Brave Parenting

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 196: Brave Parenting When Your Child Does the Unthinkable Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Every parent wants to believe “my child would never _________.” But what happens when your child does something unthinkable? What is our response when we find out? Recently, parents in Utah were faced with this devastating question. What we know about their response can serve as a valuable example for all parents.

In this podcast, Kelly discusses how parents can mentally and spiritually prepare themselves to respond to children’s unthinkable actions.

Articles referenced:

Time: Prosecutors Reveal Texts Sent By Charlie Kirk Suspect
‘Shock factor’: Washington County Sheriff describes taking Charlie Kirk shooting suspect into custody

Scripture referenced:

Ephesians 6:12
1 Samuel 2:12, 17, 22
1 Samuel 4:11-14
Jeremiah 17:9
Romans 3:10, 23
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Romans 1:32
James 1:22
1 Corinthians 10:13
Galatians 5:22
James 1:5

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated)

Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups.

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

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Ep. 195: Approved Technology for Children Under 12 Sep 28, 2025

Show notes

How much media & technology can you allow for young kids? If “zero” is impossible, how much and what kind of tech is good for kids to benefit from while avoiding harm? Kelly answers these questions by walking you through the types of media and technology that Brave Parenting approves of for kids under 12 years old. The five key rules for kids this age are: (1) No personal devices, (2) offline, (3) communal spaces, (4) parent present, (5) purpose-driven.

Check out our full guide to Brave Parenting Approved Tech Under 12

Scripture referenced:

Proverbs 22:6
Galatians 5:21-22

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated)

Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups.

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. 194: The Technology We Use For God’s Glory Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

Why does Brave Parenting not approve online platforms, games, and apps for kids? Are we anti-technology?

No, we’re not anti-technology at all; we’re just very discerning about what we use and are unapologetically pro-childhood. Our goal is to advance the kingdom of God by using media and technology for God’s glory.

Scripture referenced:

Ephesians 5:15-16
John 1:3
Hebrews 11:3
Genesis 1:28
James 1:17
1 Corinthians 6:12
1 Corinthians 10:31

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated)

Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups.

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. 193: Roblox: The False Gospel “Experience” (Part 2) Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

In this week’s episode, Kelly unpacks Roblox’s slogan, “Reimagining how people come together,” and how it reveals the platform’s ultimate goal for young people to spend their entire lives in the virtual world. It’s the techno-optimistic worldview on steroids.

BONUS DOWNLOADS:
Roblox Family Conversation Guide
Why We’re Saying No to Roblox
What it Means to Be Human: SCRIPTURE vs. ROBLOX

Articles referenced:

Roblox: Reimagining How People Come Together
Roblox: Dedicated to Building a Safer and More Civil Online World
Tech Talks: Update on our Safety Initiatives
Roblox: What We Announced at RDC 2023
Roblox: Introducing Party on Roblox
Roblox: Our Vision for the Roblox Economy
Roblox Announces Rewarded Video Ads, Partners with Google to Scale Immersive Advertising
Roblox Unlocks Next-Generation Commerce With In-Game Shopping for Physical Items
Roblox: Where Learning Happens
Roblox Launches Learning Hub to Spotlight Educational Experiences

Scripture referenced:

Genesis 1:27
Jeremiah 17:9
Ezekiel 36:26

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated)

Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups.

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. 192: Roblox: Dangerous by Design (Part 1) Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

Roblox is back in the news, and in this episode, we are reviewing what Roblox is (in case you don’t know) and why it’s facing so much backlash. They boast new parental controls and safety initiatives in the midst of legal cases alleging they neglected to protect children from predatory exploitation. Should parents trust Roblox to be a safe platform? Kelly walks through how the design of Roblox reveals a techno-optimistic worldview that opposes God’s Word and any effort a parent makes to protect their child on the platform.

Articles referenced:

National Center on Sexual Exploitation: Roblox, A Mainstream Contributor to Sexual Exploitation
Average Daily Time Spent by Children in the U.S. on Leading Apps
Louisiana AG sues Roblox, calling it ‘the perfect place for pedophiles
Lawsuit against Roblox alleges sexploitation of 10-year-old Michigan girl on platform
YouTube Video: What are experiences?
Tech Talks – An Update on Our Safety Initiatives
“Pedophile Hellscape for Kids”
Is Roblox Getting Worse?
Roblox, Take a Seat

Scripture referenced:

Hebrews 13:8
Isaiah 40:8
Psalm 119:89, 42:1
Genesis 1:27, 2:18
Ephesians 4:29
Proverbs 18:21
Matthew 12:34-36, 6:33
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7:14
2 Peter 2:19
Galatians 5:1
Romans 12:2

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated)

Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups.

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. 191: Children & Chatbots – A Biblical Perspective Aug 17, 2025

Show notes

AI chatbots promise “safe” learning, entertainment, and companionship, but how do these artificial agents distort childhood as God intended childhood?

In this episode, Kelly unpacks the worldview behind AI technology, contrasts it with biblical discipleship, and explains why children and chatbots are terrible playmates. Using the example of AngelQ, the children’s app offering a kid-safe chatbot for children to explore their curiosities, Kelly explains how apps like this fundamentally distorts human childhood.

Scripture referenced:

Hebrews 13:8
Ephesians 2:10
Genesis 2:18, 1:27
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Proverbs 1:8, 2:1, 3:21, 22:6
Ephesians 6:4
John 13:12-15
Proverbs 1:7
1 Corinthians 8:1
Psalm 13:1-2, 5-6
Ecclesiastes 1:8, 1:2
Romans 5:3-4

Get your tickets for the 2025 Women in Apologetics Conference, Sept 26-27 in Grapevine, Texas.
Use our discount code: EXC59

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated)

Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups.

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. 190: Is AngelQ a Safer Internet for Kids? Aug 10, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Kelly and Nathan discuss the pros and cons of the AngelQ app after 3 weeks of hands-on testing. AngelQ advertises itself as a kid-safe internet browser (“superbrowser”) through the use of an AI chatbot interface. While its safety is greater than anything else available, do its other features make the app a net benefit or a net loss for children?

Check out the Brave Parenting Guide to AngelQ on our website.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

References:

AngelQ website
AngelQ: Building a Better Digital Future for Our Children

Scripture references:

Ephesians 2:11

Check out the Foundation Worldview curriculum that Kelly & Nathan mention in the show!
Use PROMO CODE: BRAVE to save $10 on any curriculum purchase.

Book a Speaking Event!!

Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated)

Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups.

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!

AI in K-12 Education Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

AI tutors and personalized learning programs are poised to take over the classroom. With new partnerships between AI companies and teachers’ organizations, this is coming to public schools whether parents want it or not. Today, we’re restating the obvious reasons why AI does not have to be learned or used in elementary school and what you can do to ensure it isn’t.

Articles referenced:

The AI Industry is Funding A Massive AI Training Initiative for Teachers

Microsoft, OpenAI, and a US Teachers’ Union Are Hatching a Plan to ‘Bring AI Into the Classroom’

Apple ConnectED

WATCH the Brave Briefing on YouTube

GRAB your Brave Parenting Merch!

Get the newly published Managing Media Creating Character STUDY GUIDE & WORKBOOK!

Will Barbie & Thomas the Train Be Your Child’s new Chatbot Companion? Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

The largest toy manufacturer has just joined forces with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Mattel and OpenAI have not disclosed exactly what they will be creating. Still, considering Mattel’s history with Hello Barbie, it’s a likely guess that it’s a generative AI conversational toy, such as Barbie or Thomas the Train.

Parents must think critically and biblically before allowing their children to engage with any AI, especially in toys.

Articles referenced:

Barbie Gets ChatGPT: Why Parents Should Pay Attention
Child Welfare Experts Horrified by Mattel’s Plans to Add ChatGPT to Toys After Mental Health Concerns for Adult Users
Mattel and OpenAI have partnered up – here’s why parents should be concerned about AI in toys

WATCH the Brave Briefing on YouTube

GRAB your Brave Parenting Merch!

Get the newly published Managing Media Creating Character STUDY GUIDE & WORKBOOK!

#skinnytok Banned – But What Does That Mean? Jul 13, 2025

Show notes

TikTok has banned the popular hashtag #skinnytok from its platform due to being linked with “unhealthy weight loss content.” Does this mean TikTok cares about the content it hosts? Or is this just virtuous P.R. for them? Considering that similar hashtags are still popular, we can assume nothing has actually changed. Unrealistic beauty standards still pervade every corner of social media.

Teens who aren’t on social media platforms like TikTok are not exempt from the wildly influential dieting and restricted eating trends that saturate culture. While restricting your daughter’s access to such harmful content is important, there are other protective actions you can take that are often neglected.

Articles referenced:

TikTok Banned the “SkinnyTok” Hashtag. It’s Only a Matter of Time Until a New Insidious Diet Trend Replaces It
TikTok Just Blocked Search Results for ‘SkinnyTok’

WATCH the Brave Briefing on YouTube

GRAB your Brave Parenting Merch!

Get the newly published Managing Media Creating Character STUDY GUIDE & WORKBOOK!