Overcoming Attacks on Motherhood

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Get ready. It's one of America's most important, influential, and respected voices on cultural and political issues. An apologist, Christian political advocate, and author, here is the founder and chairman of the Citizens for America Foundation, Dr. Chris Hughes. My favorite day of the show all week long because my favorite partner, Connie Albers, is with me each week to talk about family issues and what's going on in our families across the country. Before we get in the show today, Connie, I just want to give a commercial advertisement. As our listeners know, Citizens for America is the main sponsor of our program. You can learn more about them at CitizensForAmericaFoundation.com.

We have a brand new tour, actually Connie, that is starting today. It's called Living in a Post-Row America, an interview with Chris Hughes, and it's where I will be traveling to churches across the country talking about the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. It's not a political thing at all, and it's absolutely free to churches. Basically, what we do is talk about what is Roe v. Wade. A lot of people heard the term, but they don't really know what the decision was by the Supreme Court in 1973 or what brought about that decision.

They don't understand what the Dobbs case is, which is really the decision that was just determined and answered this past week. What's the responsibility of the church? We have not done a good job, and it's time that we step up, particularly now, and show love and care for mothers and their babies. If you want to learn more about that, you can email me at chrishughes at CitizensForAmericaFoundation.com, or go to CitizensForAmericaFoundation.com and sign up for our newsletter and get updates on what we're doing. It's an absolutely free opportunity for your church in a non-political manner to understand really the issue of abortion, what does the Bible say about abortion, and what is the charge to the church and us as Christians as we move forward.

I encourage you to go to CitizensForAmericaFoundation.com and sign up to learn more. Of course, we want to thank our studio host, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, for being the host of the Christian Perspective Studios right here in Memphis, Tennessee. The college year will be starting up soon. August is not that far away, so if you want to sign up or learn about how you can get a seminary degree, which is just a master's or doctorate degree, or even an undergraduate degree from the College of Mid-America, visit MABTS.edu.

That is MABTS, which stands for Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.edu. Well, Connie, so much is going on in our world and since we've talked, and I know today that we're going to talk about motherhood and the attack on mothers. But before we do that, I have to get my weekly grandmother update because all of our listeners and people I talk to want to know, hey, have you met Connie's grandbaby yet? What's happening with the grandbaby? And I've seen pictures on Facebook and you and I have talked about him. And I didn't see, I messaged you last night, but I didn't go look to see, I'm sorry, I went to bed early.

I saw a picture outside a restaurant and I'm wondering if he has made his debut to the annual or to the weekly taco Tuesday night for your family. So give us a grandbaby update if you're allowed to do that. Oh, absolutely. It is everything, quote, they say it is.

It is just amazing. Yes, we started off. He is a few weeks old. I mean, he's old enough to be able to go out now. I mean, he's like six weeks old, five, six weeks old. Yes, he came to our family Taco Tuesday. And for those of you that are new to the show, our family typically gets together every Tuesday and we go to a Mexican restaurant or we call it Taco Tuesday and our family, everybody tries to rearrange their schedules to be there. So our little boy was the hit of the evening and he was certainly passed around from aunt to uncle and grandparents. It was a delight.

He's so big and you know, it's amazing. So I have to say this, because I'm learning, I'm learning like how do you do this grandma gig? You don't want to go in grandma jail.

You don't want to get, you know, you don't want to upset or offend. And you know, that's easy to do these days. But I just sent my daughter in law a text just reminding her of the importance of her role and how well she loves her husband, how well she loves that little boy, and that we're here to cheer her on to support her and to pray for her. So, you know, we have to be life giving in this season. And she is a beautiful, beautiful mama to that little boy. And I couldn't be more proud. Well, it's such an exciting time.

And I just I know, so we don't really talk about family members too much on here while I do and I get in trouble for it. But just let her know that listeners across the country are praying for her and for your son and your grandson. And just pray that she's feeling well, too. And hopefully they'll start getting some sleep soon.

I know everybody in the world's got their advice on how to get sleep. We were really blessed in a little bit over a month. We were getting sleep, but I was kind of militant. Somebody told us about this program called, I think it's called character-active feeding or something like that. The nurses in the hospital just thought that I don't know if you've ever heard of that program. Basically, I can't remember. It's like every two and a half or three hours, I think you feed them or something. Yeah, you put them on a schedule. Yeah, some people thought that I was just like a dictator because I was doing that. But you know, they weren't the ones that had to take the kiddos home. It worked for us. I mean, I know it may not work for everybody, but like in a little over a month, literally, we were sleeping.

So it was great. This is such a difficult world. And, you know, you mentioned touching out to your daughter-in-law. We need to be praying for the moms in America today because there are so many attacks that mothers face.

Let's talk about that. What are some of the attacks that moms face? It's really a difficult time unlike any other. I mean, every time is hard for mothers. You know, different generations face different problems. But it seems like attacks come from so many areas today.

What are some of those attacks that moms face across the country? Well, I mean, I think a lot of it has been brought to the forefront in the recent culture shift with people not even being able to define what a woman is. And, you know, immediately you touched on the Roe v. Wade decision. And, you know, all of a sudden everybody realized they quickly snapped into, well, this is a mom, a woman. And there was no confusion anymore.

And now it's kind of comical in a way watching how this has played out. But the ramifications are real. And that is when I was, when I first became, you know, when I entered adulthood, I was indoctrinated with the ideology of don't have kids, have your career, marriage, maybe, maybe not, you know, why bother? I was, that's how I was raised. And so for me, I didn't desire to get married. And I didn't want a lot of kids. And here I am married for almost next, you know, next week will be 38 years. And we have five children and three are married and grandbabies. And my life looks radically different.

So in my, you know, like in our yearbook, I would have been most likely to be president or run a large company or conquer the world, not be a mother of five kids who walked away from an incredible career that I absolutely loved at the height of my career. And it was taking off. And I was like, you're crazy.

You're nuts. You're going to lose it all. You're never going to come back. You know, what are you doing? You're putting these kids ahead of your career.

That was decades ago, Chris. And I was getting that. And I believe that God changed me. And that this is so passionate for me because I'm watching my daughters and my daughters in law who do desire like my daughter wanted to be a mom. My daughter wants to be a mom. And I'm hearing these conversations from these young mothers. I had one recently with a young woman who said, hey, not not all women want to have kids. They're messy.

They they mess up your career trajectory. And I'm listening to her talk about children as being a hindrance to and set a gift from. And that's what made me so passionate about this. Recently, a CNN and CNN weekend anchor had this tearful goodbye to her audience saying, listen, I can climb this ladder. I can be here with you. And I love being with you every weekend to talk about what's going on in the news.

But no one can be a mom to my kids but me. And that struck a chord. We're still having the same conversation.

But now it's even worse. It's like, hey, we're going to even go pay you to go get an abortion that we can. The corporations can save on their bottom line. It's about money. It's about if we have a female, if we have somebody get pregnant, birthing person who gets pregnant, then that's going to cost us a lot more dollars than flying you somewhere to go get an abortion.

Because then you're going to be back in the marketplace, cranking out work, being productive, feeling like your identity isn't just what you have done for the company and your title and your prestige. And we've missed it. We've missed it. And as a woman who did adopt that ideology for years, I've had to battle, did I make the right decision? Was stepping out when I had that little baby, did I mess everything up? And I resoundingly say, no, absolutely not. God does not give you second best. Children are a gift from the Lord. They're not a burden and a blessing. Sure, they may keep you up a little bit in the beginning because they're trying to learn.

They're trying to learn to go to sleep and to wake up and to eat. And it's a beautiful dance, not an intrusion into our lives. I don't know if you've ever listened to Dr. Laura Schlesinger. We've never really talked about her on the show. She's not coming from a Christian perspective by any means, but I used to really enjoy listening to Dr. Laura because one of the things that she pushes for is motherhood and mother's not working. She hates daycare and having somebody else raise her baby during the formative years of life.

So I'm going to offend some people out here. I know that there are a lot of mothers that you may have to work. You're a single mother, but Dr. Laura talks a lot about the need for moms to stay at home and to raise their children.

Really, her preference would be through age 18, but at least until they get to high school. Or if you work, you leave after they go to school in the morning and you're back before they get home in the afternoon. Have you done any studying on that topic? Do you think it's important for moms to be home and to raise their kids? I mean, there is research out there that shows how well-adjusted children can be. Now, that's not to keep a pile of coals on women who either choose to work at whatever works for them and they've got a nanny situation. I'm not advocating, I'm not downplaying a woman's decision and her needs. But for me personally, research has shown from my research that I wanted children, I wanted my kids to know that we were there and that they were important to us. And then I just think that nobody's going to love your kids like that CNN anchor said. Nobody can be a parent, can be a mom to your kids, and I'm speaking as a mom than you.

Nobody's going to care about the boo-boo that they got when they fell down because they were trying to walk or they fell and they hit their head because they were playing and they lost their balance. You know, that tenderness, that care, the instruction of a little one that's eager and curious, that sense of wonder of, Mommy, what's that? What's that? What's that?

And those repetitive questions that you answer over and over and over. A parent is going to have that tenderness of, Oh my goodness, that's a light. That's a tree.

That's a frog. That's, you know, that's a no-no. Don't put your finger in that.

You'll get hurt. Those are the things that we downplay and motherhood is not a robotic, mindless, passive role. It's a very active, engaging role. We're shaping, forming the child within. It's like we're a sculptor and there's this block of marble and a parent, a mom and a dad, because you're a very active dad in your kids' lives. You know, our listeners have heard all your stories.

You're very active. We see, we see, Chris, the beauty within the block of stone that is not shaped or formed, and we are a sculptor. God is the master architect and we remove the things that are blocking the view so that we can bring out the beauty within that child. And that's what a parent does. That's what a real parent does. That's why parents have gotten so provoked lately, Chris, because they're being told to sit down and shut up. And they're saying, Oh no, no, that's my child. You don't understand.

That's my child. We have been told we are irrelevant. Just birth him and hand him over. And parents are saying no. And I believe that's why we're seeing such animosity toward motherhood. They can't rip that bond that happens between a father and a child and a mother and a child. And I believe society wants to do that or some in society, maybe the elite, they want to do that.

Why? Because if you can get a hold of the kid young, going back to the research, if you can get a child while they're young, you get to be the one that shapes them. You get to be the one who reveals whatever form you so desire, whether that's whatever values society has placed on that child. Whereas a parent, you don't. You get to help uncover and discover like an architect, dig the beauty and find it and reveal all extraneous matter that causes that child to not become the person God's made them to be. Does that make sense?

It does. Folks, we're talking about the attacks on motherhood around the world, particularly in the United States today. Stick around and be right back. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and see the Bible come to life. This December, join nationally syndicated radio host and founder of the Citizens for America Foundation, Dr. Chris Hughes, on a life-changing trip to Israel. It's one of the world's oldest and most fascinating travel destinations. Learn the faithful from all over the world for thousands of years, visit Jerusalem's religious quarters and explore Christianity's most treasured religious sites like the Wailing Wall, the Dome of the Rock and the Via Dolorosa. Walk with Chris through the winding alleyways of Nazareth's old city and visit ancient Bethlehem, the place of our Savior's birth. Float in the Dead Sea, visit the Sea of Galilee and the Jewish fortress of Masada. See firsthand where the events of the Bible took place. Touring Israel with Dr. Chris Hughes is a travel odyssey like no other.

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You're not alone. I'm Connie Alpers, author of Parenting Beyond the Rules and host of Equipped to Be. As a mother of five, I understand your struggles. For 35 years I have been helping families just like yours build lasting relationships.

I'd like to invite you to tune in to Equipped to Be and visit ConnieAlpers.com where I share useful tips and proven strategies to help you navigate the seasons of motherhood, faith and life with confidence and joy. History was made on today's date. Stay tuned for an American Minute with Bill Federer. The Liberty Bell got its name from being rung this day, July 8, 1776, to call the citizens of Philadelphia together to hear the Declaration of Independence read out loud for the first time. Made in England, this massive bell weighing over 2,000 pounds was rung on each successive anniversary until 1835 when it cracked on July 8 while tolling at the funeral for the famous Supreme Court Justice John Marshall. Inscribed on the Liberty Bell is a verse from the Old Testament book of Leviticus, chapter 25. Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.

This has been an American Minute with Bill Federer. For a free transcript, call American Minute at 1-888-USA-WORD. Welcome back to Christian Perspective. It is Family Friday and Connie Albers is here with me talking about all things family and parenting, but specifically today we're talking about attacks on motherhood. As Connie alluded to in the first segment, we live in a society where the government basically tells you, you have the kids and then turn them over to us. We want them from the time of daycare until they get out of college. Parents are not having an impact on children and that's part of the problem that we have in our society today is because the government is making such a push.

They make it easy for people to have children out of wedlock and then they provide all these social programs on the way through. Connie, before the break, you mentioned that you were career minded and you've talked about this before. You're a very competent and very skilled professional in the areas where you work and you've mentioned several times on the show about how you kind of had a path and marriage and motherhood was not necessarily in that path in the beginning. Could you maybe share, and this is something I can't do because I wasn't in that position as a mother, although I believe it's very important for fathers to be very involved in their children's lives as well. But for the moms that are listening or maybe younger women who are in high school or they're in college right now and they're thinking about the career and all the great things that they want to accomplish and they're trying to decide. For example, my own daughter just joined the Air Force as we speak. She's at Officer Training School right now and she's on a path to go to medical school and she knows she's going to have to make some serious decisions in the next year or two on how far she takes the medical.

Does she stop as an MD or does she specialize as a surgeon or whatever because she knows that could possibly interfere with motherhood. So when you as a professional or a younger woman, how did you balance? So if somebody's listening, what is the thought process?

How do we balance? When a society is telling you there's no value in being a mother, which I think is absolutely wrong to me, there's no higher calling in the world than to be a mother. But when society is telling you it's not good, Connie, how did you overcome that and maybe what are some things that moms can read or study or any potential moms read or study or whatever that might change their mind about whether or not they should be a mother? You know, that's a great question because I have, you know, yeah, you're right. I don't talk a lot about my own kids because it's their story, right? And I want to be respectful of that. But, you know, I have a daughter and we were having lunch one day and she looked at me and, you know, obviously it was a heartfelt conversation of just saying, hey, I will never have the life that you have. I will never be a mother to five because she made decisions and you were talking about your sweet daughter and she's going to have to make decisions.

You know, I think that's the beauty of it. God is like my podcast equipped to be. You are equipped to be a doer of God's word. What is God calling you to do? Like you're like Vicki was in the service.

So she was gone serving. And there was a great sacrifice to your family and God made a way because you have a beautiful family and you all love each other deeply. But like your daughter and my daughters and my daughters in law, they have to make they have to make a decision. But I don't like the idea. And I want to be careful that we don't say it's this or that. There's it's right or it's wrong. Because like in the case of your daughter, your wife, you made a decision as a family and you made it work. You sacrificed. And Vicki, when Vicki was overseas, you would sacrifice maybe things you would want to do. There's sacrifice in being a parent. You know, becoming a parent turns selfish women and men, self-centered women and men.

And it makes them selfless because there's somebody else to think about besides yourself. And with our daughters, we have to let them know it doesn't have to be one or the other. If God is calling your daughter into medical school to be a doctor, he's going to provide a way.

If she chooses if she finds someone and she gets married and she has children, he's going to make a way. He always does. Just like he did within your family.

Just like he did within my family. I want to be careful that we don't put that on our girls. There is an order. There is a way that when you do have children, you do make choices and decisions. And we weigh those carefully. And we go before the Lord. We go before the Lord. God, what do you have for our family? And God, if you've called us to this, will you equip us for it?

Will you provide the grandparents maybe that can help take care of the children or a trusted relative or someone that God will make a way? So I want to be clear about that. How did I transition? Because I was at the height of my career traveling as a spokeswoman for a very large corporation. Loved, absolutely loved what I did. And I got pregnant unexpectedly. It wasn't like, oh, we were deciding, let's just have children. I got pregnant and it was instant.

It was like, okay, this is what I need to do. I have to trust God that if I make this decision to step out, we had decided to go to seminary, we moved, we quit our jobs. Both of us had very good jobs. We quit, we moved, had a baby in a place I didn't know people. And I found mentors, Chris. I found older women who were willing to pour into my life, that were willing to help me unpack the lies that I had believed and what God's word had to say about the honor, the high calling. Because I did not view having children as a high calling. I ascribe to the values that our current culture and our daughters are facing, that they're interruptions, they're messy, they're expensive.

And I had to unpack those. But a woman has to be willing to do the hard work. They have to be willing to examine faulty beliefs and replace those faulty beliefs with the truth found in God's word, that Jesus esteems women. They are monumental in the role of the family, just like men. They're not more or less, but they're pivotal. They're the glue. They're the ones that are the nurturers and the caring, and I don't want to typecast, because there are men that are very nurturing. There are fathers that are very nurturing, and mothers that aren't as nurturing. They're more of the drivers. But there's a role to play, and our children need us to play that role.

They need that from us. And my challenge to our listeners is, are you willing to do the hard work? Are you willing to dissect those faulty beliefs and embrace the truth of, children are a gift, they are a blessing?

Are you willing to dispel the belief that they're just expensive irritants and job killers? Are you going to stand up for what is true? No, I'm going to choose an alternative. I'm going to make another decision. And ultimately, I'm going to trust the Lord.

He does not dangle carrots and say, ah, I was just kidding, too bad you made that decision. When we choose God's best, He always makes a way. You know, the sad thing, and I agree with you, God will make a way, and sometimes we have to trust Him. You know, it's a big part of what the Bible talks about, Connie, is obedience to God and trusting Him. And we have trouble doing that. You know, all of us do. I'm not cast as somebody else.

I know I do, I know Vicki does, and everybody out there. You know, we look at society and what society expects and wants, and then we have to look at what the Bible says. And what is a Christian's perspective? What does the biblical world do? What has God called us to do?

And it breaks my heart when I look at society today, Connie, where the family is not what God intended it to be. Now, did God intend women to be slaves? No, He did not. As you said, Jesus esteemed women.

He put them in high positions. He surrounded Himself at a time and in a culture where women were not lifted up. Jesus did lift women up, and He set the example for us all throughout the Bible and all throughout His ministry. But somehow we've allowed, like in so many areas, whether it's abortion or homosexuality or other areas, we have allowed the culture to dictate the narrative. And the cultural narrative is that, you know, it's somehow a bad thing if you're a stay-at-home mom, that you're under the thumbprint of a man, or that you're somehow lesser if you're a stay-at-home mom. And that is simply not right.

That is not what God's Word says, and it's just not true. To me, as I said a while ago, there's no higher calling than for a woman to be a mother. And ladies listening, you need to not listen to what society says.

You need to listen to what Jesus says and not let them attack you and attack you as a woman. We're talking about family issues today, and specifically we're talking about the attacks on motherhood in our country and our society and our culture today. When we come back, we're going to talk more about this.

And, you know, hey, is being a stay-at-home mom a job? Stick around. We'll be right back with more with Connie August. The United States of America has a strong Christian heritage. But most Americans don't know the truly important role that God in the Bible played in the founding of this great nation. This June, join nationally syndicated radio host and founder of the Citizens for America Foundation, Dr. Chris Hughes, for four amazing days in our nation's capital. With Chris, you'll embark on a journey of discovering the hidden secrets of Washington, D.C., and rediscover much of America's forgotten Christian heritage. Your tour will include an up-close and personal look at the nation's establishment and how it's evolved over the centuries. Learn about the government and the men who helped forge this new kind of republic, one that acknowledged the Creator from its very inception.

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I'm Chris Hughes. Connie's listening today. It is family Friday. Connie Albers is here. By the way, I don't push you to Connie's website enough. I hope that you will visit conniealbers.com. That's conniealbers.com. She has a great podcast that is released every Wednesday.

It's called Equipped to Be. She's got a book on parenting and another book that's in the works. She travels and speaks all over the country. If you'd like to have her come speak maybe to a homeschool group, to your church, to any other kind of convention, because there is nothing, any kind of meeting or convention that is going on, every one of us are part of a family and family issues affect all of us. You cannot find a better speaker than Connie. She has great talks on leadership and marketing and she's done so much on social media. Visit conniealbers.com and get Connie to come to your group and speak today.

You'll sure be glad you did. Connie, we're talking about the attacks on motherhood. There are so many faulty beliefs about women and mothers in our society today. You mentioned earlier that it's a high calling. What did you mean when you said that being a mother is a high calling? Well, you know, in society you're just a mom. How many times have you ever introduced yourself, and it's common, it's just the way we do things in the Western society, you introduce yourself and probably the first question that comes out of your mouth is, well, what do you do? And I wrestled for so long because my identity, Chris, was in what I did. That job title, that power, that position of power or influence or prestige, flying around on Sikorsky aircraft or meeting with these high level dignitaries and celebrities. And my identity was really found in the muckety mucks, the elites, until all of it got stripped away. And I was asked, so what do you do?

And I would say, I'm just a mom. And I realized that was that moment I realized I don't even value it. And if I don't value it, how am I going to embrace it? So we have to, you know, in our last segment you were talking about mentors, we have to surround ourselves with like-minded people who are going to value the high calling. That means a high calling is a position of esteem. Like you said, Jesus' esteemed woman, he talked fondly about his mother and he looked after and he put value.

There is worth and value. Becoming a mother doesn't devalue you. It doesn't make you less important. I dare say women raising their children are influencing our culture at a greater number than any other influence.

And that's what set others, that's what gets so many upset because they know the power. You know, I took my kids to political rallies. I wanted them to understand the process of being a citizen.

I would take them and expose them to various events that would matter in their life in the future. And that's something we're able to do. But the high calling means our identity is not in our title, our position, our prestige, the numbers of zeros in our bank accounts, the number of degrees we have achieved or acquired or earned. None of that matters if we fail at the most and that is raising the children God gave us. You can raise those children and do other things.

That's not the debate that I am making at all. But I think we have to come back to that realization of just a mom is downplaying. So can we reframe that? I'm a mom. I'm raising humans. I'm raising little people to become citizens, effective, influential, powerful, wise, discerning.

Whatever adjective we want to put before them, a godly generation. We're raising them up, which requires great skill. And I also say, I really believe this, I almost feel like when you finish, you should get an honorary psychology degree because you're trying to navigate all these different personalities and temperaments and strengths and idiosyncrasies to try to keep your family together and keep their heart and stay on the same page.

And it takes a lot of skill. I know, Chris, I was told once when I did step away, besides, are you crazy? I was told, oh great, I could never do that because my brain would go to mush. And I'm thinking, you really think that becoming a mother makes you stupid? You don't go stupid. You get wiser because you're able to see through the lens of another human.

You're able to step outside of yourself and care more deeply about something that God allowed you, that He formed and fashioned in your womb, or if you adopted or you foster care. He's given you this remarkable love that you're never going to have for a job. You're replaceable in a job. I don't care what job it is, you're replaceable. But you're irreplaceable in the life of that child.

You can advocate that role. And I've had many moms tell me, and I'm specifically addressing mothers, because I am a mom. I'm not a birthing person. I am a mom.

And that's a high honor. And I want my children, in Proverbs 31, her children rise up and call her blessed. That's what they do. That doesn't mean in the teen years they may rise up, but they ain't calling you blessed. They may call you some other things, especially if you won't give them the keys to the car, or you won't let them go to the sleepover, or you don't let them do what they want to do, or buy what they want to buy, or wear what they want to wear.

They may not appreciate that in the teen years, but when they grow up, they rise up and they call you blessed. In your career, you may rise to the greatest height, and in a moment's notice, you're replaced. They found somebody younger, or more, I don't know, more accredited, or more influential, or a bigger name.

Whatever it is. And I was reminded recently when I read an article, Chris, how we doing on time, I was reminded that there is a Hollywood actress, Pina Vega. She and her husband just wrote a book, and she's leaving Hollywood. She's leaving the glitz, the glamour of the so-called life everyone desires. She seeks something better. So a high calling is something we strive for, not that we run away from, or avoid, or hide, or try to downplay, or marginalize.

We run to it, because we see it. So my prayer and my role, you know, I've been involved in politics, I've been involved in social media. I mean, God has allowed me to have an amazing resume, but my most important calling has been the greatest influence that I will ever have is in my home, with the kids that I have, and the children they're going to have, and this new title of grandma. I can do great things. I could conquer the world, but if my kids don't want to be around me, if my kids don't respect me or love me, what have I really achieved?

What have I really done? Yeah, I think that's a role that the church can start to feel, Connie, is lifting women up and making it a position where a mom can be proud. You were talking about a while ago, how some moms feel like when they're asked what they do, almost like it's a down point to say that I'm a mother or I'm a stay-at-home mom.

And it shouldn't be, it should be a matter of pride. Moms, you should be proud. To me, as I said earlier, there's no higher calling than to be a parent, and particularly to be a mother, because of the unique influence that you have on that young child's life.

And it's not meaning. You work hard. I read a study recently, Connie, where they surveyed 8,000 women, stay-at-home moms, and they were trying to find out, like a work week that is recognized in our society as a 40-hour work week, that most stay-at-home moms work 94.7 hours a week. That's not just the 40-hour base week, but another 54.7 hours of overtime that a mom does. And it's hard work. Changing diapers, cleaning up vomit, washing dishes, keeping the house clean, teaching them how to talk, teaching them how to walk, teaching them how to read.

It is not something to be scoffed at. It's a serious job, and if not for moms and for their training, we won't have the next generation of society. Moms, you need to be proud of what you're doing, because it really is a full-time job, and you're working very hard at what you're doing.

We're going to take another commercial break. When we come back, we're going to continue to talk about the attacks against motherhood in our society today. And churches and pastors, I just want to encourage you, you need to be preaching sermons, pastors, on the value of mothers. In your church, y'all need to affirm, and you need to celebrate when moms have children, and if they are having trouble finding a place to take care of their kids, instead of having to just throw them in a daycare, maybe some of you older moms and grandmas of age in your church can step up and offer to help raise those kids in a godly manner and help out, particularly the single moms who have to work in your church.

We're talking about motherhood in the attack. We'll be right back with more. A brand is a design, name, symbol, or any other feature that sets an organization or individual apart. Bringing that brand to life can be difficult, but Diggs Design is here to help you take that next step or re-energize your current situation. We can handle logos, social media graphics, cards, weddings, clothing, prints, photo editing, and much more. Give us a call today at 704-984-2432 or connect with Diggs Design on social media.

Visit mabts.edu and be equipped to light the way. Do you desire to build family relationships that stand the test of time? Does creating a godly family seem like a daunting challenge?

You're not alone. I'm Connie Yaupers, author of Parenting Beyond the Rules and host of Equipped to Be. As a mother of five, I understand your struggles.

For 35 years, I have been helping families just like yours build lasting relationships. I'd like to invite you to tune in to Equipped to Be and visit ConnieYaupers.com where I share useful tips and proven strategies to help you navigate the seasons of motherhood, faith, and life with confidence and joy. The United States of America has a strong Christian heritage. But most Americans don't know the truly important role that God in the Bible played in the founding of this great nation. This June, join nationally syndicated radio host and founder of the Citizens for America Foundation, Dr. Chris Hughes, for four amazing days in our nation's capital. With Chris, you'll embark on a journey of discovering the hidden secrets of Washington, D.C. and rediscover much of America's forgotten Christian heritage. Your tour will include an up-close and personal look at the nation's establishment and how it's evolved over the centuries. Learn about the government and the men who helped forge this new kind of republic, one that acknowledged the creator from its very inception.

Know the truth about the creation of the United States of America, about the faith of the founding fathers, and how Christian principles were used to establish this form of government. Visit CitizensForAmericaFoundation.com today and secure your spot to join Chris Hughes in Washington, D.C. this June. Welcome back to Crystal Perspective.

I'm Chris Hughes. My guest today who is not a guest at all with my co-host every Friday is Connie Albers. Connie is an expert on parenting, and I want to encourage you to visit ConnieAlbers.com. She has a great podcast called A Quick-To-Be that is released every Friday. Check out her podcast and be sure to get her books. She's got a new book coming out soon.

Can't wait for that. But we're talking about parenting today and particularly the attacks on motherhood. Connie, it frustrates me when we live in a society, you used the term earlier, there's a fairly new term called birthing people. What a ridiculous statement that is. They're not birthing people, they're mothers. We live in this crazy society where someone, and I won't drag you into the politics, it's just me talking for a minute, where someone who's getting appointed to the Supreme Court can't define what a woman is. Goodness, I wouldn't, and this is not politics, any idiot that can't define, and yeah, I said idiot, that can't define what a woman is when you are a woman, to me has no business being on the Supreme Court or anything else. I think she needs to go back to school.

That's not Connie saying it, don't contact Connie, y'all contact me, that's me saying it. But we now, we can't define somebody but what they've been for centuries, and we devalue, I think it's a purposeful move by the liberal culture that we live in today to try to continue to destroy the family and denigrate women. It's funny because Connie, 40 or 50 years ago it was more of the liberal side who was defending the rights of women and asking for equal rights for women, and now those same people that used to defend those rights are encouraging transgenders to be involved in sports and now attacking motherhood by calling them birthing people. So moms, I would encourage you to throw off that birthing people.

Don't allow somebody to say that. Be proud that you're a mother and push off these negative sexual stereotypes that result from a godless society, because that's not the case. You're a mother and you need to be proud of who you are. Motherhood is under attack and the woke left is trying to strip women of really what is a precious title and replace it with the nonsense of birthing person. This is just an attempt to erase the role of females from our society and to reduce the biological women, and we need to take a stand against them.

Mothers are the backbone of our society, and mothers play an irreplaceable role in the lives of our children. How do you feel about that, Connie? A hundred percent. Absolutely.

I get amazed, Chris, as you do too. Sometimes I get angry at being demoralized by a society that says, oh, you're just a this. Women are already struggling with not feeling like they're enough. They can have four degrees and they need another.

They can get up at four in the morning and get all kinds of stuff done, exercise, get their work done, be with their kids, try to spend time with their husband if they're married. They can do all this, fall into bed at one in the morning, because they're utterly exhausted trying to fulfill the lie that they can do it all and have it all. And, Chris, I was in it. I mean, I was that person.

I was that woman. And it's a slow process. So all of you listeners, if you or your daughters or you have friends and you're hearing them spout off truth, spout off their truth, and it's conflicting with what we know to be true, help them. Don't judge them. Don't demoralize them, criticize them, tell them how faulty they are in their thinking, or that's a bunch of lies, because you're not going to really win them over and you're certainly not going to help them see your point of view. I believe our goal as an influencer, as somebody like Chris, you and I, we've got these platforms where we're able to reach millions of people with the truth.

I think we have to be those voices that say, in the way God has designed you, listen, I understand. I was there. I mean, that's my message.

I was there. I get it. And God has completely changed me.

He's put on His lens, not mine. And it is a slow process of saying, no, can I encourage you this? Would you consider that? We win more people with honey than we do with vinegar every day. And as we think about our role and the church's role, those mentors in our lives, they're out there. There's more of us, Chris, out there than the media, than society wants you to believe. The elites certainly don't want you to believe this. And I know that they're quiet about it. They're not out there screaming and hollering. They're just out there being dizzy about their business, in their communities, in their families, in their work. Because, you know, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, I mean, she's a mother of seven. They're making it work for their family. And I don't know her personally, so I don't know what their family structure looks like and how they juggle and balance it.

But I believe she has a child that, you know, she has seven kids. And, you know, there's other women out there that are being called to positions. Esther was called to positions.

Leadership and influence. So, you know, going back to our first segment, Chris, I just have to say, we need to be a light. We need to say the truth. We can say it in love. We need to remember we don't steer a ship, standing on the dock, screaming and yelling. We've got to be on it.

I'm on it. I totally understand. And I also know how God can change a heart. And it's through conversations. It's through sharing truth. It's through being trusted and respected and listened to. I think that's what we do.

I think that's what our Family Fridays are about. I know that's the business that you're in, the ministry you're in, trying to right wrongs in the church and reach people and teach them and train them and show them. And that's a process. That's what we just have to remember.

It is a process. People have been indoctrinated for years in a school system. And parents didn't know what was being taught. Now they do. Praise God, now they do. Their eyes are open.

The scales have fallen off. And we're able to say, yes, that is what's happening. And this is what we can do about it. There's hope because there's Jesus.

He really is the only hope that we have. And if churches would just get involved, I think we could help moms in our society today. And a society that attacks them so much. And you've mentioned a couple of times, Connie, mentors for moms. And I think that's a big void that we have as a Christian body where we can help young mothers. There are a lot of women out there who've been through it. They know what it's like to be a mother.

And a young mother is scared, doesn't necessarily know what's going to come next. And there are older women in our churches that can help us out. Because right now, it seems like everybody is a critic of moms.

And there's so many myths out there. And I think particularly professional women who, like you, worked in the world and want to get out and be a full-time mom. I think that sometimes they feel like they've got a sign on their back that almost says, kick me.

You know, where there's an emotional kick coming from society every time they turn around. And as a church, we need to stand up for women and not let them be shamed by strangers. And not let moms be shamed by society. Not let them be shamed online.

Defend them online. We need to take a stand for mothers in our society. Go ahead, I'm sorry.

Well, no, I wanted to add to what you just said. That's a beautiful picture right there. We have to realize that there is a lot of insecurities. You're given this little child and you're like, now what? I don't even know what to do. How am I supposed to do that sleep thing that you were talking about where the baby gets... I don't know how to do any of that.

And there's so much information coming in. No, you've got to do it this way. You've got to do it that way. And if you do it this way, you're going to ruin them. And if you do it that way, you're going to ruin them. So, you know, I don't even know.

Are they supposed to sleep on their back, their side, their stomach? I don't know. I'm going to ruin them if I don't do it right. There is so much pressure put on these women to adhere to a set of whatever the trend is of the day.

The flavor of the day. And I remember, Chris, when I first started having children, I came home from work. I was working in the beauty industry at that time doing imaging and branding. And I would speak on inner outer beauty.

And, you know, that's something women also struggle with or some women struggle with. So I started a company and I came home that night from what I was doing from work. And I thought, you know, I'm going to have a baby here in like any day.

So I probably should put the baby's room together. Well, I didn't go back and I wrestled for a while with feeling like, what was I doing? I just made the worst decision of my life because I decided I was going to stay home and see how that went. That's all it was. See how it goes.

Be willing to take a step. It can always change. There was something my husband did because my identity was in my work. I always had business cards. You know, now they're not as important. But back in the day, business cards were important. And I had my business cards. I was a spokeswoman. I was a this and that.

My husband designed these little business cards for me and gave me a title. I was a domestic engineer. I taught. I trained. I nourished. I quit. I loved.

I mean, he just had all these definitions of what a domestic engineer is. And something is simple. Now, your listeners are thinking, oh, come on, that's so cheesy.

It might be, but it worked for me. It helped me move from I'm a nobody. I was a somebody. And then I became a nobody, just a mom, to, oh, wait, wait, wait. Where can you, that person for a mom, that gives them that sense of, oh, it is.

It's a beautiful thing. Maybe it's your husband. Maybe it is a church. Maybe it is a mentor. I don't know who it is, but who can you be for that person? Be that mama. Be that life giver, that affirmer, that exhorter, that encourager, that equipper. Be that for that person. You're changing the trajectory of her life and the lives of her children. I think you and Tom need to write a book about that. I love that.

Seriously. I mean, because that showed the value, one, what a great man to love his wife enough and see that need and to do that for you. But to help you understand the value in being a mother. I know you mentioned Vicki. Vicki was in the Air Force, well, when she had both of our kids. And she wasn't always able to be there because of the demands of her job and the requirements of where she had to be. But I can tell you, as much as I tried as a father, there was no substitute kind for that mother.

And so if you're a woman listening and you struggle with value, I want to tell you, I mean, there's nothing like it. You know, even now you're saying you're a grandmother now, but that little boy lights up when he sees you. And that's an even greater bond when a child has their mother. I mean, no matter what I did or even now, I mean, I love my kids. I know I love them. And I've made a lot of sacrifices for them.

But I'm not their mama. There is such great value in being a woman. And we just want to encourage those of you that are listening today, don't listen to the attacks of this society. I mean, women have so much to deal with. And just like you said, Connie, many struggle with, you know, do they find value in their jobs or they struggle with are they beautiful or all these other things that really don't matter in the big scheme of things, but they matter to those women. Motherhood should not be one of those things that are added to it. We need to lift up mothers in our society.

I mentioned that tonight I'm going to be speaking in a church, Connie. That's one of the things I'm going to get onto the church body about is we have not stood by mothers in our society like we should. Now, our topic today is not abortion, but abortion is certainly one of those areas. I don't think there's many women who would have abortions if the church was very clear in their mission to support mothers and the babies born to those mothers in our society.

We have got to make motherhood a priority again. And the church is a great place to begin where we stop these attacks on culture. And women should know, pastors, when they step into your church on Sunday, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, that they are finding value. And that's a place where they're going to be loved and honored for the positions that they have. Yeah, so I know we're coming up on closing the show.

I would just like to say this, Chris, is leave the audience, our listeners, with most women want to... They've heard about the Proverbs 31 woman, the woman that is like the quintessential mother. I mean, she did it all, had it all. She's just like everything a woman would want to aspire to. She had the business and what she did turned to gold and, you know, just everything. And what I want, I wanted that.

I want that. But, and I want to leave the listeners with this, is the Proverbs 31 woman is not a day in a life. She didn't do everything in a 24-hour day or in a seven-day work week. The story of a Proverbs 31 woman, Chris, is the story of her life because there's seasons in our life. And the parenting season, it ends. It comes to an end. It changes. I'm not actively parenting, but I am my mom.

I am my kid's mom. And I believe that when we step back and we realize, don't believe the lie that you should or you should be doing everything all at once. There are seasons where you pick up entrepreneurial endeavors.

There are seasons when you lay them down. There are seasons when you step into motherhood and those seasons, that season closes, that chapter closes where it's high needs and heavy demand on your life. It's the picture of a life well-lived, not a picture of a 24-hour day.

It truly is. Folks, thank you for joining us today and I hope that you will take a stand from what, learn from what Connie said today. Motherhood is a great thing and we need to turn the cultural attitude and tones around where people understand there's no greater value than being a mother.

Check out ConnieAlbers.com. Listen to us each and every day on your favorite radio station and download this podcast and share it with your friends. Now let's go impact the culture for Jesus. Thank you for listening, The Christian Perspective with Chris Hughes. Learn more about impacting the culture for Jesus. Visit CitizensForAmericaFoundation.com. This is the Truth Network.