be important, but their root, their identity is rooted in who is in Christ. Because sometimes those smallest moments, like a bedtime story or a morning story like this, the beginning of you carry the greatest weight. Because what is spoken consistently becomes what is believed the most deeply. In a world that is constantly trying to redefine our children. Today's conversation is a reminder that we don't have to do that because God already has. Identity doesn't have to be something our kids chase. It's something they stand on. And maybe, just maybe, it starts with something as simple and powerful as the words that we have choose to speak to them in our homes this very night. And the words I choose to speak over you are may the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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Jeff Chamblee: opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.

Host of the Warfare Parenting Podcast, Laine Lawson Craft shares with Jessica how parents can speak God's truth over a child's identity, purpose, and worth before the world speaks anything else. 

https://lainelawsoncraft.com/