Brave Parenting

Generation Z teens are at the prime age for babysitting. Many parents of young children, however, are concerned about Gen Z’s character and screen time habits. In this episode we interview Dinah Hutson of Hutson Nannies to gain insight on what standards and boundaries hiring parents must establish. Additionally we look at how parents of teens can promote character, balanced screen time and i...

Whisper is an anonymous app allowing users to post their secrets, thoughts, and questions online without identifying themselves. Despite its 17+ rating there are lots of younger teens using this app. We’ll give you the inside scoop on whether Whisper is appropriate and worthwhile.

It’s easy to choose the convenience of a screen to entertain a young child and not realize – or recognize – the impact on the child’s speech and language development. In this episode we talk to speech pathologist, Marie Bowers, about this topic and cover ways that parents can make intentional choices to avoid delays or deficits in speech and language. You’ll be surpri...

Episode is a popular role-playing app that lets the reader direct the story. Aimed mainly at girls 13 and older – is this app worthwhile? We look into the nuances of the story telling platform to see if it depleted more than just time and money.

Messenger Kids is growing in popularity due to the social distancing and quarantine directives in place at the time of this recording. Owned and created by Facebook, many parents wonder if this messenging app is safe for their young kids to use. We’ll answer that question and give the details every parent needs to know about Messenger Kids.

YouTube is ingrained into the fiber of our kids lives – even our young kids know and crave YouTube! So is YouTube Kids a safer alternative? Is it worth setting up accounts for our kids here or just letting them use the standard YouTube. We’ll answer all these questions in this episode as we review the YouTube kids app and website.

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 crisis, children and parents finds themselves both working and schooling from home. In this episode we talk with long-time homeschool and work-from-home Mom, Chelsea Hezel, who will lead us how we can best adjust to our new roles at home.

TikTok has been at the #1 free app for nearly all of 2020 and as more kids join we learn more about its influence on culture and character. We cover the basics of the app as well as the controversies and what parents need to know before allowing the app on a child’s phone.

YouTube is a powerful force and influence in our children’s lives. In this episode we discuss the importance of ongoing conversations about YouTube with your children no matter what their age. We also review facts the YouTube Music app and whether or not YouTube music is the best streaming music app for your children to use.

Snapchat: so many nuances and potential issues/dangers with this app. In this episode we cover Snap’s announcement to roll out a mental health feature of the app. We also review the recently popular app Hoop., which serves as an adjunct app to Snapchat enabling Snap users to “meet new friends”.

Today, our teenage children’s culture tends to blend social media and social life together. Can one help improve the other – or – is one be a detriment to the other? These are important questions we’ll examine as we look at the IRL – Social Calendar app and discuss what it means to have a social life in a social media driven world.

Innovative ideas are springing up across the country as schools try to balance education and smartphones. Today, we highlight one principal in Iowa’s successful new ‘No Phones, New Friends Friday’ lunchtime tradition. Our app of focus is on AMINO and we’ll share a story from this past summer about one 10 year-old’s experience on Amino. We also discuss what it means to...

In this episode we discuss the app Houseparty, the new trend of OK Boomer, the character focus of Empathy, and the Common Sense Media 2019 Census.

This week are all about Facebook. The social media giant who boasts 2.7 billion users worldwide is regularly in the news and often in negative light. We’re going to take a look at recent news about paid political advertising and give you a refresh overview of the app. We’ll also focus on the virtue and value of discernment – especially when it comes to social media advertising.

Fortnite: The cultural phenomenon that has captivated millions of children and has frustrated an equal amount of parents. We talk about the details of the game (available for smartphone, PC, or game console) every parent needs to know. We also talk with Mike Jacobus of Reset Summer Camp, a month long gaming/internet addiction camp for teens.

In this week’s episode we talk about new research aiming to answer the question of which comes first: Depression or Dependency on a smartphone. With survey results showing average weekly allowances of $30 we look closer into family chores and earning money. We focus on the app and website Reddit and whether it’s appropriate for kids. Also, the character focus is on tolerance and how pa...

In this episode we discuss the App GroupMe, how to teach your children to be efficient, and the power of producing over consuming.

In this episode we dive into VSCO girls and the new celebrity-like thinking of today’s teens. Rightfully so, we discuss the virtue of self-confidence (especially when trying to resist a pop-culture trend like VSCO girls), and the photo-editing and sharing app VSCO. Finally, we talk about Vaping and how parents need to be brave!

In this episode we give our news, character, and app focus a 22 year-old perspective with our guest Evelyn Fernandez. We talk about the prevalence of unsolicited nudes and the difference between a “selfie” and a “posie”. We dive into what it means to be sensible online and Evelyn gives a behind the scenes look at the dating app Bumble.

In this episode, we discuss Olivia Jade being back in the news, the character trait of Educated, and Google Classroom: the pros, the cons, and how it is used.

In this episode we talk with Austin & Kate Mackintosh about their journey to becoming missionaries in Ireland while pregnant with triplets and how they used social media to connect with others around the world. To learn more about Austin & Kate Mackintosh: https://www.facebook.com/khmackintosh https://www.instagram.com/katemackintoshrn/ https://www.facebook.com/austin.mackintosh.5 https://...

In this episode we discuss YouTube ending private messages, high schools going phone free, VPN access and children, and access to porn and the consequences of the porn culture.

As technology advancements creep into every aspect of our life, it’s important to pause and consider what could be lost as we adapt. Technology isn’t bad but is it all beneficial – especially for our children growing up. We’ll look at the pros and cons of incorporating technology and media into classrooms, learning, reading, and home life.