Dating as a teen is one subject - but I was widowed at age 30 and , believe me, dating as an adult is something else completely. Very very difficult time. Most of the men I met were just ugly( I'm not talking about their looks) people - which would be why they were in their 30's or 40's and still single, I think. Finally an old, old friend who had moved away for his job, moved back to town . He called me when a guy who was a close friend of his but much less a friend of mine passed away after a long illness, to ask if I wanted to ride with him to the funeral. I wasn't planning to go to the funeral but I got the impression he didn't want to go alone, so I said OK. We rekindled our friendship and that grew into dating which was mostly going to events & parties hosted by mutual friends. Anyway, we ended up getting married and have been married 40 years now.
Try dating again at 58. Most men lie about their marital status it’s common for them to say they are widowers without children when in fact they are and do. It’s actually quite disgusting. I’m a Christian who doesn’t drink or smoke or believe in pre marital sex for myself and most men my age just want a romp in the hay and call it a day . I’m not interested in that and if they don’t like my belief system they can head on down the road as I answer to God and nobody else .
Although I am not from the Mennonite culture but I was raised in a more conservative Christian community and we hold so many of the same values! my husband and I did not kiss until our wedding day at the altar and I will never regret that decision to hold ourselves until we got married! what a blessing it is to stay pure in mind and body! I love listening to you and Jayna talk! I never would have imagined that I would have so much in common with the Mennonites ! 😅Keep these episodes coming! ❤️
There’s a holy GOD in Heaven, Who created you and I for His glory, but our sins have separated us from Him. the wages of sin is DEATH, but the FREE Gift of GOD is eternal life in CHRIST the LORD. CHRIST died for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. repent, stop living in sin, and believe in the Gospel.
That's cool, respect your community and values, not religious at all, more spiritual but it's nice to see how other people do things, that's a nice thing to wait 😊
Aw, Megan! You brought me to tears when you talked about your boundaries and lines drawn in the sand. How wonderful our world would be if there were more young people like you! I deeply appreciate your Christian values. I am not a Mennonite, but I was raised with a very similar background as far as holiness and abstaining from the world, etc. The older I get, the more grateful to God I am for my parents and the Godly upbringing they provided me with. We are so blessed to have those values instilled in us and ingrained in our nature. I so appreciate you and Jayna and enjoy your chats. May the Lord keep you always near His side and determined to live out your faith, no matter who compromises around you. Sending love and blessings to both of you today!
Growing up in a conservative, Bible believing Christian, home/"culture" (though not mennonite) and it sounds pretty much the same as what you've described. So nothing seems abnormal at all! Maybe not as Mennonite-specific as you might think! Thanks for sharing your time and hearts, ladies! "It is what it is, mistakes and not, God can use it" -Jayna Love this!
I am 61 and I became a Christian when I was 22 and my upbringing was very different than yours. You girls have such a precious gift in being raised in godly homes. And I love that you talk about these things. I hope that every young girl out there who listens to your channel will see the wisdom in the things you are saying. xox
May I say, I truly enjoy the Monday sessions, but the best is how confident Jayna is now infront of the camera. Jayna you have a great personality, so much fun to listen to your views on topics. I enjoy Megans channel very much and see why you guys get along so well👍🏻
I am currently raising a teen girl and I’m an brutal with her about being physical as a teenager. Many of her friends are way too physical because their parents are not talking to them about the realities of life. This video is perfect timing because I feel so many teens are thrown to the wolves without parents being honest about things. Thank you for being so frank about this topic.
@@swampophelia2098 when I say brutal maybe I should use the word realistic. Realistic about how the world works and what being physical too early in your life can lead too.
Hey Megan, I'm a traditional Catholic and have followed your channel for a while! I am getting married this fall, and we had our first kiss when we got engaged last Christmas (2021). Thank you for sharing your stories and helping me to be comfortable with our relationship timeline. Keep up these awesome chats! I love listening to them at work :)
Do you even know how much this is needed in our society? Thank you so much for being so real and sharing such personal insights. I can't say enough of how much I appreciate you both.
Back in my day (1966-1969), dating was a terrible thing to have to go through. Marriage wasn't any better. To make a long story short, I ended up raising two children alone. I did not have time to date while raising two children, house keeping, cooking, cleaning, working outside the home for a living, and earning a degree as a full time student at a University (all at the same time). Now I'm old. I have gotten used to being alone. I'm very happy that you both have healthy, happy marriages and families. You are blessed.
This is really the first honey I’m homemaker episode that I watch through.. mainly because I am 50, I raised my kids and now have 2 (almost 3😃) granddaughters.. so I’m not in the same stages as you guys.. but this one is just so interesting
I just turned 58. I've been married 32 years and hubby and I have a 30 year old son with Autism who will continue to live with us (he has his bedroom and our 3rd bedroom is his mancave). I absolutely love watching Megan and her precious family. I also love their Christian values.
This was so interesting! I started dating my husband when I was 16 and I’m 26 now, neither come from religious families, but I had reeeeally strict rules about curfews! I love that you talked about boundaries and not settling for men who don’t give you total respect!
Eastern European conservative Christian here and things were very similar in our culture to what you're describing. My curfew was 10pm (the strictest among my friends). He could stay over until 11 but never later. One time he brought me home closer to 11 and my dad put the fear of God in him. It NEVER happened again🙈poor guy... it was my fault we were late. We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last month. ❤️
I enjoy hearing your stories! It's so nice hearing the similarities as cousins. My family is big and there are a lot of cousins and it's nice to hear you share your stories. I had a saying that "we kissed like our plane was going down". Somehow it was still very innocent. We never thought beyond kissing. I'm glad I had that "first love" experience. It wasn't my only relationship growing up before marriage. So, that is one thing I really appreciate about the Mennonite culture. You don't date casually.
Thank you so much for these videos! I grew up in a pretty dysfunctional home. But I knew from a young age that I didn't want that. I became a Christian at the age of 24 and I was happy being single. I met my husband at 28 and we did some mission work with our church in Ecuador and Alex and I were friends but as we served together with some of our friends I saw him in a different way. We got back from our trip and he asked me out. We got engaged six months from our first date and married a month later. We never dated anyone else. It was meant to be that we are together. We have been married for almost four years and we have a baby girl! Ladies it is worth saving yourself, I am so thankful that we did. It makes everything so special.
Question for Q&A: Meghan, you mentioned that Josh and you decided choosing a completely different church than either of your parents. I was just wondering if this is a big deal or something common that people change churches that easily? What are the differences between the churches? And how does such changes impact community life? Sorry, not that familiar with US or Mennonite churches. Thank you. Always a pleasure spending time with you and learning something new. Greetings from Germany.
I love watching these episodes where you talk about your Mennonite culture! I grew up in a fairly conservative baptist culture thinking that mennonites were WAY more conservative than we were. From what you’re saying it seems like for the most part we’re about the same, just more conservative or relaxed in different areas.
:D Excited to listen to this. I'm getting married in October of this year so I enjoy hearing about people's love stories. Hope everyone's having a good week!
I loved listening to this while sewing! I’d enjoy hearing what traditions you have made for your own little families when it comes to Christmas, other holidays, birthdays, etc. Don’t stop making these videos anytime soon! I need good quality stuff to listen to and y’all are so refreshing and fun. 😊
Loved hearing all about Mennonite dating and marriage💕 My hubby asked me on one official would you go out with me date, then after that we were inseparable during all our waking hours - worked together, went to college together, spent all free time talking in phone or being together - haha 😀. Got married 4 days short of the first anniversary of our first date 💍💘
Yes! I was so excited when this popped up in my feed. It was the soothing and juicy girl talk I needed in my day. Your honesty is refreshing and very appreciated. I grew up in neighboring New Jersey and would often take day trips to Lancaster during summer weekends. Your episode made me feel close to home. Also, you’ve made me think about the type of rules I’d like my kids to follow when they hit the dating age. God bless you ladies! ❤️
This is so interesting!!! I'm currently dating!! I like that its something practical to us younger girls!(p.s. I'm 19) I can TOTALLY relate to janna!! We have been together for almost a year but only technically dating since June!! And yes the curfews 🤣🤣 but I just have to trust my parents! They know what's best! Even tho sometimes I don't like it🤣
When do woman move out of the house? It sounds like a lot of you don't start dating until 18 but are not yet independent with your parents or housing at that age. Do most people live at home until they marry? What if they don't marry? Are there many single woman living on their own in the menonite community?
I would love to hear answers to these questions as well. I’m a 36 yo single Christian woman that moved out at 18 when i went to college and never lived with my parents again after that. Is this situation common in the Mennonite community?
I love that Jayna seems to be a bit more open with certain topics. I think both of you have a lot of good things to teach to the young modern women of America. I know you try to play it safe but voices like yours are so needed in today's Godless world. Wish I had friends like you growing up who didn't shame me for being more traditional. I appreciate the conversations that you have about purity. As someone that is saving herself for marriage, there's some things that I've been unsure about such as kissing, touching each other, etc so it's good to hear some solid ground rules about it. Many of us did not have the fortune of growing up in a Christian community who upheld good moral values. Everything just seems to be so up in the air that it makes me anxious about what is good or bad in the eyes of God. God bless you both!
Well done, ladies! I really enjoyed this one. Your advice to younger girls was spot on! I was like Megan when it came to dating and my standards. We set our guidelines on our first date and didn’t cross them. Now I’m so glad we did it that way!
I LOVE listening to you girls! I listen while I fold laundry or cook supper and always leave wanting to hear more. I have 3 young girls and 1 teenage son. I’m not looking forward to the dating years lol
Very good advice and love hearing your dating to marriage stories! It’s hard making adult choices let alone making the choice of whom you want to date and then marry for life. You really need to make wise choices to avoid regrets later. Best advice you said was listen to the people closes to you about whom you are dating…Tfs 👍💕🙏😊
I hope this video reaches every young girl who is at this point in life. Actually, any woman of any age and belief that may be just researching dating in general. Your experiences and advice will lead them in a positive direction. Kudos to you both for sharing content in such a wholesome and respectful way!! Love love love your talks and look forward to the next one ❤️
Unfortunately this episode was a little bit of a trigger for me. My husband's *Christian parents were not a fan of mine and tried to convince us to break up for the duration of our four year dating relationship. Others chimed in and told us we should "do the right thing" and listen to his parents. We made several mistakes during that time, however, staying together was not one of them as we felt we were following God's will for our life. I'm happy to say we've been married for thirteen years, together for seventeen, and have four beautiful children together. And sadly, we've had to part ways with his parents due to the amount of damage and division they caused us in our marriage. *Christian- legalistic and spiritually abusive
I hear you Sophie. Not "triggering" for me, but I cringed a little when they gave the advice to listen to your parents. Unfortunately at such a young age, a person can't necessarily discern if their "godly" parents have ulterior motives. My story sounds like yours! My husband (whom I've been with now for 20 years) is amazing, an actual godly man, and it took years to unpack that my parents were pretty rotten people who only put on Christian faces when it served them. Much better without their "advice" anymore.
I am so sorry for you pain, Sophie. I feel it, too, and know exactly what you mean about being triggered. Unfortunately, there are so many who’ve had similar experiences... parents using God’s name to abuse their children, and then expressing no regret for the pain they caused. Without parents repentance, It doesn’t “get better with time”, so I pray that God will give you peace and a fresh sense of His love amidst difficult in laws.
Hi Megan. I love your channel. I enjoy the music intro. You are so organized. You redeem the time. You are a planner. You value each day. Thank you for your energy, ideas, positivity. Your work ethics is admirable. I see more and more of good success coming your way. Thank you Megan you are smart beyond your years.
It is better to be more cautious than have regrets from crossing too many lines; Megan, you said you maybe wouldn't have needed to be so careful - I can't think of much to regret for being that way, so good for you! I just imagine someone hearing you say you felt like you were more careful than you needed to be and then relaxing too much from internalizing that, so be more like Megan than too relaxed. 😊 This is a really great chat for young girls, thanks for putting it out!!
Would you all ever consider doing a video on things you appreciate your parents doing as kids/teenagers. Or made your relationship stronger with them. And things you would do differently now that you’re a parent yourself? Mom of 3 girls same ages as Megan’s little ones 🙂
Not a Mennonite, but I think one thing I would say to Jayna to not beat herself up over regrets of things she wishes she didn’t do. Because honestly, it can be a lot worse to NOT do some of the things that are crucial. Have difficult conversations. Meet each other’s families. Talk about your faith. Pray for each other, if that’s important in your faith. Go through a challenge together so you know how the other person acts under stress/duress. So if you did all of those things, at the “expense” of perhaps having one sofa cuddle that should have been a little more supervised than it was, but now you have a strong, loving, faithful marriage - I think that’s worth it. It’s always a balancing act, and it sounds like overall you both struck a good balance between building trust and intimacy during your dating and engagement but maintaining the standards that are important to you. For this reason I’m actually not a big fan of the more evangelical chaperone system where all conversations including text messages and phone calls are monitored. I honestly think it prevents couples from being properly honest with each other. Who can talk freely about for example mistakes their parents made and how you want to raise your kids in the future WHILE your parents are at the table with you? The approach you both had where guidelines are agreed, and the couple works out what steps they need to take to follow them seems more sensible in my eyes. Wish you all the best 🥰
Hey girls! Enjoyed your chat. Refreshing honesty here ! My culture is also Mennonite. Back when I was in my teens, we girls "A" hugged our guy friends. We had a great bunch of guys to hang around. Later as we got older, we went to a handshake 🤷♀️
Also a Mennonite (but a different 'tribe'.- different clothes,covering was black etc) and so many things I can relate to. We never labeled ourselves Christians but just more so Mennonites. Fearfully trying to keep up with the rules. I found Jesus when I moved to another country with my sister and her hubby. And everything looked different after that. Going back home was even hard because there it were rules rather than the true gospel. Mennonites, as Megan mentiones, all come with their own story. MENNONITE doesn't necessarily even mean they know Jesus.
Listening to/watching this as I prepare steak kabobs for dinner using your recipe from last week's video 😊 I can relate with Megan about the big sister 'thing'..and would highly encourage young girls to go by Holy Spirit instead🤎
Thanks so much for sharing! Did Josh Attend any high school or was he like an apprentice in construction right away? I was surprised you said that because he is so articulate and business savvy- in construction and your rentals. I think that great!
This was SO SO amazing!! I am praying that any many girls will find this and feel so encouraged to do this well! We also waited until we got married. Now I was 27 and he was 24. We didn't date long (long distance) and were not engaged long lol The wedding Night is so special 😄
Thanks so much for this video and for sharing your stories! I really related to what Jayna shared about being ready to get married and not being able to get married yet! We dated 4 years and have been married 14, and we both still say how glad we are to be married and not stuck dating anymore!
You will be dreaming about how much fun you had when your kids were young when you get to be 50 60 years old . Thanks for your discussion it was great.
I just wanted to thank Jana for being honest about her journey. I hope you give yourself grace and any adult person can understand why waiting so many years is difficult - even though it was probably a good idea to postpone marriage until you were adults.
I have something to maybe add to your next vlog. I'm from Australia and we don't have any mennonite or amish cultures here but something I've noticed through your and Lynette Yoders vlogs is that you guys work hard. You don't seem to have too many relaxing times where you'll watch a movie on Netflix. I think here in Australia we have a relaxed lifestyle for the most part especially in summer. Is it a thing that you are brought up to be productive every minute. I have noticed that you do host a lot but you still work like crazy before hand. I'd love to hear what you think about that. Heather from down under
I am a 68 year old woman, raised in a moderately catholic family, and I am amazed at how you two young moms are so wise............your advice is great..........I hope my grandchildren listen to this.........well done ladies, you both should be proud.
So nice to listen to you both. Keep doing this..do a few more close-ups. Been v i interesting reading other peoples comments!! I met my husba nd at 17 just before i left Australia for a year in your country as an exchange student. I knew id marry him when i first met him! 48 yrs later..here we are as grandparents !! He's a special man & companion...
I loved this video. Thank you for sharing! So many good points. I was not raised Mennonite, but a strict Christian, so many of the same values! I was an only child, so my influence was.... wanting to make my parents proud, would never want to disappoint my Dad!!! I was SO close to Dad, and he was the one I talked to most, but definitely my Mom as well. I loved your point too, if others are saying or warning you about someone.... take heed!!!!!! I've seen this too many times, you think you will change this person, or you will bring out another side of them? NOPE .... you will not!!! Great videos ladies! Love from Northern Minnesota
Your stories are so sweet wish all young people would go slow with there relationships and let them develope over time I married my High School sweetheart 43 years ago when I was 21
Megan's story of needing to keep changing position on the blanket outside cracked me up🤣 But I get it. Josh Harris books were a thing in my day. Are they still? Maybe a little radical but not all bad. Really enjoyed hearing both your stories! I like how your relationship with your dad mattered to you, Jayna, and I pray it can be that way for my girls too, some far away day(anyway I hope it's far away😉) Also, that you cared about the example you were leaving for your siblings, Megan.
At work the other day, I was giving out samples of Kombuscha. I had to warn them that there is a very slight amount of alcohol in it but not enough to be considered an alcoholic beverage.
Interesting our dating story was very similar and like Megan said the wedding night is/was a big deal...we both went into the marriage believing marriage is for life and now empty nesters it just gets better...and to have taught and see your children with the same ideals is a gift from God... am sure your parents could attest to that with you guys.
Such a fun chat! I am fortunate in that my first boyfriend became my husband :) We met in college and got married after graduation almost 13 years ago.
Thanks for the episode! Mennonite dating may sound weird and too conservative to other people, but for me as a muslim it doesn't at all. Islam gives so much value to women, a guy is not allowed to touch his fiance until they get married, not even shaking hands. I just love that about Islam and I'm so thankful for it alhamdulillah. Also, I love how Megan put rules and vowed to respect them during her two years of dating, it's sooo hard to stick to rules when love is in the air! I think that is so brave and responsible of her. May Allah guide us all to his right path❤
Question for another vodeo: how do you picture conversations with your kids about dating? What do you want them to hear? How often will you talk about it? The difference between daughters and sons? Will your husband mostly do the talking to sons? I grew up having standards for myself (by the grace of God), my parents never instilled those values or had any talks with me about saving sex until marriage. I just knew it was something very important to me. Fast forward to having 2 young kids now that will one day date is pretty overwhelming to me. I don't know HOW to talk about it with them. 1 girl, 1 boy.
You are right that when you wait for things like hand holding, hugging, kissing, etc.. it is so much more sweet! I didn't have any role models for this as a teen so I'm so happy you guys are on here sharing this message that young girls or anyone can look up to! I WISH I had this as a teen. I have so many regrets and had to learn things the hard way. The only upside is that I can share it with my children and hope they learn from my mistakes. Keep up these wonderful videos! I'd love it in Podcast form. Then you could bring on other women in your community for Q&As
I was not raised this way, I was raised Catholic Italian, switched to Christian on my own around 22. I definitely live a more Mennonite lifestyle only, sadly, I can’t have children. I adore these videos and your family style. Thank you guys for allowing me to live vicariously through these videos!💕
Sometimes God answers prayers in different ways -- I don't have children of my own, but it allowed me to be involved with other children through church groups and family. And, if there was internet when I was younger, I may have known more about being a Big Sister (or similar) or if times were different, adopted as a single mom.
Megan, you don't sound weird at all! I'm not a Mennonite, just a Christian who believes the Bible to be the word of God! And my experience is very similar to yours: i'm a pastor's wife with God-honoring goals for all relationships and life. I'm a younger sibling (the 4th child out of 5), but I'm glad you talked about your accountability to your younger siblings in how you behaved while dating! I watch your "every day life" videos, but i'm new to your "honey i'm homemaker" series. I watched a new one last night, and really appreciate you calling out Halloween as an evil holiday, not to be participated in. So many professing Christians don't realize the dangers of it, and people think i'm crazy for my views on it!
Good morning ladies! From Ontario 🇨🇦 Canada. I never miss an episode of Megan fox unlocked & now Honey I’m Homemaker. I am a “Gamma” to five littles and a mother of two friends sons. I find ALL your content amazing no matter what subject you chose to speak on. Love how ethnic, loving, honest, and dedicated you are to your beautiful family. As Christian’s I can appreciate your love and dedication to our Heavenly Father as well. Lovely to meet you as well Jayna (hope I spelt that correct) You are JUST as lovely as your cousin and very similar in many ways as well as looking like “sisters”💖🙏🏻 Hubby and I are celebrating 40 years of marriage next may and my dream has always been to come to Amish and Mennonite country in Lancaster. Would love recommendation to a few videos that show the city and area well… We are country folks who live on 20 acres of land and grow a vast majority of our food, so cities don’t excite us however yours seem easy to navigate . And campgrounds in your area that would be open first week of May… Blessings to you both! Can’t wait for more chats!! And would be a dream of mine to meet you alll🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thanks! I really needed this. We are a Christian family & are wanting to do dating a little different than when we grew up more along this style. Thank you for sharing the particulars. Can you recommend any books for parents or teenagers in “courtship-style dating”?
Even if you could go back and not make certain choices, you would have made other “mistakes.” I really enjoyed this chat. You are both lovely young women., and I know your families are proud of you.
Dating as a teen is one subject - but I was widowed at age 30 and , believe me, dating as an adult is something else completely. Very very difficult time. Most of the men I met were just ugly( I'm not talking about their looks) people - which would be why they were in their 30's or 40's and still single, I think. Finally an old, old friend who had moved away for his job, moved back to town . He called me when a guy who was a close friend of his but much less a friend of mine passed away after a long illness, to ask if I wanted to ride with him to the funeral. I wasn't planning to go to the funeral but I got the impression he didn't want to go alone, so I said OK. We rekindled our friendship and that grew into dating which was mostly going to events & parties hosted by mutual friends. Anyway, we ended up getting married and have been married 40 years now.
Beautiful story Virginia.....
What a lovely story. I’ve always believed that friendship is the best base for love.
I was going to say the same thing, Gayle.
Love your story. I can relate.
Try dating again at 58. Most men lie about their marital status it’s common for them to say they are widowers without children when in fact they are and do. It’s actually quite disgusting. I’m a Christian who doesn’t drink or smoke or believe in pre marital sex for myself and most men my age just want a romp in the hay and call it a day . I’m not interested in that and if they don’t like my belief system they can head on down the road as I answer to God and nobody else .
Although I am not from the Mennonite culture but I was raised in a more conservative Christian community and we hold so many of the same values! my husband and I did not kiss until our wedding day at the altar and I will never regret that decision to hold ourselves until we got married! what a blessing it is to stay pure in mind and body! I love listening to you and Jayna talk! I never would have imagined that I would have so much in common with the Mennonites ! 😅Keep these episodes coming! ❤️
There’s a holy GOD in Heaven, Who created you and I for His glory, but our sins have separated us from Him. the wages of sin is DEATH, but the FREE Gift of GOD is eternal life in CHRIST the LORD. CHRIST died for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. repent, stop living in sin, and believe in the Gospel.
That's cool, respect your community and values, not religious at all, more spiritual but it's nice to see how other people do things, that's a nice thing to wait 😊
Aw, Megan! You brought me to tears when you talked about your boundaries and lines drawn in the sand. How wonderful our world would be if there were more young people like you! I deeply appreciate your Christian values. I am not a Mennonite, but I was raised with a very similar background as far as holiness and abstaining from the world, etc. The older I get, the more grateful to God I am for my parents and the Godly upbringing they provided me with. We are so blessed to have those values instilled in us and ingrained in our nature. I so appreciate you and Jayna and enjoy your chats. May the Lord keep you always near His side and determined to live out your faith, no matter who compromises around you. Sending love and blessings to both of you today!
Growing up in a conservative, Bible believing Christian, home/"culture" (though not mennonite) and it sounds pretty much the same as what you've described. So nothing seems abnormal at all! Maybe not as Mennonite-specific as you might think! Thanks for sharing your time and hearts, ladies!
"It is what it is, mistakes and not, God can use it" -Jayna
Love this!
Thanks for watching!
Would be fun to hear Josh and Jayna’s husbands side now
I am 61 and I became a Christian when I was 22 and my upbringing was very different than yours. You girls have such a precious gift in being raised in godly homes. And I love that you talk about these things. I hope that every young girl out there who listens to your channel will see the wisdom in the things you are saying. xox
May I say, I truly enjoy the Monday sessions, but the best is how confident Jayna is now infront of the camera. Jayna you have a great personality, so much fun to listen to your views on topics. I enjoy Megans channel very much and see why you guys get along so well👍🏻
I am currently raising a teen girl and I’m an brutal with her about being physical as a teenager. Many of her friends are way too physical because their parents are not talking to them about the realities of life. This video is perfect timing because I feel so many teens are thrown to the wolves without parents being honest about things. Thank you for being so frank about this topic.
Brutality will never teach a child anything
@@swampophelia2098 when I say brutal maybe I should use the word realistic. Realistic about how the world works and what being physical too early in your life can lead too.
Hey Megan, I'm a traditional Catholic and have followed your channel for a while! I am getting married this fall, and we had our first kiss when we got engaged last Christmas (2021). Thank you for sharing your stories and helping me to be comfortable with our relationship timeline. Keep up these awesome chats! I love listening to them at work :)
Do you even know how much this is needed in our society? Thank you so much for being so real and sharing such personal insights. I can't say enough of how much I appreciate you both.
Jayna is beautiful inside and out! So natural in front of the camera and no fakeness. So refreshing!
Back in my day (1966-1969), dating was a terrible thing to have to go through. Marriage wasn't any better. To make a long story short, I ended up raising two children alone. I did not have time to date while raising two children, house keeping, cooking, cleaning, working outside the home for a living, and earning a degree as a full time student at a University (all at the same time). Now I'm old. I have gotten used to being alone. I'm very happy that you both have healthy, happy marriages and families. You are blessed.
I love Jaynas honesty and being so real with her story ❤️
Thanks! ❤️
I love how unapologetic Jayna is. Truly inspiring.
This is really the first honey I’m homemaker episode that I watch through.. mainly because I am 50, I raised my kids and now have 2 (almost 3😃) granddaughters.. so I’m not in the same stages as you guys.. but this one is just so interesting
I’m the same
I just turned 58. I've been married 32 years and hubby and I have a 30 year old son with Autism who will continue to live with us (he has his bedroom and our 3rd bedroom is his mancave). I absolutely love watching Megan and her precious family. I also love their Christian values.
I needed this 16 years ago! Hope lots of young ladies find this helpful.
Same.
This was so interesting! I started dating my husband when I was 16 and I’m 26 now, neither come from religious families, but I had reeeeally strict rules about curfews! I love that you talked about boundaries and not settling for men who don’t give you total respect!
Eastern European conservative Christian here and things were very similar in our culture to what you're describing. My curfew was 10pm (the strictest among my friends). He could stay over until 11 but never later. One time he brought me home closer to 11 and my dad put the fear of God in him. It NEVER happened again🙈poor guy... it was my fault we were late. We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last month. ❤️
I enjoy hearing your stories! It's so nice hearing the similarities as cousins. My family is big and there are a lot of cousins and it's nice to hear you share your stories.
I had a saying that "we kissed like our plane was going down". Somehow it was still very innocent. We never thought beyond kissing. I'm glad I had that "first love" experience. It wasn't my only relationship growing up before marriage. So, that is one thing I really appreciate about the Mennonite culture. You don't date casually.
Thank you so much for these videos! I grew up in a pretty dysfunctional home. But I knew from a young age that I didn't want that. I became a Christian at the age of 24 and I was happy being single. I met my husband at 28 and we did some mission work with our church in Ecuador and Alex and I were friends but as we served together with some of our friends I saw him in a different way. We got back from our trip and he asked me out. We got engaged six months from our first date and married a month later. We never dated anyone else. It was meant to be that we are together. We have been married for almost four years and we have a baby girl! Ladies it is worth saving yourself, I am so thankful that we did. It makes everything so special.
Question for Q&A: Meghan, you mentioned that Josh and you decided choosing a completely different church than either of your parents. I was just wondering if this is a big deal or something common that people change churches that easily? What are the differences between the churches? And how does such changes impact community life? Sorry, not that familiar with US or Mennonite churches. Thank you. Always a pleasure spending time with you and learning something new. Greetings from Germany.
I love watching these episodes where you talk about your Mennonite culture! I grew up in a fairly conservative baptist culture thinking that mennonites were WAY more conservative than we were. From what you’re saying it seems like for the most part we’re about the same, just more conservative or relaxed in different areas.
:D Excited to listen to this. I'm getting married in October of this year so I enjoy hearing about people's love stories. Hope everyone's having a good week!
Ah congrats! Thanks for watching!
I loved listening to this while sewing! I’d enjoy hearing what traditions you have made for your own little families when it comes to Christmas, other holidays, birthdays, etc. Don’t stop making these videos anytime soon! I need good quality stuff to listen to and y’all are so refreshing and fun. 😊
That rule about laying down is SO good!
Loved hearing all about Mennonite dating and marriage💕
My hubby asked me on one official would you go out with me date, then after that we were inseparable during all our waking hours - worked together, went to college together, spent all free time talking in phone or being together - haha 😀. Got married 4 days short of the first anniversary of our first date 💍💘
Wow! Whirl wind dating story!
Yes! I was so excited when this popped up in my feed. It was the soothing and juicy girl talk I needed in my day. Your honesty is refreshing and very appreciated. I grew up in neighboring New Jersey and would often take day trips to Lancaster during summer weekends. Your episode made me feel close to home. Also, you’ve made me think about the type of rules I’d like my kids to follow when they hit the dating age. God bless you ladies! ❤️
This is so interesting!!! I'm currently dating!! I like that its something practical to us younger girls!(p.s. I'm 19) I can TOTALLY relate to janna!! We have been together for almost a year but only technically dating since June!! And yes the curfews 🤣🤣 but I just have to trust my parents! They know what's best! Even tho sometimes I don't like it🤣
I’m So EXCITED for these episodes!! i’ll be watching now while my toddler naps and i fold laundry! thanks for making my day even better!!! 💜🙏💜🙏💜🙏💜🙏💜
I hope we can make folding laundry more enjoyable for you :) thanks for being here!
Haha,I'm folding laundry while my kids nap and I'm listening to this😄
When do woman move out of the house? It sounds like a lot of you don't start dating until 18 but are not yet independent with your parents or housing at that age. Do most people live at home until they marry? What if they don't marry? Are there many single woman living on their own in the menonite community?
I would love to hear answers to these questions as well. I’m a 36 yo single Christian woman that moved out at 18 when i went to college and never lived with my parents again after that. Is this situation common in the Mennonite community?
LOL Jayna! My father said the same thing to me about not supporting me if I found myself barefoot and pregnant!
I love that Jayna seems to be a bit more open with certain topics. I think both of you have a lot of good things to teach to the young modern women of America. I know you try to play it safe but voices like yours are so needed in today's Godless world. Wish I had friends like you growing up who didn't shame me for being more traditional. I appreciate the conversations that you have about purity. As someone that is saving herself for marriage, there's some things that I've been unsure about such as kissing, touching each other, etc so it's good to hear some solid ground rules about it. Many of us did not have the fortune of growing up in a Christian community who upheld good moral values. Everything just seems to be so up in the air that it makes me anxious about what is good or bad in the eyes of God. God bless you both!
Well done, ladies! I really enjoyed this one. Your advice to younger girls was spot on! I was like Megan when it came to dating and my standards. We set our guidelines on our first date and didn’t cross them. Now I’m so glad we did it that way!
I love the idea of the "what made you feel..?"!! ☆♡☆
Jayna is great!
Awww thanks! Glad you're here!
Absolutely loved this, so refreshing! I would be so proud of both of you if I were your mum 🥰
I LOVE listening to you girls! I listen while I fold laundry or cook supper and always leave wanting to hear more. I have 3 young girls and 1 teenage son. I’m not looking forward to the dating years lol
I’m so excited to watch this! Dating is so important in marriage! ❤️
Very good advice and love hearing your dating to marriage stories! It’s hard making adult choices let alone making the choice of whom you want to date and then marry for life. You really need to make wise choices to avoid regrets later. Best advice you said was listen to the people closes to you about whom you are dating…Tfs 👍💕🙏😊
I hope this video reaches every young girl who is at this point in life. Actually, any woman of any age and belief that may be just researching dating in general. Your experiences and advice will lead them in a positive direction. Kudos to you both for sharing content in such a wholesome and respectful way!! Love love love your talks and look forward to the next one ❤️
I never grew up with all these guidelines. It is so interesting to hear what you did when dating. Thank You both so much for sharing❤
Unfortunately this episode was a little bit of a trigger for me. My husband's *Christian parents were not a fan of mine and tried to convince us to break up for the duration of our four year dating relationship. Others chimed in and told us we should "do the right thing" and listen to his parents. We made several mistakes during that time, however, staying together was not one of them as we felt we were following God's will for our life. I'm happy to say we've been married for thirteen years, together for seventeen, and have four beautiful children together. And sadly, we've had to part ways with his parents due to the amount of damage and division they caused us in our marriage.
*Christian- legalistic and spiritually abusive
I hear you Sophie. Not "triggering" for me, but I cringed a little when they gave the advice to listen to your parents. Unfortunately at such a young age, a person can't necessarily discern if their "godly" parents have ulterior motives. My story sounds like yours! My husband (whom I've been with now for 20 years) is amazing, an actual godly man, and it took years to unpack that my parents were pretty rotten people who only put on Christian faces when it served them. Much better without their "advice" anymore.
I am so sorry for you pain, Sophie. I feel it, too, and know exactly what you mean about being triggered. Unfortunately, there are so many who’ve had similar experiences... parents using God’s name to abuse their children, and then expressing no regret for the pain they caused. Without parents repentance, It doesn’t “get better with time”, so I pray that God will give you peace and a fresh sense of His love amidst difficult in laws.
Megan.... I would love to hear the unedited version of this chat.... maybe bloopers?
Hi Megan. I love your channel. I enjoy the music intro. You are so organized. You redeem the time. You are a planner. You value each day. Thank you for your energy, ideas, positivity. Your work ethics is admirable. I see more and more of good success coming your way. Thank you Megan you are smart beyond your years.
It is better to be more cautious than have regrets from crossing too many lines; Megan, you said you maybe wouldn't have needed to be so careful - I can't think of much to regret for being that way, so good for you! I just imagine someone hearing you say you felt like you were more careful than you needed to be and then relaxing too much from internalizing that, so be more like Megan than too relaxed. 😊 This is a really great chat for young girls, thanks for putting it out!!
These chats are just so great and such a breath of fresh air! Thanks for sharing! ❤️
Would you all ever consider doing a video on things you appreciate your parents doing as kids/teenagers. Or made your relationship stronger with them. And things you would do differently now that you’re a parent yourself? Mom of 3 girls same ages as Megan’s little ones 🙂
So much wisdom here! Having 7 kids from 13-30, this is so timely as we're in the thick of this with them.
Not a Mennonite, but I think one thing I would say to Jayna to not beat herself up over regrets of things she wishes she didn’t do. Because honestly, it can be a lot worse to NOT do some of the things that are crucial. Have difficult conversations. Meet each other’s families. Talk about your faith. Pray for each other, if that’s important in your faith. Go through a challenge together so you know how the other person acts under stress/duress. So if you did all of those things, at the “expense” of perhaps having one sofa cuddle that should have been a little more supervised than it was, but now you have a strong, loving, faithful marriage - I think that’s worth it. It’s always a balancing act, and it sounds like overall you both struck a good balance between building trust and intimacy during your dating and engagement but maintaining the standards that are important to you.
For this reason I’m actually not a big fan of the more evangelical chaperone system where all conversations including text messages and phone calls are monitored. I honestly think it prevents couples from being properly honest with each other. Who can talk freely about for example mistakes their parents made and how you want to raise your kids in the future WHILE your parents are at the table with you?
The approach you both had where guidelines are agreed, and the couple works out what steps they need to take to follow them seems more sensible in my eyes.
Wish you all the best 🥰
Loved this episode and Jayna seems so much more comfortable now. You guys are so fun to watch, I always learn something!
I'm glad to hear that! Thanks for watching!
I really admired Jayna's honesty here. Thank you for sharing your stories.
Hey girls!
Enjoyed your chat. Refreshing honesty here ! My culture is also Mennonite. Back when I was in my teens, we girls "A" hugged our guy friends. We had a great bunch of guys to hang around. Later as we got older, we went to a handshake 🤷♀️
Also a Mennonite (but a different 'tribe'.- different clothes,covering was black etc) and so many things I can relate to.
We never labeled ourselves Christians but just more so Mennonites. Fearfully trying to keep up with the rules.
I found Jesus when I moved to another country with my sister and her hubby.
And everything looked different after that. Going back home was even hard because there it were rules rather than the true gospel.
Mennonites, as Megan mentiones, all come with their own story.
MENNONITE doesn't necessarily even mean they know Jesus.
So true
To be fair Megan makes that very clear in earlier videos i.e. they are Christians but not all Mennonites are.
Yes. I found Christ in a truly redemptive way AFTER leaving the Mennonite culture.
Listening to/watching this as I prepare steak kabobs for dinner using your recipe from last week's video 😊 I can relate with Megan about the big sister 'thing'..and would highly encourage young girls to go by Holy Spirit instead🤎
Thanks so much for sharing! Did Josh Attend any high school or was he like an apprentice in construction right away? I was surprised you said that because he is so articulate and business savvy- in construction and your rentals. I think that great!
Or homeschool maybe?
Lol! Manuring out the vehicle?!😂 This is a new phrase one for me. 😂
I just love listening to you both! I hope you keep doing these chats.
This was SO SO amazing!! I am praying that any many girls will find this and feel so encouraged to do this well!
We also waited until we got married. Now I was 27 and he was 24. We didn't date long (long distance) and were not engaged long lol
The wedding Night is so special 😄
Yes, Having our parents Blessing meant everything to us! So important!
Thanks so much for this video and for sharing your stories! I really related to what Jayna shared about being ready to get married and not being able to get married yet! We dated 4 years and have been married 14, and we both still say how glad we are to be married and not stuck dating anymore!
Yesss dating is fun but there comes a time to move on 😀
I REALLY liked this chat. Thank you, it was very interesting!
I love these episodes! Thank you for the time and effort you put in them. ❤️ Hello from Prague! :)
Glad to hear you to talk. Even if people have different opinions just watching how excited you are still about those times makes it wonderful
Thanks for watching ❤️
You will be dreaming about how much fun you had when your kids were young when you get to be 50 60 years old . Thanks for your discussion it was great.
I just wanted to thank Jana for being honest about her journey. I hope you give yourself grace and any adult person can understand why waiting so many years is difficult - even though it was probably a good idea to postpone marriage until you were adults.
I say that all the time "nothing good happens after midnight"🤣
I love that you were close to your dad!! Thanks for sharing
Very interesting to a non-christian Swede who lived together with her husband for three years before getting married 😁
Everyone's story is different! Im glad you're here!
I have something to maybe add to your next vlog. I'm from Australia and we don't have any mennonite or amish cultures here but something I've noticed through your and Lynette Yoders vlogs is that you guys work hard.
You don't seem to have too many relaxing times where you'll watch a movie on Netflix.
I think here in Australia we have a relaxed lifestyle for the most part especially in summer.
Is it a thing that you are brought up to be productive every minute.
I have noticed that you do host a lot but you still work like crazy before hand.
I'd love to hear what you think about that.
Heather from down under
I am a 68 year old woman, raised in a moderately catholic family, and I am amazed at how you two young moms are so wise............your advice is great..........I hope my grandchildren listen to this.........well done ladies, you both should be proud.
You two young women are amazing. You both have so much to offer your viewers. Great chat!
Notification gang! I am sure I am going to enjoy watching this video. Love from Zimbabwe.
Fellow Zimbabwean here as well. Hello!!!
Hey dear, this channel sure has great content
I love the Cranberry Kombucha you had in the beginning. It's one of my all time favorites!
I love listening to your ladies very interesting keep up the good work you'll have an awesome week
So nice to listen to you both. Keep doing this..do a few more close-ups. Been v i interesting reading other peoples comments!! I met my husba nd at 17 just before i left Australia for a year in your country as an exchange student. I knew id marry him when i first met him! 48 yrs later..here we are as grandparents !! He's a special man & companion...
I loved this video. Thank you for sharing! So many good points. I was not raised Mennonite, but a strict Christian, so many of the same values! I was an only child, so my influence was.... wanting to make my parents proud, would never want to disappoint my Dad!!! I was SO close to Dad, and he was the one I talked to most, but definitely my Mom as well. I loved your point too, if others are saying or warning you about someone.... take heed!!!!!! I've seen this too many times, you think you will change this person, or you will bring out another side of them? NOPE .... you will not!!! Great videos ladies! Love from Northern Minnesota
Thank you Ladies another great show. I want to add my dad never went to high school and ran a very successful Masonry company. 🙂
You two are great together. Very well balanced views - not always the same but that makes it so interesting. Thank you!
Great advice for my teenage girls. I love your chemistry. So fun to watch THank you!!!
I've never thought of equal growth in body, mind, and spirit. Excellent recommendation.
Your stories are so sweet wish all young people would go slow with there relationships and let them develope over time I married my High School sweetheart 43 years ago when I was 21
I LOVED THIS!!! AND YOU ARE BOTH AN AMAZING EXAMPLE TO WHAT OUR YOUNG KIDS NEED TODAY. GOD BLESS
Megan's story of needing to keep changing position on the blanket outside cracked me up🤣 But I get it. Josh Harris books were a thing in my day. Are they still? Maybe a little radical but not all bad. Really enjoyed hearing both your stories! I like how your relationship with your dad mattered to you, Jayna, and I pray it can be that way for my girls too, some far away day(anyway I hope it's far away😉) Also, that you cared about the example you were leaving for your siblings, Megan.
At work the other day, I was giving out samples of Kombuscha. I had to warn them that there is a very slight amount of alcohol in it but not enough to be considered an alcoholic beverage.
Interesting our dating story was very similar and like Megan said the wedding night is/was a big deal...we both went into the marriage believing marriage is for life and now empty nesters it just gets better...and to have taught and see your children with the same ideals is a gift from God... am sure your parents could attest to that with you guys.
My grandsons and I call it “The Interview” I ask them feeling and opinion questions. We all love it.
Such a fun chat! I am fortunate in that my first boyfriend became my husband :) We met in college and got married after graduation almost 13 years ago.
Thanks for the episode! Mennonite dating may sound weird and too conservative to other people, but for me as a muslim it doesn't at all. Islam gives so much value to women, a guy is not allowed to touch his fiance until they get married, not even shaking hands. I just love that about Islam and I'm so thankful for it alhamdulillah. Also, I love how Megan put rules and vowed to respect them during her two years of dating, it's sooo hard to stick to rules when love is in the air! I think that is so brave and responsible of her. May Allah guide us all to his right path❤
Question for another vodeo: how do you picture conversations with your kids about dating? What do you want them to hear? How often will you talk about it? The difference between daughters and sons? Will your husband mostly do the talking to sons? I grew up having standards for myself (by the grace of God), my parents never instilled those values or had any talks with me about saving sex until marriage. I just knew it was something very important to me. Fast forward to having 2 young kids now that will one day date is pretty overwhelming to me. I don't know HOW to talk about it with them. 1 girl, 1 boy.
These are my favorite videos on your channel! I love listening to y'all interact!
So glad you enjoy them!
Glad you like them!
Very interesting. Loving this series! Thanks for sharing your stories ❤️
You are right that when you wait for things like hand holding, hugging, kissing, etc.. it is so much more sweet! I didn't have any role models for this as a teen so I'm so happy you guys are on here sharing this message that young girls or anyone can look up to! I WISH I had this as a teen. I have so many regrets and had to learn things the hard way. The only upside is that I can share it with my children and hope they learn from my mistakes. Keep up these wonderful videos! I'd love it in Podcast form. Then you could bring on other women in your community for Q&As
I was not raised this way, I was raised Catholic Italian, switched to Christian on my own around 22. I definitely live a more Mennonite lifestyle only, sadly, I can’t have children. I adore these videos and your family style. Thank you guys for allowing me to live vicariously through these videos!💕
You will be in my prayers! Catholics are Christians btw xo
@@haneenelsayed3444 yes, few small differences but you are absolutely correct. Thank you for your prayers🙏💕
Sometimes God answers prayers in different ways -- I don't have children of my own, but it allowed me to be involved with other children through church groups and family. And, if there was internet when I was younger, I may have known more about being a Big Sister (or similar) or if times were different, adopted as a single mom.
@@emmib1388 💕🙏💕
The GT's Cosmic cranberry is so nasty!😂😂😂 You guys have to try the "Golden pineapple" one! THAT one is good! The watermelon one is alright, too.
Growing up at the dinner table our parents would ask our favorite part of the day was.and it is a favorite memory of all of ours!
We do the basket thing too! Sometimes I let it sit for a week before sorting it though. 🤦♀️🤣
ahhhh! Yes, the procrastination!
Megan, you don't sound weird at all! I'm not a Mennonite, just a Christian who believes the Bible to be the word of God! And my experience is very similar to yours: i'm a pastor's wife with God-honoring goals for all relationships and life. I'm a younger sibling (the 4th child out of 5), but I'm glad you talked about your accountability to your younger siblings in how you behaved while dating!
I watch your "every day life" videos, but i'm new to your "honey i'm homemaker" series. I watched a new one last night, and really appreciate you calling out Halloween as an evil holiday, not to be participated in. So many professing Christians don't realize the dangers of it, and people think i'm crazy for my views on it!
Thank you both for sharing this!!! Love watching your videos please keep making these
Good morning ladies! From Ontario 🇨🇦 Canada.
I never miss an episode of Megan fox unlocked & now Honey I’m Homemaker.
I am a “Gamma” to five littles and a mother of two friends sons.
I find ALL your content amazing no matter what subject you chose to speak on. Love how ethnic, loving, honest, and dedicated you are to your beautiful family.
As Christian’s I can appreciate your love and dedication to our Heavenly Father as well.
Lovely to meet you as well Jayna (hope I spelt that correct)
You are JUST as lovely as your cousin and very similar in many ways as well as looking like “sisters”💖🙏🏻
Hubby and I are celebrating 40 years of marriage next may and my dream has always been to come to Amish and Mennonite country in Lancaster.
Would love recommendation to a few videos that show the city and area well…
We are country folks who live on 20 acres of land and grow a vast majority of our food, so cities don’t excite us however yours seem easy to navigate .
And campgrounds in your area that would be open first week of
May…
Blessings to you both!
Can’t wait for more chats!!
And would be a dream of mine to meet you alll🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thanks! I really needed this. We are a Christian family & are wanting to do dating a little different than when we grew up more along this style. Thank you for sharing the particulars. Can you recommend any books for parents or teenagers in “courtship-style dating”?
Even if you could go back and not make certain choices, you would have made other “mistakes.” I really enjoyed this chat. You are both lovely young women., and I know your families are proud of you.
LOVE LOVE LOVE MEGAN & JAYNA 🙌🎀