Episode 2: Grow Alongside Your Children: Why Raising Kids Who Love God Starts With You.

Last week my eight-year-old granddaughter looked up at me and asked, "Ima, how does God speak to you? How do you know it's really Him?" I didn't reach for a lesson plan; I just told her the truth. And right there, I realized something: I could only answer her because I never stopped growing.

Before we can disciple our children, we have to stay committed to growing ourselves. So in this episode, pull up a chair and grab your coffee. We're talking about why God rarely compares His people to things that stay the same. He calls us trees, vines, branches, living, growing things. He plants us in motherhood while we're still growing, and then He uses our children to grow us up in Him.

You'll hear the (slightly embarrassing) story of what the Holy Spirit said to me while I was scrubbing my refrigerator with a toothbrush, why the heat and the dry seasons don't disqualify you, and the freeing truth every Christian mom needs: your children don't need a perfect mother, they need one whose roots are growing deeper into Christ.

In this episode:

• Why God's favorite pictures of us are living, growing things
• What to do when the "heat" comes and your faith feels dry
• How being cleaned and pruned is part of growing
• The one small growth rhythm to start this week

Scriptures: Psalm 92:12–15 • Jeremiah 17:7–8

It's not simple, but it can be done. One ordinary moment at a time.

🌱 Free gift: Grab ROOTED: 7 Scriptures Your Child Needs to Know. (Insert your ManyChat trigger: text/comment ROOTED, or link.)

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you never miss one.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Conversation with God
• 03:03 Growing in Faith
• 06:03 The Promise of Growth
• 08:47 The Heat and the Drought
• 11:55 The Cleaning Process
• 15:01 Raising Children Rooted

Before I ever teach you how to raise kids who love God, I want you to know my story because it's the reason this podcast exists.

In this first episode of Raising Children Who Love God, I share my journey as a Christian mom: the deep longing for motherhood, the joy and the heartbreak, and what it meant to keep parenting through profound loss. I'll share how I learned to stop striving and start seeking God's wisdom, and how intentional, faith-filled parenting shaped the way I raised my children, every one of whom grew up to love and serve God.

If you long to disciple your children at home but you feel overwhelmed or unsure where to start, pull up a chair, I want to be your friend and mentor at the kitchen table. Raising kids who love God isn't simple, but it can be done, and you don't have to do it alone.

Grab your free resource 7 Scriptures Every Child Should Know Before Age 10 and explore the full discipleship pathway at 4thisgeneration.com. New episodes every Tuesday. Raise them rooted.

Optimized takeaways:

• Why raising kids who love God begins with a mom's own walk with Him
• How to parent with intention instead of simply reacting
• Finding God's peace and wisdom when motherhood feels overwhelming
• Holding on to faith while parenting through loss and grief
• Why discipling your children at home doesn't require perfection

Chapters :

• 00:00 Welcome + Why This Podcast Exists
• 03:02 My Longing to Become a Mother
• 05:11 A Birth That Changed Everything
• 06:37 Parenting Through Loss and Grief
• 09:47 Seeking God's Wisdom (and the Right Resources)
• 12:34 Raising Children Who Love God
• 15:12 An Invitation to You, Mama

Welcome to Raising Children Who Love God. If you've ever lain awake wondering whether your kids will grow up to truly love God, not just go to church, but make Him the center of their own lives, this show is for you.

I'm Dr. Rita M. Hernández, educator, author, ma, and grandma, in this short trailer I share who this podcast is for, what we'll walk through together each week, and the one truth I want every tired mom to hear: raising children who love God isn't simple, but it can be done. You don't need a seminary degree or a perfect plan. You just have to start.

Follow the show so you don't miss the very first episode, dropping this Tuesday. Grab your free resources at 4thisgeneration.com. Raise them rooted.