Brave Parenting

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 162: The Problem With Music Aug 14, 2024

Show notes

In today’s episode, we discuss the norm of listening to music all day long and through earbuds/airpods. Is there such a thing as too much music? How does music impact someone’s mood? What about shutting the world out through airpods – is that healthy? And most importantly, what does Scripture have to say about music, its purpose, and its function in our lives?

**Brave Parenting will be at the Women in Apologetics (WIA) Conference in Nashville, TN, Sept 13-14, and we have a ticket to giveaway!! If you are interested in attending, sign up HERE to win!

Articles Referenced:

Can Too Much Music Be Bad For Your Mental Health?
Why I’m Taking a 30-Day Break From Music
The Harmful Side of Music: Understanding the effects of rumination on adolescent mental health
Does Music Affect Your Mood?
Music Use for Mood Regulation: Self-Awareness and Conscious Listening Choices in Young People With Tendencies to Depression
Is Music Addiction Possible? Here’s What To Know
Do We Listen to Too Much Music?
Earbuds, Hearing Loss, and Social Isolation
The Lonely World of Earbuds
It’s hard to find a person not wearing headphones in San Fransisco
Headphones Everywhere

Scripture Referenced:

1 Sam 16:23
Deut 6:4-5
Deut 18:15
Matt 17:5
Psalm 81:8
John 10:27
Psalm 46:10
1 Kings 19
Exodus 14:14
Matt 11:28-30
Phil 4:6-7
1 Pet 5:7
Psalm 92
Col 3:16
Eph 5:18-19
James 5:20

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Ep. 161: Is Ms. Rachel Early Childhood Education? Jul 26, 2024

Show notes

We have heard many parents refer to YouTube content, such as Ms. Rachel, as “early childhood education.” Parents tell us how much their babies and toddlers love watching Ms. Rachel (and shows like Cocomelon). In this episode, we address this common trend of infant and toddler screen time with what both science and the Bible have to say about it.

Articles referenced:

JAMA: Screen Time at Age 1 Year and Communication and Problem-Solving Developmental Delay at 2 and 4 Years

Scripture referenced:

Phil 2:3-15

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Ep. 160: The Case for Banning Phones in Schools Part 3 Jul 17, 2024

Show notes

In the final week of our apologetic (defense) on why phones should be banned in schools (from the first bell to the last), we look at the justification that kids need phones because of “mass shootings” in schools. Kelly unpacks a greater threat that students face every day – one that gives far greater credence to school-wide phone bans.

Articles referenced:

California Joins Growing National Effort to Ban Smartphones Use in Schools
This Florida School District Banned Cellphones. Here’s What Happened.
How a Connecticut middle school won the battle against cellphones
School Cellphone Bans Gain Steam as Los Angeles Unified Signs On
Schools don’t want kids on cellphones. Is banning them the solution?
Alberta to ban cellphones in K-12 classrooms starting in fall
Smartphones are Damaging Our Kids
Will the Phone-Free Movement Work?
How Schools Can Help End the Phone-based Childhood
Cell Phones and Text messaging in schools
School Shooter Database from the Washington Post
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National Center on Sexual Exploitation

Scripture Referenced:

Phil. 4:4-18
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

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Ep. 159: The Case for Banning Phones in Schools (Part 2) Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

This week, we continue our apologetic (defense) on why phones should be banned in schools – not just during class instructional time, but from the first bell to the last bell! In part 2, Kelly provides a counterargument for the common defense made for keeping phones in the classroom, hallways, and cafeteria: “Students need to learn proper use.”

Articles referenced:

Scripture Referenced:

Jeremiah 17:9
Mark 7:21-23

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the book: Managing Media Creating Character

Check out the Pinwheel phone – it’s our favorite not-as-smart kid-safe smartphone on the market.

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Ep. 158: The Case for Banning Phones in Schools Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

This week, we are laying out the case for banning phones in schools – not just during class instructional time, but bell-to-bell! Several states are now legislating policies requiring this, but not all parents (or students) are in full support. In part 1, Kelly lays out where the movement is headed and identifies the largest hindrance to school districts putting bans in place.

Articles referenced:

Scripture Referenced:

James 3:5-12

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the book: Managing Media Creating Character

Check out the Pinwheel phone – it’s our favorite not-as-smart kid-safe smartphone on the market.

Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s new without social media – a win for everyone!

Ep. 157: Surgeon General Warning for Social Media Harms Jun 22, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Kelly talks about the U.S. Surgeon General’s opinion piece in the New York Times, calling for government warning labels for social media. Dr. Vivek Murthy points to the need for adolescents and parents to understand the risk, but this should be a warning label for all of society! Kelly expounds on 2 Cor. 6:14-17 as a call for Christians of all ages to reconsider their partnership with social media and their witness to the watching world.

Articles referenced:

Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling For a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms
What a Social Media Warning Label Can’t Do
The Surgeon General Proposed Warning Labels On Social Media For Teens, And Experts Have Thoughts
Big News: The Surgeon General Calls for a Warning Label on Social Media

Scripture referenced:

1 Peter 1:14-16
2 Cor. 6:14-17
Eph 2:1-2
1 Peter 5:8

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the book: Managing Media Creating Character

Check out the Pinwheel phone – it’s our favorite not-as-smart kid-safe smartphone on the market.

Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s new without social media – a win for everyone!

Ep. 156: Internet to the Ends of the Earth Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

This week, we are discussing the recent New York Times article “The Internet’s Final Frontier: Remote Amazon Tribes.” After the internet was introduced to the Indigenous people in September, the members of the tribe had to grapple with the same ills American parents have been plagued with for fifteen years. Their story provides an object lesson for Christian parents on the importance of delaying access to the internet/smartphones/social media/games for the purpose of discipleship.

Scripture referenced:

Matthew 4:1-10
Matthew 28: 19-20

Phone Free Friday Challenge – sign up with this link

Brave Parenting Guide to Old School Summers

Books referenced:

Christian Heroes: Then and Now
The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the book: Managing Media Creating Character

Check out the Pinwheel phone – it’s our favorite not-as-smart kid-safe smartphone on the market.

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Ep. 155: Pride in Children’s Media Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s episode, Kelly interviews Kenzie Cates, a recent high school graduate who completed a senior research thesis on lgbtq content in children’s media and entertainment. How much content is out there in children’s media? Is it blatant or is it so subtle it would be overlooked by children? What is the motivation for promoting lgbtq to children? And, of course, why does it matter for Christian parents, and what can they do?

References:

Daily Wire’s subscription-based Children’s Media: Bentkey
Common Sense Media celebrating pride in children’s media
Business Indsider’s database of lgbtq characters and growth tracking in media

Scripture references:

Genesis 1:27-28
Matthew 19:4-6
Romans 1:18-32
Leviticus 18:22

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the book: Managing Media Creating Character

Check out the Pinwheel phone – it’s our favorite not-as-smart kid-safe smartphone on the market.

Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s new without social media – a win for everyone!

Ep. 154: The Case for the DVD Player May 30, 2024

Show notes

In today’s episode, Kelly and Chelsea offer a practical case for embracing the DVD player as an alternative to personal screens and media consumption. The technology may seem antiquated, but it is not obsolete and can provide families with much-needed sanity for summer screen time!

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the book: Managing Media Creating Character

Check out the Pinwheel phone – it’s our favorite not-as-smart kid-safe smartphone on the market.

Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s new without social media – a win for everyone!

Ep. 153: I’ve Changed My Mind About Snapchat May 23, 2024

Show notes

In today’s episode, Kelly unpacks her most recent conclusions about Snapchat. For years, she has maintained that Snapchat was the worst social media platform for teens. Is Snapchat still the worst – or has it been dethroned?

Related episodes:

Ep. 133: Constant Companion

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the book: Managing Media Creating Character

Check out the Pinwheel phone – it’s our favorite not-as-smart kid-safe smartphone on the market.

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