Episodes

News from the government and public schools has been disturbing recently, and homeschool organizations are reporting an increase in inquiries from families who are now considering moving away from the public school option. There are always questions though – is this legal here? Will my kids be able to get into college or a job one day? Will my family turn out weird? This episode, we’ll share some of our own observations from over twenty years of homeschooling our own family – and maybe encourag...

Hal and Melanie have been on this network since nearly the beginning. Felice met them on the conference circuit, asked if they would podcast, and they said yes — and they are still here thirteen years later. For the network’s birthday, every host answers one question a real homeschool mom actually asked. This is that episode. Their question: “Your boys will not sit still, and you are out of ideas.” You know the answer if you have been listening a while, but it never stops being true: boys need...

Helping Your Perfectionist Child Melanie’s phone rang. It was their son, away at college, nearly hysterical. He was going to get an A-minus. If you’re raising a perfectionist child, you know that phone call in your bones. If you have a child like that — the one who bursts into tears over a missed problem, who won’t try anything unless he already knows he’ll be good at it, who announces he’s “terrible at everything” the moment something is hard — this episode is for you. Hal and Melanie Young ...

Family Worship That Actually Works | What to Actually Do Last week we talked about why family worship matters and why it’s so hard. You came away convinced. Then Monday morning arrives, everybody’s on the couch, and the question hits: what do we actually do for the next fifteen minutes? Hal and Melanie Young — parents of ten — walk through exactly that. Not a theory of family devotions, but the pieces you can pick from, and permission to leave most of them out on any given day. The building bl...

You know you should be having family devotions. You’ve started three times this year. Somebody bounced on the couch the whole time, somebody else couldn’t stop giggling, and by Thursday it had quietly disappeared again — along with a fresh layer of guilt. Family Worship Without the Guilt: Making Devotions Stick This School Year Hal and Melanie Young have been there. In this episode they talk honestly about why family worship is so hard, why it matters more than you can see right now, and how t...

It’s that time again — the planners are out, the curriculum catalogs are dog-eared, and the pressure is building. Before you map out every minute of the coming year, Hal and Melanie Young want to give you some relief, some freedom, and a whole lot of grace. In this back-to-school favorite, Hal and Melanie share the planning approach that carried them through 25+ years and five graduates (all offered academic scholarships): plan well, but hold your plans with humility and flexibility. They walk ...

Encore presentation from the MBFLP archives — a listener favorite worth hearing again. Sponsored by CTCMath.com Boys and Noise: Managing a Houseful of Energetic Boys “Got boys? Then probably, you’ve got noise!” This week Hal and Melanie Young open up an email from a desperate homeschooling mom of four boys, all eight and under — two quiet, peace-loving firstborn parents completely overwhelmed by the volume, the wrestling, and the endless bickering. As parents of six boys themselves, Hal and Mel...

🌿 This episode is proudly sponsored by Eden’s Table — a Christ-centered herbalism curriculum for K-5 homeschool families. One plant a week, woven through Bible, science, history, art, and Latin. Try a free week → Happily Married While Homeschooling? Happily Married and Homeschooling, podcast episode of Making Biblical Family Life Practical with Hal & Melanie Young. Everyone tells you that homeschooling isn’t an educational choice, but a lifestyle! Should we be surprised if we discover that ho...

🧮 This episode is proudly sponsored by CTCMath — an online math program designed to help homeschool families build confidence and mastery, one lesson at a time. Try CTCMath → On the eve of the mid-term elections, how do we talk about the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity? How can we help keep the next generation from trading our hard-won freedom for supposed security or momentary gain? Do we appreciate the importance of even these small local races that clutter up the bottom ...

🌿 This episode is proudly sponsored by Eden’s Table — a Christ-centered herbalism curriculum for K-5 homeschool families. One plant a week, woven through Bible, science, history, art, and Latin. Try a free week → It’s almost summer and water safety is a big concern. Peter walked on water when Jesus called him (Matthew 14) but most of us don’t have that direct command! We share some thoughts about how we train our kids to be safe around the lake, pool, or beach – even if you can’t afford a count...

🌿 This episode is proudly sponsored by Eden’s Table — a Christ-centered herbalism curriculum for K-5 homeschool families. One plant a week, woven through Bible, science, history, art, and Latin. Try a free week → Boy Question Free-for-All | Making Biblical Family Life Practical Podcast: Making Biblical Family Life Practical Hosts: Hal Young and Melanie Young Network: Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network Sponsor: CTCMath.com Raising boys comes with big questions — from roughhousing and sibling ...

🧮 This episode is proudly sponsored by CTCMath — an online math program designed to help homeschool families build confidence and mastery, one lesson at a time. Try CTCMath → Summer Movies and Christian Discernment The summer movie season is fast approaching and lots of our kids are will be lining up at the Multiplex for one opening night after another. How do you choose appropriate movies for your family, or give reasonable guidance to your youngsters, or is there a framework for a Christian t...

🧮 This episode is proudly sponsored by CTCMath — an online math program designed to help homeschool families build confidence and mastery, one lesson at a time. Try CTCMath → Cheap Family Travel Tips for Large Families (Without Breaking the Budget) Looking for affordable family travel ideas that actually work for large families? Whether you’re planning a homeschool field trip, ministry travel, a family vacation, or traveling for work, there are ways to travel well on a budget. In this episode ...

🧮 This episode is proudly sponsored by CTCMath — an online math program designed to help homeschool families build confidence and mastery, one lesson at a time. Try CTCMath → Boys and Books: How to Help Boys Love Reading (and What They’ll Actually Read) Podcast: Making Biblical Family Life Practical Hosts: Hal & Melanie Young Network: Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network Struggling to get your son to read? You’re not alone—and you’re not without options. In this episode, Hal and Melanie Young...

🧮 This episode is proudly sponsored by CTCMath — an online math program designed to help homeschool families build confidence and mastery, one lesson at a time. Try CTCMath → Boy-Friendly Homeschooling In this episode of Making Biblical Family Life Practical, Raising Real Men founders Hal and Melanie Young share practical, encouraging strategies for homeschooling boys in a way that works with their design—not against it. If you’ve ever wondered why your son struggles to sit still, resist wor...

🧮 This episode is proudly sponsored by CTCMath — an online math program designed to help homeschool families build confidence and mastery, one lesson at a time. Try CTCMath → Electronics and Temptation: Christian Parenting in a Digital World Technology is part of everyday life—but that doesn’t mean families should approach it casually. In this episode of Making Biblical Family Life Practical, Hal and Melanie Young discuss how Christian families can think wisely about electronics, internet acce...

🧮 This episode is proudly sponsored by CTCMath — an online math program designed to help homeschool families build confidence and mastery, one lesson at a time. Try CTCMath → Kids need discipline, and in fact, God tells us that a child who doesn’t receive discipline has been rejected by his parents! (Hebrews 12) Discipline, after all, is discipleship – it’s meant to teach, not just punish. But there are good and very bad ideas for administering the needed correction to our kids. How can you dis...

“Mom, I think I’m an atheist.” That was the chilling announcement from the back of the van, from our nine-year-old child. Spiritual doubts may arise at any time, especially with young teens, and this episode we’re talking about some practical things you can do to help shepherd your young person through this stormy time. Spiritual Doubt and Your Kids sponsored by CTCMath.com Apologetics Museums We Enjoyed These are remarkable places to visit, but even if you can’t travel there, they have grea...

“What makes you think you’re qualified to homeschool?” That’s one of the frequently asked questions, isn’t it? And if nobody in your family, church, or neighborhood asks — you’ll probably ask yourself. Don’t you have to have a teacher’s certificate to really be a teacher? Shouldn’t you go to college and get an education degree first? Or is the credential less important for a homeschool than a classroom? This episode, we’re taking a listener’s question and talking about homeschooling with confi...

Motivating Boys to Write (Replay) Episode 250 | Making Biblical Family Life Practical Sponsored by CTCMath.com Does your son hate writing? If every writing assignment turns into frustration, avoidance, or even tears—you’re not alone. This episode will help you understand why boys struggle with writing—and what actually works. Listen to This Episode If you’re homeschooling a boy (or just helping your son with his homework!) you’ve probably seen his frustration about writing. Yet the ability ...

Dealing With Conflict With Tweens and Teens: Anger, Hormones, and Staying the Adult in the Room Podcast: Making Biblical Family Life Practical with Hal & Melanie Young Episode: Dealing With Conflict With Tweens and Teens (replay) “Is it normal for a nine-year-old boy to be angry?” In this episode, Hal and Melanie Young respond to a parent’s honest question—with a big backstory behind it. Family stress, pressure, and emotional overload can collide with early puberty changes and create what th...

Husbands and Dads: Love Like Jesus This is a replay of a popular episode and links mentioned in the episode have been updated in the show notes. Making Biblical Family Life Practical with Hal & Melanie Young Sponsored by CTCMath.com — the online math program homeschool parents love because it builds real confidence fast. Lessons are short and clear, kids can pause and rewind as often as they need, and they can learn at their own pace (without the stress). Parents also get detailed progress re...

Teaching Adulting: How to Prepare Teens for Real-Life Responsibility (Replay) Studies show that young adults are often not prepared for adult independence. Psychologists say the current generation is growing up slowly, and some even say “Twenty-five is the new fifteen”!* But if our parents and grandparents were functioning adults at 18 or 20, why can’t our kids be the same? This episode we’re talking about how to teach adult skills intentionally to our teenagers – and what to do if they graduat...

Choosing Meaningful Gifts for the Family We like the whole giving-and-receiving tradition of Christmas because it celebrates God’s greatest gift – His Son, bringing His grace — and face it, it’s just fun! But sometimes we get discouraged at not just the commercialization of the holiday, but how thoughtless and mechanical that gift buying can become. This episode we’ll talk about how you make this tradition more meaningful for the giver and the receiver alike. Be sure to check out our gift guid...