Claim OwnershipParents Making Time with Anthony & Jennifer Craiker
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Parents! Feel like you’re missing out on your kids’ lives while also never having enough time for yourself? Career pressures, shuttling kids around, volunteer commitments, and the endless tasks of caring for your home all place enormous demands on your time and energy, leading to guilt, stress, and ultimately regret. And while you’re trying to tend to your own self-care while also being a present parent who prioritizes family connection, your kids are growing up way too fast.
Sound familiar? If so—help is here! Unlike other parenting podcasts that just give you techniques for raising children or tips on childhood development, Parents Making Time focuses on helping YOU, the parent, prioritize YOUR life so that your parenting aligns with your values. In 15-minutes or less, this weekly podcast helps busy parents prioritize their relationships, be more present and intentional with family time, and build a lasting legacy of love—without neglecting their own well-being or feeling regret later in life.
Leveraging their 20+ years of parenting experience raising three thriving kids and leading and mentoring hundreds of children, youth, and families in volunteer church positions, hosts Anthony and Jennifer Craiker teach parents on a tight schedule how to balance work and family, create unbreakable family bonds, prevent parent burnout, and find joy in parenting.
If you’re ready to prioritize family time each day without feeling overwhelmed, you can count on this show to teach you how to be fully present with your kids, build lasting memories, prioritize your spouse, make dinner time count, connect with your kids after work, stop missing precious moments, discover intentional family time ideas, and so much more—all while learning how to implement quick self-care tips, create an intentional family legacy, and parent with no regret. So, hit PLAY, and let’s get started!
56 Episodes
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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 everyday 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 often takes a back seat. Days pass fast, and before we know it, we’re ...
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!! Follow Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn Follow Jennifer Craiker: Instagram Leave a rating & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify https://www.parentsmakingtime.com/
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 almost impossible. In this episode, we share the simple practice w...
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 present, intentional parent. When we focus on what other fami...
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 your family bond. In this episode of Parents Making Time, we...
Have you ever felt like you and your spouse weren’t on the same page? You both love your kids deeply — but sometimes, it feels like you’re speaking two different languages when it comes to rules, routines, or how to handle a situation. It’s one of the most common (and most frustrating) challenges parents face — especially for busy couples trying to balance work and family while still showing up as present, intentional parents. The result? Tension builds, connection fades, and it can start to ...
Are you struggling to find meaningful moments of connection with your kids? You’re not alone. Between school drop-offs, work deadlines, and never-ending to-do lists, it can feel impossible to carve out quality time — especially when your kids are busy too. But here’s the truth: meaningful connection doesn’t have to take hours. You don’t need elaborate family activities or perfectly planned moments. What truly matters are the small, intentional choices you make throughout the day—the micro-mom...
Do you ever open your phone to “just check something” — and suddenly realize you’ve lost 30 minutes to scrolling? Scrolling isn’t just a problem for our kids, it is a problem for parents too. In this episode of Parents Making Time, Anthony talks with Ruby Ryba, educator, statistician, and mom of two, about the hidden costs of phone addiction and how scrolling addiction quietly robs families of time, focus, and connection. Ruby shares honest stories and research-backed strategies to help paren...
Have you ever hit a point in parenting where you thought, “I literally can’t do this alone”? Parenting is always demanding — but there are certain seasons when it feels like everything is too much, and trying to handle it all by yourself just leads to burnout, resentment, or feeling like you're failing. In today’s episode, we’re sharing the one parenting tool we’ve come to rely on — the thing we honestly don’t think we could parent without. It’s not a hack or a gadget… but it just might chang...
Are you running on fumes, constantly giving to everyone else while putting yourself dead last? So many parents assume burnout is just part of the job — that exhaustion, overwhelm, and self-neglect are just what it means to be a “good parent.” But that belief is not only false…it's harmful to both the parent and the child. In today’s episode, we’re unpacking the secret weapon every parent can use to push back against burnout — and no, it’s not a nap or a week-long vacation. It’s something simp...
Have you ever felt completely shut out by your teenager — like no matter what you say, they just don’t want to hear it? As kids grow into teens, the connection we used to rely on can suddenly feel strained or even non-existent. It’s easy to take it personally or feel like we’ve lost our chance to stay close. Coming up next, we’re sharing a personal story — including the time my teenage son told me I wasn’t allowed to speak to him unless he gave me permission — and what we learned about stayin...
Why is it that no matter how early you wake up or how much you get done, you still can’t seem to find time for yourself? So many parents feel like they’re constantly running on empty — we assume it’s because of our jobs, or our never-ending to-do list. The real reason? It’s often something much simpler, and sneakier. In today’s episode, we’re unpacking the surprising root cause behind your lack of personal time — and trust us, it’s not what you think. Stick around to hear what it is and...
What would you do with 10 extra hours a week—just for meaningful time with your family? Most of us assume we’re too busy . . . that there just isn’t enough time in the week to slow down and connect. But often, it’s not about needing more hours—it’s about how we’re using the ones we already have. In today’s episode, we’re sharing the one simple shift that can help you reclaim up to as many as 10 hours a week—without overhauling your schedule—so you can spend more intentional, connected time an...
Ever find yourself thinking about work while making dinner… or checking your email while your kid is telling you about their day? For so many parents, the workday doesn’t end when we leave the office. Whether it’s the pressure to stay connected, the mental load we carry, or just the pace of modern life — it’s hard to truly clock out and connect with our kids after work. In this episode, we’re breaking down the three big reasons it’s so tough to disconnect — and more importantly, we’ll share w...
Do you ever get to the end of the day and wonder, “Did I actually connect with my family today—or did I just get through the checklist?” It’s so easy to fall into a routine where we’re physically present but emotionally checked out—rushing from one task to the next without really being with our kids in the moments that matter most. In this episode, we share the guiding principle that’s helped us keep our family at the center and helped us know how to be present parents—even in the busie...
Trailer for Parents Making Time with Anthony & Jennifer Craiker. In 15 minutes or less, our weekly podcast helps busy parents prioritize their relationships, be present and intentional with family time, and build a lasting legacy of love—without neglecting their own well-being or reaching the end of their lives wishing they’d spent more time with the people who matter most. Follow Anthony Craiker: Instagram | LinkedIn Follow Jennifer Craiker: Instagram Leave a rating & review o...
How do we teach our kids to tell the difference between fact and opinion in a world overflowing with information? In this episode, Anthony Craiker sits down with Barbara Mojica—educator, historian, and author of the Little Miss History series—to explore how parents can help children become curious learners and confident critical thinkers. Together they talk about the importance of family history, the role grandparents can play in shaping children’s understanding of the past, and practical way...
What happens when a life-altering diagnosis forces you to rethink everything you thought you knew about health, success, and purpose? In this powerful episode, Anthony Craiker sits down with Dr. Matt Kutz—author, speaker, professor, and cancer survivor—to talk about resilience, hope, and the lessons he’s discovered through his journey with advanced prostate cancer. Dr. Kutz opens up about hearing the words “you have metastatic prostate cancer” and how that moment reshaped his perspective on f...
What if thriving begins when you stop living like an owner and start living like a steward? In this conversation, Anthony Craiker talks with Larry O’Nan, author of Intentional Living and Giving, about a life philosophy that goes far beyond money. Larry unpacks lifestyle stewardship—caring for what’s entrusted to you across time, talent, relationships, and resources. You’ll learn how intentionality and clear boundaries pull you out of the “bumper cars” of culture, why generosity is more than w...
Rushing through life but still feeling empty? In this conversation, Anthony Craiker sits down with Tobi Ojekunle, host of the Mirror Talk podcast, to explore how self-reflection, gratitude, and faith can realign your work and life with purpose. Tobi shares the origin of Mirror Talk—learning from other people’s stories so you don’t repeat their mistakes—and explains the two meanings of “mirror talk”: speaking life-giving truth to yourself and seeing your own journey reflected in others. You’ll...
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