The Intentional Parents Podcast Parenting the Anxious Generation: Identifying + Walking Through Anxiety With Our Kids
It’s no secret that we live in an anxious world — and we are raising an anxious generation. One in eight kids will be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and that number is rising.
So how do we parent through this? What exactly does anxiety look like in our kids? How do we recognize it — especially when it hides under the surface? What tools can we use to respond? And what hope does Scripture offer us along the way?
In this episode, we’re not speaking as experts or clinicians, but as parents — daily practitioners walking through anxiety with our own children. We explore the truth that anxiety, left unchecked, tends to grow over time. We talk about the two most common responses parents fall into: demanding and protecting, and how neither is helpful in equipping your kids with the tools to face anxiety as they mature.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in a cycle of accommodation — trying to prevent every trigger or meet every need — we offer some honest reflections and a few practical steps to shift that pattern. We also share how we’re learning to spot anxiety in our kids and walk with them through it — not around it.
Above all, we look to God’s Word, where we’re reminded again and again: Do not fear. Not because fear is never present, but because His presence meets us in it.
At the heart of this conversation is a call to slow down. To truly see our kids — not just their behavior, but what’s driving it. Slowing down allows us to meet them where they are, build resilience together, and remind them they’re not alone. With God’s help, our kids can develop the courage to face their fears — and even experience freedom in the midst of anxiety, not just from it. That kind of growth is slow, often messy, but deeply meaningful — and one of the most rewarding parts of parenting we’ve encountered.
Scripture Mentioned: Exodus 4:1-7, 1 Kings 19, Matthew 1:18-25, Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10
Books Mentioned: Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg, Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World by Sissy Goff + The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
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