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In this episode, Amy talks with Stacy Manning about relational discipleship and raising kids to be warriors of the faith. .
Main Points Covered:
- Homeschooling isn’t possible for everyone
- Helping kids spot worldviews is essential
- Indoctrination is toxic when questions can’t be asked or thoughts challenged. Indoctrination isn’t brainwashing.
- Practice the No flinch rule
- Attack ideas, not people.
- Tips for parents of primary/elementary aged kids
- Talk to your children’s teachers about what they are teaching your kids, especially in the humanities
- Tips for middle-schoolers
- Watch out for technology!
- Tips for high-schoolers
- Stay engaged!
Resources Mentioned:
Them Before Us
Young Heretics Podcast – We had not vetted resources prior to airing the podcast. We do not recommend this resource.
PragerU podcast
“Defending Young Minds” (Mama Bear episode 75)
“Digital Detox” (Mama Bear episode 74)
Mama Bear Apologetics (book)
Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality
Quotable Quotes:
“You don’t have to homeschool to raise warriors in the faith.” – Amy Davison
“You can’t manufacture quality time.” – Stacy Manning
Questions or ideas? Send us an email at askthemamabears@gmail.com.
Donate to the podcast on our website.

We are all in this together, so sometimes our posts are a bit of all of us.
Honestly I felt so frustrated by the posture of this podcast episode. It felt like you encourage for the pulling of Christian kids out of public schools more from fear than encouraging families to use wisdom in deciding where God is leading their families.
I am a middle school and high school government teacher and have been convicted by the Lord to be in a public school to serve and love students that feels like the rest of the Christian community has abandoned. (I’ve taught in both public and private settings)
My kids when they reach kindergarten will also be part of the public school community in our neighborhood.
Further I have seen firsthand more authentic faith in teenagers attending public schools than private when I’ve lead small groups at my church. I became a Christian in high school because of Younglife which seems to be the last ministry intentionally pursuing students that would never be reached otherwise.
Please me mindful that some families will intentionally choose public schools and yes, we also will need to walk with and disciple our kids in ways that may be more obvious and more intentional than others.
Thank you for reading,
Hi Jean, thanks for reaching out. First, thank you for your honoring the calling God has made to be a beacon in a lost world. We need more of that!
Just to be clear, we were not advocating that all kids have to be pulled out of public school. Family dynamics are different for each person. The purpose of the podcast was to discuss Stacy’s upcoming book on how parents can raise kids in woke culture, of which she shared personal stories. These aren’t always prescriptive, but are descriptive of what her family encounters. Perhaps that’s where some of the misunderstanding lies.
A few other thoughts:
1. Everyone at Mama Bear and Stacy and Katy (who lead “Them Before Us”) have their children in public school. Encouraging parents to react out of fear is the antithesis of scripture, Stacy & Katy’s ministry, their books which includes “Raising Kids in a Woke Culture” which we were discussing, as well as the core beliefs, teachings, podcasts, and books of Mama Bear Apologetics. We do recognize that some parents might prefer to homeschool their children and they are justified in doing so. That doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone, but those that do have good reasons.
2. Stacy’s description of her child’s school (which is in Washington State) is reflective of public education in progressive states. The active encouraging of teachers to push woke and sexually progressive agendas is true, which parents need to be aware of if they are to be, as we are called, wise as serpents. I just recorded a podcast with a legal representative in Pennsylvania who described the exact same school conditions. To the point where parents are having their children taken by the state because they do not affirm lgbtq ideology. Again, these are facts that parents need to be aware of. How people respond to those facts should reflect the leading of the Holy Spirit, but are their own decision.
3. Your statements regarding the ability for christian kids to be witnesses in public schools is 100% correct! Some of the worst behavior I’ve seen was from private school kids rather than public. Wild! I have witnessed the same thing having had my children in homeschool co-ops, taught in co-ops and private schools, and currently have them enrolled in public school. Because we are mindful that some families are unable to opt out of public education we continually encourage parents to raise children to stand firm in the faith and be discerning as they navigate secular culture throughout our podcasts, blogs, and conference sessions.
4. Lastly, there are a lot more great high school ministries available today then when we were kids. Many for chapter start-up. Ratio Christi is an apologetics club that reaches high schools as well as college kids, https://ratiochristi.org/ . There is also a great girls mentoring ministry https://www.dollsheadquarters.com/ These might be a great addition for your school!
If you hop on over to our podcast list you can find lots of great recordings focusing on how to help you and your child think critically while engaging with culture. Hope you enjoy!
Did this episode get pulled? I can’t get it to play on youtube or on this site?