A Bit About my Guest

Kristen Welch is a native Texan, a wife and mom. She began blogging about her life on wearethatfamily.com nearly a decade ago. Over the years, Kristen has grown a vast following of moms who identify with her real, often funny, and always inspiring writing.
In 2010, she traveled with Compassion International to Kenya on a blogging trip to write about poverty in a huge slum. That experience turned her world upside down, and as a result, she and her family founded a non-profit called Mercy House. The organization funds maternity centers for pregnant teens living in extreme poverty and manages Fair Trade Friday, a monthly subscription club that allows thousands of women in America to support impoverished women around the globe by purchasing the fairly traded product they create.
Kristen is the author of multiple books, including Rhinestone Jesus: Saying Yes to God when Sparkly Safe Faith is No Longer Enough and Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World: How One Family Learned That Saying No Can Lead to Life’s Biggest Yes.
Kristen’s blog following continues to grow, and many of the readers financially support the work of Mercy House. When she and her family aren’t traveling to Kenya, Kristen and her husband and their three children live in Magnolia, Texas, where they enjoy going to football games, flea markets, trying new restaurants and working with displaced refugees in Houston.

More like this from The Busy Mom

The Danger of Entitlement and How to Avoid It Part 1 & Part 2 Podcast

Chores and Your Children

How to Spoil Your Child in 5 Easy Steps

Resources

Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch -“But everyone else has it.” “If you loved me, you’d get it for me!” When you hear these comments from your kids, it can be tough not to cave. You love your children―don’t you want them to be happy and to fit in?

Kristen Welch knows firsthand it’s not that easy. In fact, she’s found out that when you say yes too often, it’s not only hard on your peace of mind and your wallet―it actually puts your kids at long-term risk. InRaising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, Kristen shares the ups and downs in her own family’s journey of discovering why it’s healthiest not to give their kids everything. Teaching them the difference between “want” and “need” is the first step in the right direction. With many practical tips and anecdotes, she shares how to say the ultimate yes as a family by bringing up faith-filled kids who will love God, serve others, and grow into hardworking, fulfilled, and successful adults.

It’s never too late to raise grateful kids. Get ready to cultivate a spirit of genuine appreciation and create a Jesus-centered home in which your kids don’t just say―but mean!―“thank you” for everything they have.

The Entitlement Cure by John Townsend – Today we live in a culture that says, ‘Life should be easy and work well.’ This attitude, called entitlement, influences our most important institutions: family, business, church, and government. Its devastating effects contribute to relational problems, work ethic issues, and emotional struggles. It comes down to this: People are not getting to where they want to go, because they don’t know how to do life the hard way. Entitlement keeps them from tackling challenges and finding success. But whether readers are struggling with their own sense of entitlement or dealing with someone who acts entitled, The Entitlement Cure will equip them to turn away from a life of mediocrity to a life of engagement, satisfaction, and joy.

Boundaries books by Henry Cloud – Having clear boundaries is essential to a healthy, balanced lifestyle. A boundary is a personal property line that marks those things for which we are responsible. In other words, boundaries define who we are and who we are not. Boundaries impact all areas of our lives: Physical boundaries help us determine who may touch us and under what circumstances — Mental boundaries give us the freedom to have our own thoughts and opinions — Emotional boundaries help us to deal with our own emotions and disengage from the harmful, manipulative emotions of others — Spiritual boundaries help us to distinguish God’s will from our own and give us renewed awe for our Creator — Often, Christians focus so much on being loving and unselfish that they forget their own limits and limitations…