FMP 283: Preparing Your Kids for Real-Life Situations
Family Meeting
You can’t protect your kids from every situation. But you can prepare them. In Episode 283 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra share real-life experiences, including a moment when a stranger approached the car and a situation involving a car accident, and talk about how those moments became powerful teaching opportunities. This episode is about more than fear. It’s about preparation. You’ll learn: How to teach your kids situational awareness without creating anxiety. Clear boundaries for car safety and interactions with strangers. What to do if your child is ever in or...
info_outline
FMP 282: Sexual Baggage in Marriage
Family Meeting
Every marriage brings a past into the present. For many couples, that past includes experiences, expectations, wounds, or shame that quietly affect intimacy and connection today. When sexual baggage goes unspoken, it can create distance, insecurity, and misunderstanding between spouses. In Episode 282 of The Family Meeting Podcast, we talk honestly and compassionately about sexual baggage in marriage, what it is, how it shows up, and how couples can move toward healing and healthy intimacy without blame or shame. In this episode, we cover: What sexual baggage really means and where it comes...
info_outline
FMP 281: Helping Your Kids Handle Rejection
Family Meeting
Few things hurt parents more than watching their child feel left out or rejected by friends. In Episode 281 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra talk about how to help your kids navigate one-sided friendships, disappointment, and the pain of rejection without becoming bitter or withdrawn. Not every friendship is meant to last, and learning when to let a relationship fade is an important life skill. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to recognize when a friendship isn’t being reciprocated. How to guide your child to let a friendship fizzle without drama or conflict. Healthy...
info_outline
FMP 280: Is Clutter Creating Chaos In Your Relationship?
Family Meeting
Ever notice how clutter seems to bother one spouse way more than the other? It’s not just personality, it may be biology. In Episode 280 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra explore research showing that household clutter can raise women’s stress hormones significantly more than men’s, affecting mood, energy, and even relationship satisfaction. What looks like “just a mess” to one spouse can feel like constant emotional pressure to the other. And when stress rises, connection suffers. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why clutter impacts women’s cortisol (stress...
info_outline
FMP 279: Help! My Kids Fight All The Time!
Family Meeting
If you feel like a referee in your own home, you’re not alone. In Episode 279 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra tackle one of the most common parenting challenges: kids who fight all the time. From constant arguing to physical fights and emotional blowups, sibling conflict can drain parents and disrupt the entire household. This episode helps you understand: Why sibling conflict happens (and when it’s normal). Common mistakes parents make that unintentionally fuel fighting. How to set clear boundaries and expectations for conflict. When to step in and when to let kids...
info_outline
FMP 278: The Daily Debrief: A 20-Minute Habit That Will Change Your Marriage
Family Meeting
What if 20 minutes a day could change the direction of your marriage? In Episode 278 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra introduce the Daily Debrief, a simple, intentional conversation that helps couples process the day, release emotional residue, and move into tomorrow with clarity and hope. This practice helps couples: Identify daily wins and losses without blame. Recognize emotional residue that carries into the next day. Decide whether your spouse is a trusted ally, or someone you shield from. Strengthen trust through consistent, safe communication. Replace isolation with...
info_outline
FMP 277: Why Chores Help Your Children Succeed in the Future
Family Meeting
What if the path to your child’s future success starts with taking out the trash? In Episode 277 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra explore why chores play a critical role in helping children succeed professionally later in life. Far from being busywork, age-appropriate responsibilities build character traits employers value most, initiative, resilience, teamwork, and accountability. You’ll learn: How chores shape work ethic, responsibility, and perseverance. Why children who contribute at home develop stronger leadership skills. The connection between early responsibility...
info_outline
FMP 276: Why Worry Is Wrecking Your Marriage
Family Meeting
What if most of what you worry about in your marriage never actually happens? A study cited by Cornell University found that 85% of the things people worry about never happen. And of the remaining 15% that do, nearly 80% of people say the situation was easier to handle than expected or led to valuable growth. In Episode 276 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra apply this research directly to marriage, where worry often shows up as fear, control, assumptions, and emotional distance. You’ll learn: How worry quietly erodes trust and connection in marriage. Why fear-based thinking...
info_outline
FMP 275: What Makes Family Fun, Hard, and Worth It
Family Meeting
Family life is beautiful, complicated, loud, messy, and absolutely worth it. In Episode 275 of The Family Meeting Podcast, the Osterkamp girls take over the mic to share their honest perspective on what makes family fun, difficult, and important. From laughter and inside jokes to conflict, expectations, and growing pains, this episode offers a real, unfiltered look at family from the kids’ point of view. You’ll hear: What kids actually enjoy about family life. What makes family hard (and how parents can help). Why family still matters, even when it’s imperfect. What kids wish parents...
info_outline
FMP 274: Making Christmas Super Special
Family Meeting
The moments your family remembers most aren’t always the gifts, they’re the experiences you share together. In Episode 274 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra talk about how to make Christmas super special using games. From simple icebreakers to meaningful traditions, games have a unique way of bringing laughter, connection, and joy into the holiday season, without adding stress or cost. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why games are one of the best ways to create family memories at Christmas. Easy, low-cost Christmas games for all ages. How to use games to spark meaningful...
info_outlineScrolling in bed for hours. Avoiding responsibility. Calling it “self-care.”
Welcome to the culture of bed rot, where rest has turned into withdrawal, and comfort has replaced purpose.
In Episode 268 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra unpack what this trend means for families and how parents can respond with both truth and grace. Instead of shaming laziness or enabling disengagement, they explore how to guide kids toward real rest, the kind that restores body, mind, and spirit.
You’ll discover:
- What “bed rotting” really is and why it’s rising among teens and young adults.
- How screens, stress, and anxiety fuel this cultural trend.
- The difference between healthy rest and harmful avoidance.
- Biblical principles for balance, purpose, and meaningful rest.
- Practical steps to help your kids re-engage with life, faith, and family.
If you’ve noticed your child spending more time retreating than participating, this episode will help you approach the issue with understanding, boundaries, and biblical wisdom.
Bonus Resource: Send an email to info@familymeeting.org for our Healthy Rest vs. Avoidance Family Conversation Guide.
For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting