Trigger Warning: Discussions about faith and church
Mandy and Kate are joined by Bean Garry to finally have the conversation about losing their faith following the births of their peashoots, and the journey of deconstructing and reconstructing their lives after leaving church.
They discuss how grateful they are for parents who did what they believed in. Easter without church. Who they are now as people, and what they value post church life.
Kate loved https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-wife-drought-9780857984289#:~:text=Annabel%20is%20the%20author%20of,was%20Australia’s%202011%20Eisenhower%20Fellow.
Garry and Mandy love https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/magazine/the-evangelical-scion-who-stopped-believing.html
Garry found https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens helpful.
Mandy’s 100th period and so much more!!
Oh and this is the book Kate recommends at the end! https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780733341021/speaking-in-tongues/
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Trigger Warning: Discussions about faith and church
Mandy and Kate are joined by Bean Garry to finally have the conversation about losing their faith following the births of their peashoots, and the journey of deconstructing and reconstructing their lives after leaving church.
In this first part of a two-part series, the trio discuss growing up in the church, their respective experiences in ministry and leadership, and the catastrophic cost of leaving – losing their identities, friendships, rituals, purpose, meaning and community as a result.
Mandy, Kate and Garry still have plenty of laughs as they reflect on their experiences in the spirit of light, hope and truth.
Stay tuned for part 2 next week!
Plus:
·Melburnians, come to the buffet Pea Lunch at the Ferntree Gully Hotel on September 10, contact them to book in!
Dino, Kirk, Daniel and Garry discuss your comments and questions! And what great questions, too. We covered a lot of ground – what we admire about our mothers, what it’s like being the only bloke at a parents’ gig, how we approach our mental health and more.
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mandy and Kate chat to Peacher Amanda, twin mum and school principal of small regional Catholic school.
Amanda first talks about the birth of her twin girls who are now happy and boisterous four-year-olds.She then shares all about her experiences as a school principal and teacher, including teaching and supporting kids with children with disabilities and additional needs. She also talks about the trickiness of school reports, providing timely and targeted professional development for staff and even providing a beautiful ‘special needs Mass’ for peashoots to be celebrated and affirmed in her school.
Amanda also talks about managing her role while also caring for her very active girls! She also shares that although peachers are often stretched and time-poor, they’re doing their best and that “we love your kids”.
Mandy and Kate chat with Loretta, a busy mum of four with a beautiful son named Rhys, who has a diagnosis of spastic diplegia cerebral palsy.
Loretta shares all about Rhys’ unexpected early birth and hospitalisation, including some very rectum moments she experienced. She talks about Rhys’s childhood, including his schooling, surgeries, sports and his involvement in Scouts, in which her go-getter son learned independence skills and handled the physical challenges he was involved with very well. She also talks about the births of her subsequent three children, two of whom have diagnoses of ADHD.
Rhys is now a year 12 student into wheelchair basketball who also works in fast food and events. He’s learning how to drive and is working towards saving for a car. Loretta has learned from Rhys to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep moving whenever you fall over.
·Mandy is finally reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle
·Melburnians, come to the buffet Pea Lunch at the Ferntree Gully Hotel on September 10, contact them to book in!
Mandy and Kate talk to Jacqui and Nick, pea parents of gorgeous 16-year-old James – Mandy’s daughter Molly’s best friend from school. James has been diagnosed with autism and an intellectual disability, and is a social, vivacious and a popular kid who is a much-loved friend to Molly and his other classmates.
Jacqui and Nick reflect on James’ birth, early development delays and the journey towards diagnosis, where no matter what, their goal was to always make sure James was feeling as happy as possible. They also reflect on James’ school experience, including the great moments, the rectum moments and the particular challenge of ‘fitting in’ the specialist school system – which currently needs evolution and innovation to better meet the needs of 21st century young people with disabilities and neurodiversity.
Jacqui and Nick also share more about James’ passion for fashion and make up and his job as a barista at social enterprise Tasty Az!
Also, Mandy and Kate announce an exciting new event coming up for our Melbourne Peas – the Pea Lunch at the Ferntree Gully Hotel! Jacqui is the venue manager at the hotel and has helped arrange a special event buffet lunch where everyone can come, enjoy time as a family, feel welcome and enjoy meeting other Peas and Peashoots – with plenty of nuggets guaranteed!
Garry Bean (Qld) shares the virtual studio with Daniel Davis Wood (in Scotland), Kirk Thompson (NSW) and Dino Trentin (VIC) for a get-to-know-you episode of the new 4 Bean Mix!
Each of us has the honour of being ‘hands-on’ dads of our children with disabilities and additional needs and it was a hoot to share this fun, interesting, and, at times, raw conversation!
Kate and Mandy speak to Chrissy – a Pea, entrepreneur and founder of Gigi Bib – the world’s only one-handed, wake-proof, accessorisable baby & toddler bib range!
Chrissy founded Gigi Bib following the birth of her three-year-old daughter Gigi, who was born with a rare genetic condition called Mosaic Trisomy 20. Gigi was a tricky sleeper who could take up to six hours to settle and would often only fall asleep with a bottle. As Gigi would dribble a lot while feeding, she would still need to wear a bib, which was then hard to remove without waking her. Chrissy needed a simple, quiet way to remove her bib that didn’t make any noise or disturb her, and decided to develop it herself!
After two years of research and development, the Gigi Bib range has now launched and is available to buy via their website. Chrissy is also aiming to develop products to assist adults with disabilities and to launch a foundation to support people living with rare diseases.
Chrissy also shared her story of searching for a diagnosis for Gigi, where she needed to consistently question and challenge the specialists involved in her care to address and diagnose Gigi’s condition properly. She encourages all parents to feel comfortable in trusting their own wisdom, asking questions and keeping in mind that doctors are human and don’t always get everything right.
A huge shout out to Amy too – Gigi and Mandy’s daughter Molly’s mutual support worker and the reason why Chrissy and Mandy know each other!
