Latest / 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids. / Special Guest Interview with Sandra Kay Chambers

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Special Guest Interview with Sandra Kay Chambers · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another episode of the Five Minute Parenting Podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Karen Ferguson, wife, mom, grandmom, and children's book author, with a background in K-8 education and a passion for equipping parents to raise confident and God-confident kids.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: In this podcast, we'll cover parenting practices from both a practical view and a biblical view.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Our goal is to help you raise kids with a positive, godly self-image so they can become all they were created to be.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: I know you're busy, so we'll keep it short.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Let's take just five minutes and dive in.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Karen, your show host, and I am so excited about today's show because I have a very special guest with us for an interview, Sandra Kay Chambers, the founder and original host of Five Minute Parenting.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't met Sandra before, she's a wife, mother, grandmother, children's author, and former teacher with a master's degree in learning disabilities.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: And she's been hosting this podcast for two years.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Sandra will be answering questions today about her experience as podcast host and what's next for her as she moves on to other exciting things.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, Sandra, I'm so happy to have you here.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Karen.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just excited to be here.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: So excited that uh you are now the new host of Five Minute Parenting and doing a great job.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, thank you.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: I've been having a blast.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we're just going to get started with the first question, Sandra.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: When and why did you begin the five-minute podcast?
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I actually began it two years ago, which is hard to believe, but it was March 2000.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, wait, I guess two years ago in March.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I actually started it kind of with a lot of reservations because I'm not tech oriented.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so that was one drawback.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I really didn't think I had a lot to share, but every week I would pray and God would give me something to talk about or a person to interview.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I did know that as a teacher with a master's in learning disability, that I had some practical things that I could share with parents.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, things like maybe how to help your child get organized or how to prepare for a parent-teacher conference and so forth.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: So I I felt like I could share some of those, but I also wanted to encourage parents who were seeking to raise their kids with a biblical point of view.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it kind of forced me to do research myself because my daughter, you know, was born in the 1980s and the whole culture was different back then.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: So parenting was different.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I learned a lot of new things about parenting.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: And then I would also, I had various experts on my podcast, other teachers and counselors and homeschool parenting parents, and you know, they were they were experts in certain topics, so I think that really helped parents.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: So it was a mixture of both the practical and spiritual advice.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Nice.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: I have to say, I've been having the most fun interviewing people.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: It is a lot of fun and just hearing their stories and expertise.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I understand this podcast was related to your calling as a children's author.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it was actually I well, I've written a prayer book before for adults and self-published that like back in 2014.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I even though with a teacher, I never really thought about writing for children, but um during COVID, I started playing around with some picture books and I just wrote them for fun and not really intending to publish any of them.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I I discovered some fun facts about fingerprints and how everyone's fingerprints and are very unique.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought, yes, God creates every person on earth unique, not only with their fingerprints, but they have unique gifts and talents.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so as I was, I kind of went down this rabbit hole online looking up for fingerprinting and so many fascinating facts.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt like God said, just document some of these things, you know, where you found them.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, I kind of led to uh thinking about maybe I could do a devotional for kids and do a scientific fact about their fingerprints with each devotional.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: So that's kind of how that book started.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: All fingerprint devotions, 40 devotions to help you realize you are a kid uniquely created by God for a purpose.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: And that was for ages eight to 12.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: And that was published by Ambassador, our joint published publisher.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: 1123.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: And then I wrote this fun picture book.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I have a grandpappy, a Frenchie named Maisie.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I just one day I sat down and I said, I'm just gonna fool around with with um Maisie picture book.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I wrote, Maisie Discovers Her Fingerprint.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I did have a critique group.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: We went over it, so it got changed, but it was about a Frenchie who didn't feel special because she are definitely pudgy and they can't swim.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: And she never got invited to her puppy sleep or her doggy friend's sleepovers because she snored so loudly.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: So anyway, the book is for younger kids.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Maisie discovers her fingerprint, and my family loved it so much, and they said, Oh, you gotta publish that, you gotta publish it.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I actually did send it to uh Ambassador, and it was published last last October.
• 5:43
  unknown: Yeah.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: So those are the two children's books that I've done.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and I've read both, and they're wonderful.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: I highly recommend them, and we'll have the links to both of those books in the show notes.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: So highly recommend listeners check it out.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's awesome.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: So um going back to the podcast part of it, what has been the most fun part of doing the five-minute parenting podcast?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's exactly what you say.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: I had so much fun by interviewing other people and getting to know them, you know, on a personal level, getting to know about their ministry.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: And it was just fun.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: I made so many new friends because of the podcast.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: So that was the most fun.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, I also, like I said, I researched a lot of topics and learned a lot about parenting these days and the difficulties in our culture.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: But I think getting to know new people was really fun.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's great.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, what advice do you hope parents have gotten from the podcast?
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I hope not only the knowledge that some of the things I shared and my guests shared, but I really wanted them to gain a confidence that God created them to be the mom or dad or even the grandparent of their child and their grandchild.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so if God gave them that task, he would equip them to do that.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: So he would give them whatever they needed to help their children grow to know God.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: So that just that confidence is something I wanted to pass on.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, we are our child's first teacher and their primary influence in their early years.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: So pointing them to God early, which I know your books do too, is so important.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: So important.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's good, Sandra.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then the last question for today is why did you decide to pass on the podcast to someone else?
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I hate to admit it, but I'm getting older and I'm slowing down.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: I just can't as many things as I used to do.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I just became a grandmother.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a nana to a two-week-year-old grandson, and I'm just so excited.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I wanted to be freer to help my daughter and just spend more time as a family um together.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: So that was a big reason.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I just um wanted I also wanted to just kind of focus on my current books, uh, getting them to kids that really need to know their special and unique.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: So I plan to do some homeschool uh visits and Christian school presentations and book signings.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm still working on getting donations of the fingerprint devotional for Seven Homes, which is a North Carolina Christian-based foster and adoption agency.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: I partnered with them from the very beginning, donated some books, and during my book launch, I asked people if they would donate a copy and send directly to Seven Homes because they use the book in their summer camp.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: They have a girls' camp, a boys' camp, and each child, they had enough donations.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Each child got a book and they used them for their donation.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they used them for their um devotions during camp time.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: So that was really special to me.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um again, we'll put that there's a link you can go on Amazon to purchase the book, which is only$11.99, and they will send the book directly to Seven Homes.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: I hope yeah, yeah, and I know, I mean, launching a book, promoting a book, um, it takes it's a lot of work.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so I can see, especially with a new grandbaby, you know, just freeing up some of your time to enjoy that part of your life, I think will be special.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I saw the pictures of your grandson Connor, he is adorable.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Congratulations, that's just so exciting.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Very happy for you.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: And Sandra, and I also wanted to say that oh, I knew it was God's timing to let go of the podcast.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: When you stepped up, I had said, is anyone interested in taking over?
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: And you stepped up and said you would like to take over the podcast.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm thrilled that God wanted to continue it because I might have just dropped it, but I'm so excited he wanted to continue it and that he had the person, the perfect person to do it.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I just think, you know, we we we are in a in a prayer group together.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: We both have the same publisher and the same passion and heart for kids.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I know you do a great job doing this.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: And even though I knew it was time, my heart's a little sad, but full at the same time.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: I can imagine.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: I think I I want to thank all my listeners for the past two years who have tuned in and been an encouragement to me.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I I just encourage them to continue listening to this great podcast.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you, Sandra.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what I wanted to say too.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: I I wanted to thank you for your faithfulness over the last two years to pour into this podcast.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there is a lot to learn and grow into, and and I know this podcast has helped and blessed a lot of people.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: I've always been a fan of its mission, and and I'm just grateful to be a part of it moving forward with the same mission.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I do look forward to having you on the show again, Sandra, to share what's going on in your life and with your books.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I would love that.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much for being here and just sharing with us what's going on in your life and the exciting, um, some of the exciting things that have happened and I know will happen as you continue to step out and get involved, like you say, in homeschool groups or schools with your books, because really they're both uh, especially that Maisie discovers her fingerprint, the picture book.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's just adorable.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: So well, thanks again, Sandra.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that is it for today.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, be sure to check out the show notes for links to Sandra's website and to her books and come back next week for another episode of Five Minute Parenting.