Brave Parenting

Today, we talk about the connection between sleep (or lack thereof), screens, and spiritual apathy. Kelly walks through five ways screens contribute to sleep deprivation and how children and teens who are sleep deprived are more likely to experience poor mental health, among other negative outcomes. More important for Christian parents is the spiritual apathy that arises in kids who are sleep-depr...

Before you start Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping for the latest and greatest tech gadgets, toys, and tools, it is important to have a biblical approach to gift-giving. In this episode, you’ll learn: The biblical nature of gift-giving and gift-receiving The call for Christians to give sacrificially What Scripture considers “good” gifts The top tech gifts promoted as “...

Snapchat released a digital safety course helping teens navigate the bullying, illicit drug activity, nude and intimate images, and sextortion found on their platform. Some may consider this altruistic, but it reveals a deeper problem with Snapchat’s very design. In this episode, Kelly walks through five points of contention with Snapchat’s design and the so-called “safety”...

Today, Kelly interviews Michelle Lazor of Mud Hen Mama. Michelle has ten biological children and a mission to provide books that support the biblical worldview for families. At Brave Parenting, we are so passionate about children reading – but not just any reading, it should be quality, enriching stories. That is what her website, Mud Hen Mama, provides: books vetted for Christian families....

In a world where Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon tailor everything “just for you,” convenience quietly and subtly reshapes our kids’ worldview, identity, and habits. In this 200th episode, Kelly & Ryan unpack how hyper-personalization works, why it feels so good, and where it becomes dangerous. From echo chambers to the illusion of control (and even AI-generated media), we explore the risks and o...

How are parents to handle their kids’ insatiable desire for more stuff? Today, Elizabeth Urbanowicz from Foundation Worldview is here to talk about how we fight consumerism in our family. This is an urgent issue, for if it isn’t corrected when they are young, consumerism and materialism are magnified during the teen years. From iPhones and airPods to every trending item they see online...

This week, Kelly responds to OpenAI’s decision to allow ChatGPT to create “erotic” content and Sam Altman’s defense to pushback against this decision, saying, “We are not the elected moral police of the world.” Kelly covers the Moral Argument for God and why God’s moral law is objective and universal. This decision is indicative of the future of AI. Sam Al...

Sora is a new short-form video social platform solely for AI-generated videos. In this episode, Kelly explains the app, its features, its dangers, and why parents have to keep kids off of this app!! That means you’ll have to restrict their access to the personal devices, the app stores, and the internet in general. It may seem like a high cost, but as Kelly discusses in the show, the cost of...

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 spiritual...

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,...

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 Gen...

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 B...

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 o...

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 k...

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 Par...

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.   Article...

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 t...

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 medi...

Today, Kelly is joined by Nathan, a Brave Parenting ambassador, parent, and internet security expert, to discuss the video gaming app TruPlay. This app offers Christian video games that the company promotes will nurture your child’s faith and teach them biblical wisdom. Those are strong claims, so we spent weeks researching every aspect of the app, playing the games, and watching the videos....

In this cultural update for Christian parents, Kelly examines the trend of Gen Z opting for dumb phones and embracing Blackberry phones. News outlets are reporting this but are teens and young adults actually getting tired of their iPhones and boldly embracing dumb phones? This sounds amazing….and totally too good to be true. Articles referenced: Gen Z is swapping their smartphones for this...

Today, we continue in our series of testimonies from those who have boldly decided to quit social media. Joining Kelly on the podcast is Lucy Staples. Lucy’s story is representative of many teens we have spoken to, whose parents restricted their social media use throughout most of high school. When Lucy was finally able to get Instagram and TikTok, she experienced what only wisdom and maturi...

In this episode, Kelly talks with Pearson Segina, a 23-year-old student pastor who felt the conviction by God to not just stay off Instagram, but to delete his account altogether. The faith and obedience of this young man will so inspire parents! Also in this episode: Is it possible to use social media to the glory of God? Youth Pastors on social media The importance of physical Bibles in the chur...

Today, Kelly and Chelsea speak with Reagan Rose from Redeeming Productivity about what he has learned and, more importantly, what he has gained from quitting social media. As someone who leads an online ministry, it seems counterintuitive for him to quit. Still, his reflections after one year reveal the beauty of what is possible for anyone who commits to leaving the social media sites for good. C...

Today’s episode continues the review of Common Sense Media’s 2025 Consensus: Media Use by Kids 0-8. This week, we are reviewing the parents’ concerns regarding media use. Kelly unpacks the reasons given for allowing screen time at these young ages and how the concerns parents reported in the survey do not seem to match the allowances given. This episode is so important as it high...

Today, we review Common Sense Media’s 2025 Consensus Report on Kids’ Media Use in ages 0-8 where they reveal that society’s youngest are consuming 2.5 hours of media every day. We talked about this briefly in Tablets Are Taking Over Toddlerhood, but in this podcast, Kelly reviews several of the report’s key findings and examines them through the lens of scripture and parent...