Parents Making Time with Anthony & Jennifer Craiker | Intentional Parenting for Busy Parents

Have you ever noticed that some of the most meaningful conversations with your kids happen when you least expect them, like during a car ride? 

For many busy parents, the car is simply a place to manage logistics. You're getting kids from school to activities and back home again. But what if those ordinary drives could become one of the most powerful opportunities for intentional parenting and connection?

In this episode of Pare...

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Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections with their kids in less than a minute!

Parenting Questions? Email us at par...

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you’re technically “showing up" but you don’t feel like yourself?

For busy parents, burnout doesn’t usually explode into your life. It builds quietly. You start forgetting small things. Your patience gets thinner. You feel stretched in ways you can’t quite explain.

And then comes the dangerous thought:
 “I should be handling this better.”

So many intentional parents assume that if th...

Have you ever been so desperate to solve a problem with your child that the harder you tried, the worse everything seemed to get?

As busy parents, we feel a deep responsibility to protect, guide, and help our children. Whether it’s anxiety, school, or preparing for adulthood, we instinctively jump into problem-solving mode when they are struggling. We research, we analyze, and we worry. But often, the more intensely we focus on the ...

What happens when your child no longer needs you—but still needs you?

For years, you’ve guided, protected, corrected, and directed. You’ve worked hard to practice to intentionally parent your infant, toddler, teenager. But when your child becomes an adult, everything changes.

And here’s the mistake many busy parents make:
 We don’t adjust.

We keep controlling instead of influencing.
 We keep fixing instead of coaching.
 We...

What will your kids still have from you when you’re no longer there to guide them?

So many of us spend years chasing accomplishments, careers, and milestones.  We think we know what success looks like. But when you slow down and really think about it those aren’t the things your children will treasure most.

Here’s the hard truth:

 If you don’t intentionally capture your stories they will disappear.

Busy parents often assume journaling ...

Have you ever assumed your kids just know you love them even if you don’t always say it out loud?

As busy parents, it’s easy to focus on schedules, discipline, homework, and getting through the day only to miss the small, intentional words that actually build trust and connection.

Maybe you’ve lost your patience. Maybe pride made it hard to apologize.Maybe you thought, “They already know how I feel.”

But the truth is that unspoken lov...

When you hand your child their first phone, are you trusting them or protecting them?

For many busy parents, giving kids a smartphone feels like a parenting milestone you’re never fully ready for. You want to build trust. You want to respect privacy. You don’t want to be “that parent.”

But today’s phones aren’t just phones. They’re constant access to social media, messaging apps, strangers, addictive algorithms, and content our kids’...

Are you a busy parent who feels pressure to create “perfect” family moments—but still worries you’re missing what really matters in parenting?

In the middle of full schedules, work demands, and daily responsibilities, many busy parents believe meaningful memories require big trips, extra money, or elaborate planning. That mindset can quietly pull us away from intentional parenting and leave families feeling disconnected—even when ev...

What if the tension you’re feeling at home isn’t just about your kids, but about the connection you’ve lost with your spouse?

As parents, we spend so much time pouring into our children that our marriage often gets whatever is left over—if anything at all. Date nights feel inconvenient, expensive, or impossible, especially when life is busy and you’re already exhausted.

But here’s the truth: when your marriage relationship suffers, e...

What if the reason parenting feels so overwhelming isn’t because you’re doing it wrong, but because you’re chasing a version of “balance” that was never realistic to begin with?

So many busy parents feel like they’re failing because life doesn’t look perfectly balanced — work, kids, marriage, home, hobbies, all neatly managed at once. When reality doesn’t match that picture, guilt and stress creep in fast.

In today’s episode of Paren...

No new episode of Parents Making Time this week. Merry Christmas to you and your family! Make time to become the parent you want to be!

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy parents like you who need easy, actionable ways to have daily meaningful connections wi...

What if the parenting stress you feel isn’t from parenting itself, but from being the only one holding everything together?

So many busy parents fall into the quiet habit of carrying the entire load—the dishes, the laundry, the dog, the clutter, the schedules—while hoping their kids will “just pitch in.” But without clear expectations, kids don’t know how to help, and parents end up exhausted, frustrated, and burned out.

In this epis...

Parents, have you ever felt torn between expert parenting advice and your own motherly or fatherly instincts?

Recommendations that once felt like hard rules can completely reverse over the years. When advice changes, parenting can feel confusing and overwhelming. Parenting anxiety can be a real challenge.

So many parents rely solely on experts and forget the powerful intuition they already have. When advice constantly changes—from pe...

What if the strongest memories your kids carry into adulthood come not from vacations, but from small everyday traditions at home?

We often think family traditions are reserved for holidays—Christmas, birthdays, vacations—but research shows that rituals and routines play a powerful role in shaping family culture, kids’ identity, emotional wellbeing, and long-term connection. When life gets busy, family bonding and intentional parent...

No new episode this week due to Thanksgiving. Next episode will be released on Friday, December 5, 2025. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving with your families! We are grateful for you, our listeners!! Happy parenting!

Easily improve your intentional parenting efforts at mealtime with our FREE resource, Dinner Conversation Starters.

Download our FREE resource, 30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids, created for busy paren...

What would happen if your family put the phones away—just for one evening a week? Could you strengthen your parent-child connection?

Maybe you’ve felt that tug lately—the sense that your teen is drifting into their screen while real conversations, teaching opportunities, and connection get squeezed out. You want more meaningful moments together . . . but between schedules, resistance, and the constant pull of devices, it feels almos...

Do you ever catch yourself comparing your parenting to other families—wondering if you’re not doing enough or feeling guilty because someone else seems to have it all together?

Comparison is one of the biggest hidden causes of mom guilt, dad guilt, and parenting burnout. Whether you’re scrolling social media or watching families at church, comparison sneaks in—stealing your confidence, creating anxiety, and making it harder to be a ...

Have you ever sat down for family dinner hoping for connection—only to be met with silence, clinking forks, and kids glued to their phones?

Even though dinner is one of the best chances to connect with your kids, conversation doesn’t always come naturally. Many busy parents assume that because you love each other, the talking part should just happen—but when it doesn’t, you miss out on those small, meaningful moments that strengthen...