What if your kids don’t need perfect parents, just parents who keep pointing them to a perfect Savior? Author, pastor’s wife, and mom of six daughters Jeanine Sanchez joins David Swarbrick on the first episode of Parenting Against the Current to talk about how to raise kids who keep walking with Jesus even after they move out. Jeanine has been married to her husband Juan, a senior pastor in Austin, Texas, for 36 years and has raised 5 daughters who are still walking with Jesus. She and Juan learned a great deal along the way, and they put it into their book, Reaching Your Child’s Heart: A Practical Guide to Faithful Parenting. In this episode, Jeanine talks honestly about the difference between managing behavior and reaching a child’s heart. She and David also discuss reconciling with an angry teenager, how the authority of the parent changes as children age, and why church was a non-negotiable in the Sanchez home. If you’ve ever worried that you’re doing it all wrong, this conversation will remind you where your hope belongs. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why your kids need to watch you repentThe difference between heart engagement and behavior managementHow grace and mercy work together with correctionSimple ways to build Scripture and catechism into routines you already haveHow to reconcile with a teenager who isn’t ready to talk yetWhy fear makes a poor foundation for parenting and the damage of being a chronically angry parentHow freedoms should grow with responsibility as kids approach moving outHow to receive feedback from your kids about how they see you as a parent Memorable quotes: “Our kids don’t need perfect parents, because they’re not going to get that anyway. What they really need is a perfect Savior.” — Jeanine Sanchez “If you deny and justify and explain and sweep it under the rug, that’s what your kids are going to learn to do.” — David Swarbrick “As long as that child has breath in their lungs, there is hope.” — Jeanine Sanchez “Quality time is born out of quantity time.” — Jeanine Sanchez Resources mentioned: Reaching Your Child’s Heart: A Practical Guide to Faithful Parenting by Juan and Jeanine Sanchez (New Growth Press), also available in Spanish Scripture referenced:Proverbs 1:5, Psalm 139:14, Deuteronomy 6, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 8:1, Proverbs 3, Matthew 18:22, Matthew 12:43–45, Psalm 103:12, Galatians 6:9, Ezekiel 36:26, Philippians 2:12, Hebrews 12:2, Isaiah 55:11 Chapters:00:00:00 Welcome and introductions00:01:01 Six daughters and a life in ministry00:02:28 Why parenting stereotypes don’t help00:07:00 Writing Reaching Your Child’s Heart00:12:35 God’s desire for godly offspring 00:15:19 Kids need a perfect Savior00:16:34 Letting your kids see you repent 00:20:32 Transparency and kids leaving faith00:22:07 Holding justice and mercy together00:28:38 Reaching the heart, not just behavior00:34:39 How we harden our kids’ hearts00:37:10 Positive biblical instruction00:41:26 Building Scripture into daily routines00:44:55 Catechism and the mental warehouse00:46:32 Having uncomfortable conversations00:48:22 Spanking as one tool among many00:52:40 Reconciling with an angry teenager00:58:08 Choosing fun over fear01:03:03 From command to counsel01:06:31 Freedom to fail and launching well 01:10:12 Raising worshipers, not just believers01:12:59 Why church was non-negotiable01:15:49 Praying for what only God can do01:16:43 I don’t agree, but I trust you01:20:06 Anger destroys relationships01:20:40 Quality time needs quantity time01:23:35 Hope in Jesus alone 01:26:26 Wrap-up If this episode encourages you, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one, and share it with a parent who needs a little hope today.
