How do parents nurture a child’s God-given individuality without letting that individuality run the family?

🎙️ In this episode of Rooted by the River, host John Houmes sits down with Torrey Roberts, Engagement Director at Oceanview Baptist Church and longtime family ministry leader, to talk about one of the most common (and confusing) parenting tensions: raising unique children while building a unified family culture.

Drawing from her experience as a behavioral specialist at Sheridan House Ministries and her 15 years co-hosting the Parenting on Purpose podcast, Torrey offers practical wisdom for Christian parents who want to raise kids who are faithful, resilient, and grounded in truth—without overcorrecting, micromanaging, or reacting out of fear.

✨ This conversation is especially helpful for parents navigating strong-willed children, teens, or siblings with very different personalities who want to parent with grace, truth, and wisdom.

#parenting #individuality #children #personality

⏱️ 00:00 – Welcome & introduction ⚖️ 02:20 – Individuality vs. family culture 🌱 02:50 – “The way they are bent” (Proverbs insight) 🚩 05:47 – Signs parents might be struggling stewarding kids’ individuality 😨 07:59 – Parental fear, control, and need for perfection 🧠 10:17 – How to let kids fail and self-awareness 🌍 14:32 – Cultural radical individualism vs. biblical identity 📚 17:16 – Being a student of your child and God’s purpose for them 🕰️ 20:41 – Family rules, consistency, and rhythms ✅ 22:46 – Preferences vs. right and wrong 💍💼✝️ 24:07 – Raising kids to be marriageable, employable, and God-honoring 📝 25:34 – John’s reflections and takeaways

In this episode, host John Houmes talks with therapist Jill Dagistino about emotion regulation in parenting.

They explore how emotions impact both parents and children, why emotional awareness matters, and practical tools parents can use to help kids understand and manage big feelings.

Jill shares the RAIN Method, explains the difference between guilt and shame, and highlights why connection and vulnerability are essential for emotionally healthy families. This episode offers practical, faith-based insight for parents raising children in today’s world.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:33 The Role of Emotion Regulation & Definitions

05:15 Cultural Perspectives & Misconceptions on Emotions

10:06 The RAIN Method for Emotion Regulation - Core Emotions

19:52 Training Children to recognize their Emotions

23:13 Navigating Emotions while Parenting

24:18 The Importance of being Honest

26:42 Guilt vs. Shame & Vulnerability in Parenting

30:00 Closing Thoughts/Takeaways and Prayer

#guiltvsshame #kidsandemotions #parentingkids #emotionalregulation #raisingemotionallyhealthykids

Resources

Feelings Wheel

Jill Dagistino — Spanish River Counseling Center

Parenting teens around food can feel like a constant balancing act. One day they’re not hungry, the next they’re starving—and underneath it all are deeper questions about body image, control, comparison, and faith.

In this episode of Rooted by the River, John talks with registered dietitian Jenna Braddock about helping children and teenagers develop a healthy, God-honoring relationship with food. Together they explore how family rhythms, shared meals, and grace-filled conversations can shape both physical health and spiritual formation.

This episode offers practical encouragement for parents who want to:

• Teach healthy eating without shame or fear

• Address body image in a faith-filled way

• Stay connected to teens navigating comparison

• Use family meals as a place of discipleship

“Shared meals can change lives.” — Jenna Braddock

Whether you’re a parent, pastor, or caregiver, this conversation will help you approach food, faith, and family with wisdom and peace.

Marriage starts with hope—but for many couples, years 7–21 bring unexpected challenges.

In this episode, John talks with Pastor Rodney Wilkinson, pastor at Gospel Fellowship Church and host of Married in the Middle, about the realities of navigating marriage during its most demanding season. These are the years filled with pressure from work, parenting, emotional distance, and unresolved pain—especially for men who often feel unseen or unheard.

You’ll discover:

• Why the middle years of marriage are often the hardest

• How past trauma affects present-day connection

• The emotional struggles men face in marriage

• Practical ways to stay connected through active listening

• Why staying committed through the middle leads to lasting reward

This conversation offers biblical perspective, honest insight, and hope for anyone committed to building a healthy, enduring marriage.

⭐ Subscribe, rate, and review to help others find this episode.

#ChristianMarriage #MarriagePodcast #MarriageHelp #MenInMarriage #HealthyRelationships

Resources:

Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson

The Deep-Rooted Marriage by Dr. Allender

Rodney’s Podcast — Married in the Middle

Make Sense of Your Story: Why Engaging Your Past with Kindness Changes Everything: Adam Young, Dr. Allender

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:05 Marriage in the Middle: Why married people struggle in years 7 to 21.

05:35Opportunities and Dangers within these years

09:19 Pain and trauma from our past and today 14:12- 25:20 The struggles of men in marriages

25:21 How “active listening” and staying connected is important 31:58-37:41 Takeaways

How do we raise sons who grow into men of integrity, perseverance, loyalty, and faith—in a culture that often pushes the opposite? Where does character formation really begin, and how do parents lead with both love and accountability?

In this episode of Rooted by the River, a family ministries podcast from Spanish River Church, host John sits down with Coach Brian Braddock, Head Football Coach at St. Augustine High School, to explore how character is shaped in young men—on the football field and at home.

Coach Braddock shares timeless insights on building trust, setting high standards, and holding boys accountable without crushing their spirit. Drawing from years of coaching and mentoring teenage boys, he helps parents translate leadership lessons from the sidelines straight to the dinner table.

You’ll learn:

• How to cultivate biblical character in boys and young men

• Why trust and warmth are essential for real accountability

• How fathers and parents can model integrity—even while wrestling with their own flaws

• Practical ways to create a home culture that draws out the best in boys

• Why acceptance and discipline must always go hand in hand

“I’ve come to learn that the building of trust is paramount to everything when we want to drive people to high standards and to have the right to hold them accountable to those standards.” — Coach Brian Braddock

Whether you’re a parent of sons, a youth leader, a coach, or someone passionate about forming godly men, this conversation will challenge and encourage you with wisdom that lasts a lifetime.

Resources:

Stand Firm and Act Like Men: Becoming the Man You Were Created to Be Instead of Who the World Says You Are, by Joby Martin

John’s Interview with Nancy Pearcy: Forming Godly Men

On Spotify

On Apple

Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:06 Character development, maintaining trust and warmth

06:30 Setting bar high for success and requiring accountability

15:22 Wrestling with our own character while molding theirs

31:51 Takeaways

In this bonus episode, John and Virginia Houmes talk on "Spiritual Habits: Creating Rhythms of Faith in Your Family". You'll hear how seizing opportunities and practicing intentionality can shape your family's faith. The talk was given by the Houmes' at SRC's Mom Talks in November of 2025. Rooted by the River on:

Youtube Instagram

Resources:

Book Resources

The Bible Project on Youtube

Give Me An Answer (Cliff & Stuart Knechtle on Youtube)

The New City Catechism App

Habits of the Household Class (Winter 2026)

When should parents say “yes” to their children—and when is it loving to say “no”?

In this episode of Rooted by the River, the family ministries podcast from Spanish River Church, John sits down with Alyssa Hanna to talk about healthy boundaries in Christian parenting. Alyssa is a mother of three young children and a licensed counselor who works with teenagers, bringing both professional insight and real-life parenting experience to the conversation.

Drawing from a parenting and boundaries class taught at Spanish River Church, Alyssa and John explore how biblical wisdom, emotional health, and clear boundaries help parents raise children who are secure, resilient, and rooted in Christ.

Whether you’re parenting toddlers, teens, or somewhere in between, this conversation offers practical tools, faith-based encouragement, and hope for overwhelmed parents navigating everyday decisions.

#faithbasedparenting #kids&boundaries #parenting #Christianparenting #boundarieswithkids #sayingyesandno Resources: Spanish River Counseling Center Boundaries curriculum by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

Marriage doesn’t stay the same once kids enter the picture. For many couples, the relationship slowly shifts into survival mode—focused on parenting, schedules, and responsibilities—until spouses feel more like roommates than husband and wife.

In this episode of Rooted by the River, the family ministries podcast from Spanish River Church, John interviews pre-marital counselor Dan Meyers about how couples can strengthen their marriage after kids, keep the marital covenant at the center of the home, and intentionally grow in connection, communication, and spiritual unity.

This conversation offers practical Christian marriage wisdom for:

• Parents navigating the busy seasons of family life

• Couples who feel disconnected or stuck

• Engaged and newly married couples preparing for the future

If you care about building a healthy, Christ-centered marriage that serves as the foundation of your family, this episode is for you.

#ChristianMarriage #MarriageAfterKids #ParentingAndMarriage #parenting

Resources:

Learn more about Dan Myers

The Meaning of Marriage, by Tim & Kathy Keller

Couples Counseling Groups at Spanish River Counseling Center

Marriage, Family and Parenting services at Spanish River Counseling Center