Being Faithful in Your Marriage | Dave and Ashley Willis

Hello, and welcome back to the Naked Marriage podcast. We are Dave and Ashley Willis, and on this podcast, we undress the truth about sex, intimacy, and lifelong love. And you guys, we are continuing in our series about the seasons of marriage, and today we're talking about that season of raising teenagers and how to keep your marriage strong through it. And we have some very, very special guests and dear friends of ours in studio with us today. And it's going to be a real treat for you. Right, sweetie?

Yes. Two of my favorite people are here with us. Eric and Keisha Gomez. They are.

They.

They've launched a couple already. They still got one that's getting ready to launch. They have got so much wisdom to teach us about lots of things, but in particular today about this season of marriage and parenting. Stick around. You're going to love it. Let's dive in. Well, like we said in the intro, we are super excited about our guests today. Eric and Keisha Gomez are dear friends of ours. Eric's also the COO here at XO Marriage. I always put an L at the end because you are C O, O, L. That's my dad joke.

We're full of cheesy jokes over here.

You guys know you guys are awesome and we love calling you friends. And we're excited about this conversation. And just as a refresher for those listening, we're in seasons of marriage, and we're talking about all the different seasons and how every season of marriage has unique challenges and unique opportunities, unique blessings. And we're doing one episode. We're just Ashley and me talk, and then we're inviting an expert to join us who's in the trenches. And so today's we've got particular interest in because it's when you're raising teenagers, we've got a couple teenagers, couple younger. You guys have a lot of experience in this. You've got one that's now in college, one that's going to be going to college soon. And so you're kind of preparing for that empty nest, and you're dealing with adult children or children who are becoming adults. And there's a lot that goes on with that. So it's stressful, it's fun, it's exciting. We just want to pick your brain. So thank you for being here.

Of course, we're excited to be here.

Honored to be here.

Yes. So tell us a little bit about your family dynamic and kind of, I know Dave just said, like, where you are, but you have two kids, kids pretty close in age. And just tell us More about that. So we have three kids or three kids, I'm sorry. Yes. Two teenagers. Yes.

And then we have a 25 year old who's already married.

Yes.

Yeah. And so we have a family of four. Dynamic. And our 19 year old who's at ACU, Albion Christian. Go Cats. And then we also have a 17 year old and so she's a senior.

Yes.

And so that's where we sit now. And so we're still trying to figure it out. I don't know about experts. When you said experts that, that threw me.

I was like, you guys are about to be experienced.

You are experienced, you're seasoned, you don't look old enough. No.

You have had kids that experience.

Yes.

Yes.

We started, which I think is really cool because now you're going to be young, empty nesters.

Yes.

We can't say that about ourselves because we're.

I wish we had started young.

We.

Well, we did have two kids young. Then we had a breather, then we.

Had a long break and then we had. I'll be on a walker by the time I'm not going to be that old.

It's like on the older.

Wouldn't change a thing. They're awesome. But what are you guys learning in this season? Yeah, sorry to cut you off. Sweet.

You go ahead. No, go ahead.

Yeah, I just would love to hear like what, what you're learning in the season and maybe what did you do different like now with your youngest as opposed to when your first one was the 25 year old was going through like what do you wish you could have gone back and told yourself when you were starting this season of having teenagers? What would you have done differently and what would you have done the same?

Yeah, I think that's a bit. I mean, how long is this show? I think for us, you know, one thing would be, I think when I was younger I would have told myself to be more patient. In my 20s, I didn't think of myself as a patient man. I was just trying to, I don't know, meet. I've heard people talk about in your 20s, you're trying to find your niche, you're trying to find your adulthood, you're trying to find your. Your friends are. And sometimes that kind of overshadows and even why you parent or why you're trying to be the best parent that you can. And I think for me, I wish I would have had gone back to spend more times investing seeds at that beginning, like planting seeds personally for me. But I think for us is what we've seen is just being faithful and just knowing that God has you through it all. I don't think I believe that. When I was in my 20s, I think I needed to have it all figured out, and I didn't. So then I would panic in the moment and I would react in anger, frustration with my kids. Kids. As opposed to now, I feel. I don't overreact. I feel that we respond as opposed to react. In my 20s, I just reacted. I feel like. Definitely just was like, the sky's falling. What are we gonna do? As opposed to now, I don't feel as if the sky's falling. We approach it much different. And so I think that's the difference for me. I wish I would have told myself, when the sky's falling, don't panic.

Yeah.

I think that if I can go back and tell myself, that's what I'll go back and tell myself.

Like, calm down. It's okay.

Yes.

Yes.

So that's good. That's really good. I'm, like, mentally taking notes, as you're saying, because, like, I. Like we're entering in. We're a little further behind. I mean, age wise, we're not. But you guys look way younger than us somehow. But we've got a lot to learn from the journey that you've taken because we're just now getting ready to launch our first one.

To launch the first one. And, like, what would you guys say too, kind of leading up to that? Because you've been through kind of those early teenage years. What would you say has been the hardest thing with raising teenagers?

I'll let you take a crack at that one.

The hardest thing, I think, like he said, really just reacting and kind of allowing their emotions. We were kind of just along for the ride with them. Like, when we're up, we're up. When we're down, One of them, who I shall not name, would pretty much set the temperature for our household. And if that one was having a bad day, the house was having a bad day. Rather than grabbing control of the situation, regrounding ourselves, and not only helping that child out of it, but then in turn helping the whole family. Like, this is just God's always faithful. He always brought us out of those valleys that seem to be very low. But when you're going through it, it just doesn't really seem that you can't get. You can't see the other side yet.

Right?

Yeah.

Because sometimes the Hindsight is truly 2020.

Absolutely.

Why did I lose it so much and feel like Our life was over when really, I couldn't see it, because I feel like, too with that. You know, one thing. When I wrote my book Peace Pirates, I actually did a survey with 200 different moms, and I asked them what's the hardest season of parenting and what I found. And a lot of them had multiple kids, and what I found is the hardest season, nearly, I would say, like, 95% of the time was the newest one for them. And so, like, what I hear you saying is, especially with that first teenager, like, when you're first experiencing this and they're first experiencing it, I think as parents, we tend to see it harder than it really is, because we haven't been there yet.

Sure.

And we're certainly there. Like, when Cooper got his license, our oldest son, I kind of freaked out a little. Like, those first two weeks, I was not well. Like, I really had to dig deep in my faith and, like, really surrender it to God. And I really talked to you, Keisha, like, before we led up to this, because I just. I don't know, it kind of. It kind of hit me. Like, I guess I wasn't thinking about it, and then it happened, and then I was almost like, oh, my gosh. And I really. I didn't want to. I didn't want to make Cooper scared, you know, he's got to go drive this car, you know? And I wanted to instill confidence in him, but I also wanted him to have a healthy fear of what could happen should he not drive, you know, properly and be willy nilly about it. But, you know, it is. It's one of those things where I do. I feel like, as parents, when it's a new season for us, especially when they're in those teenage years, we do tend to want to freak out, because some of these decisions they make as teenagers can affect them for life.

The stakes are much higher.

There's weight, right?

Yeah, the stakes are much higher.

Did you feel that entering into those teenage years?

Absolutely, we did. Yeah. And just from some of the decisions we had made in our younger years, we knew the implications of some of those decisions that could be made and the pain that they can bring. So there was a lot of fear there. And again, it was just reminding ourselves and reminding them we have to be prayerful through this and not allow that fear to kind of guide our parenting. And I'm so guilty of that. That's definitely my downfall, is allowing fear. Like, worst case scenario, like, oh, my gosh, they're gonna drive off a bridge. Like, all these Horrible things you can imagine in your, in your head and they just, they don't usually happen.

Right?

Yeah, yeah. It's easy to worry though.

And I think that what she said there where you parent out of your fears, so, you know, you're trying to protect them from maybe some of the mistakes that you made previously. And so we have three kids. I had Brandy, who's our oldest, who's 25. I had him at 17 as a senior in high school.

Yes.

And so that brought a new dynamic. So when we started dating, hey, by the way, I have a two year old. And so you have to figure that out as you become an instant family. And so. But then you parent. I don't want that for our kiddos. I want them to. And I wasn't raised, I didn't find Christ until I was in my 20s. So we want them though, to protect their, you know, their integrity. We want them to protect, we want them to go healthy into a marriage. And so you really try to overcompensate and you try to do anything and everything that you can do to prevent that from happening. And so what we learned is that you can, and you can do a lot of things and put a lot of measures in place, but a lot of it is just faith. And a lot of it is preparing them, like preparing their heart for it. And I think that's what we've learned over the years is really God has them. And you know, I feel like the grandparents now at the table, like, oh, God has you, you know, but that's, you know, what we've truly seen is that, is that even through the highest of highs or the lowest of lows and even when we mess up, because, I mean, all through these 21 years coming up on marriage with these kids, I mean, we have missed the mark countless times, but our kids. Yeah, but our kiddos have been, they have turned out just fantastic. And there are some attention, there are some things that, you know, I believe that we have some culture. There's things that, of our culture that it's going to naturally produce. And you know, the kids that we have, but those are things that God has told us and put on our heart to say, this is part of your family and I want you to lead in a certain way. Yeah.

You know, just watching you guys and being your all's friends, what I notice is that you all, you know, faith is truly like the Lord is truly the foundation of your family. And I think you all have done such a great job of not only, you know, Giving that standard to your children, but living it out like you know, you have that standard but you all are so authentic too in living your faith. And I know that both of you, you know, youth group has been a big part of kind of your family culture and what you guys do and what you're involved in. Could you speak to that and like the difference that it's made in your kids lives?

You want to talk? You want me?

The show may never end if we.

Let you speak on this.

Go.

I think it's been invaluable. I mean, there were so many gaps that had to be filled in our parenting. Like we made so many mistakes. But having them in those youth groups consistently from the time they were able to be in them, they allowed for there to be other adults that we trusted that were pouring into these kids so that they could always say, and we could tell them we're going to fail, we're going to mess up, God will not. And all of these adults that have been entrusted in these roles just reinforce that. And so there may be things they don't want to talk to us about and we fully expected that. But rather than going to a source that we may not trust, may not know what they're going to be told, they were going back to these leaders or to these friends that they had made in their small groups and we could just trust. What we are saying is being reflected in the advice they're getting from other people as well. Because we're all just straight from the Bible. Our church is so big on. We're straight from the Bible. So that allowed us to have that confidence. Like we're going to make mistakes all the time. We still do constantly. But he doesn't. And he's there to fill in those gaps when we're making so many mistakes.

That's so good. I think just to add on, just to add on is that the culture comes. We go to Keystone Church in Keller, Texas, shout out to Brandon, Susan, amazing church. They have a culture of unity. They have a culture of unity. And so that is part of our culture. And so we fight for unity inside the house, inside the home. And so they're hearing it at church with their small groups, with their small group leaders. Then they hear it from us. And so we kind of always remember that we're fighting for something bigger. We're fighting. And so no matter if we're disappointed that we didn't pay for that Chipotle meal or that if they're upset because we didn't extend curfew or upset that we didn't allow someone to spend the night that we're not familiar with. We know that it's okay. The next morning we're going to go get some pancakes. We're going to be all right. That there's something bigger here at stake. And so our kiddos have kind of realized that over the years. Yeah, but it isn't always in the moment.

Oh, sure.

Isn't always in the moment.

You guys have got so much relational equity just by you're doing life with them. I mean, you're up playing ultimate Frisbee with them, and you're, you know, you're just. You're always. That. That presence makes such a. Such a difference. You guys have just really lived it and been there for your kids. And I'd like to pivot just a little bit to talk about the marriage aspect of things, because I know a lot of folks listening, they're interested in, like, yeah, I need all the help I can get. And, like, how do we create that culture and how do we raise teenagers and how do we navigate all that? And we could talk about that forever, but I'd love to make sure we talk some just about how you've prioritized marriage in this season and how that looks different than it did maybe in other seasons. And so. And what are you hoping for the next season when you, you know, soon will be empty nesters that, you know, what do you want that to look like? I know, I know. So. Yeah.

What is.

What does that look like right now? Just give us a little glimpse into. Into married life.

Yeah.

Teenagers, marriage, they are a lot savvier than when they're 9 and 10. They know how to play the. I'll ask mom for this or ask dad for that.

Oh, definitely, I will.

Dad's a little bit more lenient here. Mom's more understanding here. And I wasn't prepared for that. And so it happened. And because I wasn't prepared for it, what ended up happening was. What had happened was, was we ended up getting divided between. Our kiddos are fantastic, but just the enemy is trying to find ways to find ways to separate you. And so. And I would say, you know, as you go through it in the moment, you don't recognize it. I know for me, my biggest fault was probably trying to be a friend with my kids, you know, and in. But you're given an authority over them, to lead them and to shepherd them. Well, sometimes I was willing to throw that away to make sure that, hey, are we going to sleep you know, with a piece in the house. And so then we maybe if we had a difference of opinion on that, and then that would turn into something much different. So I've had nights and I'm being vulnerable here where we have a two story where I'm walking up and I will stop on the. On the stairs and think, okay, am I giving up my authority in this moment? Is I'm fighting for, of course, peace and unity in my family, but at the same time, is it okay to let this rest and let them just wrestle with you, God, and not me? Just come in there and rescue. Be the cool dad and the dad this. You know, and so. But that puts a stress on us. And that took a long time for me to learn to get there. And so I would say marriage for us was teenagers create this. They. And they love to poke and find it. They would find those ways to try to get us to kind of like, be separate. And not until just recently that I feel like we're finally getting on the same page.

Yeah.

And so on that one.

So I have a hot take. Marriage and teenagers are not compatible. But God, but with God, Yeah, Everything he said, yeah, it's intense. You forget you're fighting the same battle for the same wins, same team. The devil sneaks in there quick. Right?

But kind of what I hear you all saying, the key is hashing through that and slowing down enough to say, wait a minute. We're literally wanting the same thing here. We maybe have two different ways of getting there, but ultimately our goals are the same. How can we do this together? And that takes time. And I think we're. You know, you do see a lot of couples in the midst of raising teenagers, really, you know, contemplating divorce or really just living separate lives. Like, maybe they haven't mentioned that. Hopefully not. But, like, they're still living separate lives. And I do think, because it's harder to hash it out because it's really awkward at first, and it can even be, you know, it can get, I don't know, heated in the sense of feeling so passionately about how you think the kids should be raised or how we should handle certain situation, and the other one, like, no, no, no, no. You know, but, you know, I feel like, like you said, Keisha, when we do choose to talk about these things and really pray through these things and ultimately say, you know what? I'm gonna pray about this. I'm truly giving it to God, like, he does meet you there. You know, he does meet you there every time. But I think we have to. It's pride. Pride is the thing that Satan loves to use. He wants to make us think our spouse doesn't understand us, that we're the better parents that we know best and like, just to get in between us. But we have to fight against that. And it just takes that intentionality of what you're talking about, Eric, and saying, no, no, no, I'm gonna, you know, I'm not gonna give up. I'm gonna keep doing this and I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna have authority over my children and I'm going to talk to my spouse. But, but like you said, it's so hard sometimes and we're just tired. Don't you feel like sometimes we just get tired?

Yeah, I'm tired right now.

Yeah, I know, right?

I'm exhausted. It brings out your insecurities too. And that all starts to. Especially this phase of life where they are starting to leave the nest and you start to go back through these. What's next? Who am I? What. I've been a stay at home mom for 19 years now. What does that next phase of life look like? And so when you're parenting through those moments, all of those insecurities start seeping in and then so you're parenting out of not only this disagreement you just had together, but this inadequacy you feel. And it just ends up with a huge mess if you're not really walking with the Lord and reading the Bible and going back to those scriptures just to get that grounding back.

Absolutely, yeah. Grounding is a good word.

Yeah. Because it's one of life's biggest transitions is, you know, you've given your life to raise these kids and then all of a sudden they're, they're, they're finally leaving the nest and you're always, of course, gonna have a relationship with them, always be their parent. But that, that relationship changes dramatically, I'm sure, when they leave kind of under your, under your roof and are out spreading their wings and then trying to figure out, okay, now what does it look like for us as a couple in this season and as individuals in this season? And yeah, I think that's, that's good stuff.

What I could see, I could see how the, when people get to empty, nesty, empty nesting season, how if you're not aware of it, you can grow away from each other as you get towards that season. Because everything that your past 18, 19, 20 years has been, has been about one purpose, and then the purpose is gone.

Right.

And so you know, there's a great book kid CEO Ed Young put out a long time ago and I'm reading it and say I'm going to follow it to the T and then not. And then you get to the moments and you don't do it. But it's such a good resource because it talks about that while yes, we're mom and dad, no, we're husband and wife first. And so in protecting that, the integrity of that union. And so that's something that we fight hard today so that we don't get caught by it in two years from now. And you know, all of our kids are, you know, they have their house or at college and then it's just the two of us and we're looking at each other like, okay, now what's next?

Yeah.

And so we're excited for that next season and we're, we're so thankful to have friends here. Of course, you know, I've heard you talk about it, Dave and Ashley on previous podcasts about like, you know, your friends and your couples with Brent and Stephanie. And I think what's neat about that is we tell our kids all the time, show me your friends, I'll show you your future.

Oh, absolutely.

Show me your friends. Show your future. And so we're constantly surrounding ourselves with couples that are like minded. They're going to be prayerful with us. Glass half full, you know, not empty. Positivity is huge for me. If someone's negative deuces, I'm out. Yeah. And so that's something that I don't stick around for. And so we have great friends that encourage us. So while yes, it's been tough, it's been challenging, we have great friends that have really helped us along the way.

And it's good when you have those friends who are in the season with you, but also beyond that season. I know you guys have both and even pouring into people who are behind you a little bit and are wanting to learn from you, like us. As far as it goes with parenting, I wanna ask you this really important question. Cause I know people watching and listening to this are like, all of this is fine and good, but what about those teens that are so rebellious and are causing friction in your family because of the decisions the teens have made. And I know in the work that you do with youth and you know, just living life, you guys have probably seen this happen. And I would love to hear kind of your advice to the parents who are, you know, they're Christian parents, but for whatever reason, their child's just really wayward right now. And they feel like this is the one thing that no matter what they do, they want to make their marriage, you know, put their marriage first. But they feel like this is crisis mode and this kid is just, you know, wreaking havoc and they don't know what to do with that. What would you say?

It's a good question.

Yeah, it's hard. And we get a lot of questions about this because it's a hard situation. There's no, like, easy fix. I wish. I wish there was. Here's these three steps, you know. But I know that there's some insight.

You want to take a SAT first? You want me to go first?

I'm still thinking.

Sure, I'll let you think. I think what comes to mind first is we have, I would say that one of our kiddos, he's never going to watch this because I don't have to worry about it. But one of our kiddos, he has rebellious. He likes to push the boundaries. He likes to push the boundaries. He's independent. So all of these things that you see when they're younger, like, they're fierce, they're independent, they have a confidence about them. When they're a teenager, the enemy likes to counterfeit it all. And so we've seen that rebellious shriek in him. Now, he does it in a it's not detrimental to his future way kind of way, but it's enough to make me want to beat the wall. It's enough to make me want to see just like, are you kidding me? You know better than this. Why are you acting this way? Your heart is better than this. You know, I've seen it, but I think for me, it's just patience. I think of patience and I think of fruit of the spirit. Like, what is. What should I show to him? And I believe right now, where we seen with him as he goes away to college and as he's there is that man. It didn't take me to write him. It didn't take me to write him. All I can do is try to show him and tell him what I believe God has for him and surround him in a good area. And he has a loving family that's always going to love him regardless. And he is completely gone to college this first six couple months and just thrived. And, you know, and so I would say to that parent, you know, you may not see it, but we. We have seen the fruit. Maybe not the harvest didn't happen immediately. Like, it took a lot of water. We're pouring water, miracle grow everything we can get to get that harvest. And we didn't see it until we got out of the house. Yeah, like, you really like when he. When he got out of the house. And I think that there was maybe because we're helicopter parents, maybe we didn't. Maybe we were his ceiling, maybe we were that. And when we got out of the way, he was able to flourish. And I think that would be something to just say. Maybe say a prayer, like, am I, am I the lid? You know, and then give God a little bit more opportunity to work with them.

But that. I love that you said that, because I've had that a little bit. Like in certain areas with Cooper, our oldest. I would not call myself a helicopter mom, but there's certain times when that'll. All of a sudden, there it is. You know what I'm saying? And I'm like hovering. And I do feel like the Lord pierced in my heart. Like what you're saying, like, don't be a lid. Don't be a lid. And, you know, I know there's different. I'm going to ask you a question, just a minute about this. But there's different pages that we follow on Instagram, like grown and flown, where it's reminded us. Guys, if you're not following rownandflown on Instagram, you're missing out. Great advice. There's also. Neverempty Nest is another one I follow on Instagram. But I remember, you know, it kind of puts stuff out there because it is so easy to just wanna, you know, hold em even tighter. And then that's when they just wanna, like. They're like, let me go. And then maybe don't make the best decisions. And I've had to remind myself of that too. And I want you, Keisha, to describe you. You helped me so much. We're talking about that time before our kids launch, how they do what to the nest. Because soiling the nest. Soiling the nest. Can you describe that for listeners?

I love that. So that was from Grown and Flown. And it was basically the concept that as they get ready to leave for college, they really just are trying to make their own way. And for ours, for our son.

He.

Was already very independent. He felt he had all the tools. And I guess we're seeing. He really did. But to me, him trying to assert his independence was just like making a mess of the house. Not an actual mess, like an emotional mess of the house. Like, why are you controlling me? Why? It feels like the closer I Get to college, the more you're trying to pull back. And I didn't feel like I was. I think that was just really. His wings were just ready to go.

Right?

And we were still just trying to make sure that the groundwork was there, the foundation was laid, and it was. But just allowing that to happen before he actually left was tough. Just letting go of those things and knowing where to let go. I don't believe you should fully, okay, you're going to college. We're hands off. You do what you want to do. That still doesn't seem like the right answer to me. I think there was somewhere in between that we could have landed on. But the soiling the nest, it's a good thing, because then you're ready. You're ready for them to leave the nest and go spread those wings and fly. And like he said, he is doing a phenomenal job in college, and the groundwork was laid and the foundation was there. And he's amazing.

And it's so. I know as parents that brings you so much peace, But I think every parent, if we're all being honest, we all have that. What if we taught him all the things always, like, does he have that foundation in the Lord? Cause, you know, gosh, in our culture these days, you just see. You see teenagers, you know, especially older teenagers leaving the faith and just like, going to college and literally abandoning their faith. And I know you know, this, like, that's something that. I mean, as Christian parents, that would be devastating. Like, we want to make sure that they are firm in their. In their faith in the Lord and not just going, you know, I mean, I can't imagine being in this world without having a foundation of faith. And so it is. But it does take your breath away a little bit, thinking, like, lord, like, you're just. You truly are. It's like, you're like, little bird, fly. And you're like, lord, please, like, be there the whole way. Surround them by the right friends. Give them the right opportunities to grow in you and to not grow farther away from you. And, you know, did you kind of feel that in that launching time, was it.

Absolutely.

Even though, you know, you have taught them all these things, but that little bit of, like, ugh, definitely.

And the other thing is, they're going to have friends who. They may have the same values as you. I'm not saying they don't have the same values, but they may have different rules at their home. They may be able to do a lot of things. You may not allow or vice Versa. So having the. What's the word I'm looking for?

Hey, that's all right.

Yeah, whatever. Having the courage to stand on what you set in place and what you. And you can always go back and pray. You know, maybe we need to ease up here. Maybe we need to push more here. But whatever you do, land on having the courage to stand on that. And I don't care what your friend's doing. This is. This is what our home is doing. Yeah.

That's a big thing. Because that. Teenagers. Don't you feel like. And Dave and I have seen this where it's like. But they do it this way.

It's constant.

Or everybody's doing this.

Mom.

It started with social media. Well, they got it. And we're not doing that yet.

No, I know.

And then it went on to curfew, and then it went on to, you know, places in the, you know, we don't want you hanging out in downtown Dallas, you know, at 1am on a Saturday. And so it turns into just more and more. And, I mean, there's physical protection, but then there's the spiritual side of it. And that's, you know, you're praying for both, and you're trying to prepare them for both of it. And so I would just say to that parent, stay patient in it. You know, it's a process. It is a process. Raising, shepherding, and raising a child is a process, and we're seeing it firsthand. And it doesn't mean you don't get anxious or you don't have those nights, but for us, we were getting to the end of it, like the end of the tunnel is coming, but it just starts a new season, and then we're walking them through. We have our oldest who's already married, and so, you know, and, you know, we're walking through newlywed, you know, you know, seasons. And so it's. It's. It's fun. It's all exciting and fun. And I still can't believe that we're in our 40s and we're in this season because I still feel like a kid at heart. But it's really a lot of fun. And God's been so good, so much.

Favor on us, and you guys are amazing family, and it's just. It's amazing to see your kids flying and using that foundation you've given them to soar. I know God's got big plans for each of them. I know this. This talk has been an encouragement to all who've heard it. You guys have taught us so much just as as you're sharing these principles that can help the marriage and parenting journey of anybody with. With kids that age. And as you enter into this next season and you got the house to yourselves, I pray you have more naked time than ever. I pray that it's just full of love and laughter.

Lifted a glass of that.

Yeah. Cheers to that. Cheers to naked time.

Cheers to the naked season. Yes.

For all you guys who've been watching and listening, thank you so much for tuning in, and we appreciate you so much. If you know somebody who is the parent of a teenager right now, share this with them. Just text them the link or tag them on social media and say, hey, listen to this. I think this would really, really encourage you, and it will, because the wisdom you just heard from the Gomezes could really make a big difference in the life of somebody who's in that season right now. And we appreciate all of you. Thanks for tuning in. Thank you again to our dear friends Eric and Kesha.

It's an honor.

We'll see you guys next time.