Brave Parenting

Brave Parenting
  • 5.0 (37)
  • Parenting
  • Weekly

We are a network of brave parents who empower & equip others to intentionally develop & train children to have strong character & integrity. We believe brave parenting is doing the right thing even when it is hard. While it seems our children would rather be raised by the internet, the truth is they need strong and courageous parents who will invest in their character.

  1. 3d ago

    Ep. 245: Access is Not Ownership – The Subscription Economy & Its Impact on Kids

    We all have “subscription fatigue” these days, but beneath all those monthly fees lies the realization that we are paying for access and actually own nothing. In this episode, Kelly dives into the subscription economy – everything from streaming movies and music to renting software, digital books, and video games. Without knowing it, the subscription economy is changing the way families think about possessions, limits, and responsibility. When everything is instant and virtually unlimited, natural opportunities to develop desired character are gone. Thinking biblically about this cultural norm requires that we understand the difference between materialism, consumerism, and faithful stewardship. This may mean canceling a few subscriptions, but ultimately it’s about intentionally raising children to be good stewards of what God entrusts to them. Articles referenced: DVDs are the new vinyl records: Why Gen Z is embracing physical media Digital Media Monitor Apple Media Terms Amazon Kindle Terms of Service Sony: Physical Disc Production ending in January 2028 Scripture referenced: Genesis 1:1 Psalm 24:1 Isaiah 44:24 John 1:3 Colossians 1:16 Revelation 4:11 Luke 12:15 1 Timothy 6:6-7 Ephesians 2:10 Buy the book: Managing Media Creating Character. Also available on Audible. NEW!! The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide! Get your copy of the STUDENT Study Guide today! Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

  2. Oct 21

    Ep. 244: Should Christians Parents Allow Scary-Horror Movies?

    For many Christian parents, horror movies or even just less graphic movies that are scary can be difficult to navigate. Are kids finding pleasure in the evil and gore? Are there any benefits other than entertainment? Will this movie put ideas or images into my kid’s mind that won’t leave and that stir up fear? In this episode, Kelly explores why people enjoy being scared, how frightening media affects children, and why not all scary stories share the same moral category. Some forms of horror make evil, human suffering, and gore the entertainment, while others present darkness only to reveal courage, justice, truth, sacrifice, and redemption. Using the Word of God, parents can apply a framework to evaluate scary / horror content with faithful and biblical discernment. It is possible to encounter evil in a story without enjoying or celebrating it. What questions can we ask ourselves to determine what a particular horror movie asks us to do with the evil and darkness it portrays? Articles referenced: (Why) Do You Like Scary Movies? A Review of the Empirical Research on Psychological Responses to Horror Films Should I let my child watch scary movies? My 11-year-old loves to watch horror videos on YouTube, should I be concerned? Scripture referenced:  2 Corinthians 6:14 Romans 12:9 Psalm 101:3 Psalm 119:37 1 Corinthians 10:23 Isaiah 5:20 REGISTER FOR THE OCTOBER 22 WEBINAR: Video Games: Enemy or Ally of Learning NEW!! The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide! Get your copy of the STUDENT Study Guide today! Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated). Also available on Audible. Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

  3. Oct 14

    Ep. 243: Grand Theft Auto VI – The Insanity Explained

    Grand Theft Auto is already one of the most successful video games ever. And now, the extraordinarily anticipated GTA VI is set to finally launch on November 19th. It’s poised to become one of the biggest entertainment events in history. This gives parents an opportunity to consider the media we consume and allow our children to consume. In this episode, Kelly explains the history and cultural phenomenon of Grand Theft Auto, what players actually experience in the game, and why parents cannot default to a standard “no violent video games.” The world of GTA is one of crime, sex, drugs, alcohol, profanity, and yes, violence. Children, teens, young adults, and parents will want to play this game even knowing it is saturated with all that God calls evil. Christians have a moral responsibility to consider that although all things are permissible, not all things are beneficial (1 Cor. 10:23). Articles referenced: Rockstar Games: GTA VI Soldiers Incentiized to Reenlist With Time Off to Play Grand Theft Auto VI A Lot of People Are Seemingly Taking Time Off Work to Play GTA 6. Are You? Guinness World Records: Fastest Entertainment Property to Gross $1 Billion Guinness World Records: GTA IV First Look Becomes Most Viewed Videogame Trailer in 24 Hours ESRB Rating: Grand Theft Auto VI GTA 6 – 22 WILD Facts Most Players DON’T Know APA Reaffirms Position on Violent Video Games and Violent Behavior GTA 6 has “detailed decapitation,” and cocaine can be “snorted directly” from your hand, says UK ratings board Scripture referenced: Philippians 4:8 Isaiah 5:20 Proverbs 4:23 Romans 12:2 1 John 2:15-17 1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23   REGISTER FOR THE OCTOBER WEBINAR: Video Games: Enemy or Ally of Learning NEW!! The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide! Get your copy of the STUDENT Study Guide today! Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated). Also available on Audible. Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

  4. Oct 7

    Ep. 242: Meta’s Muse and The Promise of Personal Superintelligence

    Meta’s new Muse AI is more than a chatbot – it’s an agent. Capable of managing your emails, scheduling appointments, making purchases, and managing your finances, this agent’s goal is to make your life better. More than that, Meta’s philosophy is to provide everyone with superintelligence to help each person achieve their individual goals. In this episode, Kelly explains Meta’s new AI rollout of the agentic app and the forthcoming Muse Charm. Considering the broad and spiritual concerns surrounding the merging of our lives with machines, Kelly unpacks how Meta’s worldview and promises of personal superintelligence are opposed to Scripture and to what it means to be human. She offers parents practical ways to disciple kids through conversations surrounding Muse, and its “delightful” new charm. Articles referenced: Introducing Muse Introducing Muse: The World’s First Personal AI Agent Built for Everyone Everything We Announced at Meta Connect 2026 How We Designed Muse Meta Muse Charm Kids Safety: Where Are Parental Controls? Meta’s New AI “Muse Charm”: When the AI Companion Moves From the Phone To A New Type Of Digital Device Meta is making a Tamagotchi-like AI companion for the AI era — meet the Muse Charm Scripture referenced: Genesis 3:1-6 Romans 12:2 1 Thessalonians 4:3 Philippians 2:6-8 John 6:38 John 8:50 2 Timothy 4:3-5   REGISTER FOR THE OCTOBER WEBINAR: Video Games: Enemy or Ally of Learning NEW!! The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide! Get your copy of the STUDENT Study Guide today! Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated). Also available on Audible. Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

  5. Oct 2

    Ep. 241: What Does ‘Restoring Childhood’ Look Like?

    In his new book Restoring Childhood, evolutionary psychologist Peter Gray argues that declining childhood independence, excessive adult control, and achievement-driven education – not smartphones or social media – are responsible for the decline in youth mental health. While Gray rightly points to societal shifts that have led to the loss of childhood, including the responsibility parents must own, he misunderstands today’s online environment and how formative it is for children. He suggests that video games and social media are a way to restore childhood autonomy and independence. In this episode, Kelly considers Gray’s argument through a biblical worldview while contending with the freedom children need and the freedom children can wrongly use to indulge the flesh. If we aren’t careful, autonomy becomes the ultimate goal. And without wisdom, autonomy produces chaos and recklessness. Articles referenced: Have We Destroyed Childhood? What if it’s not the phones? Penguin Random House: Restoring Childhood Podcast 215: Are the Benefits of Smartphones for Kids Really Beneficial? (Part 1) Scripture referenced: Galatians 5:13 Galatians 5:7 Jeremiah 17:9 Proverbs 4:23 James 1:14-15 1 Corinthians 6:11-12 Proverbs 22:6 Proverbs 9:10 Romans 1:22 REGISTER FOR THE OCTOBER WEBINAR: Video Games: Enemy or Ally of Learning NEW!! The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide! Get your copy of the STUDENT Study Guide today! Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated). Also available on Audible. Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

  6. Sep 23

    Ep. 240: MrBeast, the Biblical Worldview, & the Worldview of Spectacle

    MrBeast has mastered the YouTube algorithm, built a business empire, and used his influence to give away millions of dollars. But what is his content teaching children? What happens when generosity, spectacle, and the attention economy are mixed together? In this episode, Kelly examines MrBeast through a biblical worldview, exploring the attention economy, philanthropy as entertainment, and how much spectacle influences children. She also gives parents practical ways to guard their children’s YouTube use and guide them towards biblical discernment in the media they consume. Articles referenced: TIME: MrBeast on His Swift Rise on YouTube and Beyond The Mozart of the attention economy: why MrBeast is the world’s biggest YouTube star Good intent or just good content? Assessing MrBeast’s philanthropy How To Succeed In MrBeast Production The Diary of a CEO: MrBeast: If you want to be liked, don’t help people! I lost tens of millions on Beast Games…but I’m worth $1 Billion New York Times DealBook – MrBeast on the Attention Economy YouTube’s New Way to Support Teens Scripture referenced: Genesis 2:24 1 Thessalonians 4:1112 Matthew 6:1-4 Matthew 5:14-16 Mark 8:34-38 John 6:1-27 Romans 1:16 1 John 4:12 REGISTER FOR THE OCTOBER WEBINAR: Video Games: Enemy or Ally of Learning NEW!! The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide! An 8-week biblical study examining how character is impacted by media and technology. This is the study every youth group/student ministry needs to be doing! Get your copy of the STUDENT Study Guide today! Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated). Also available on Audible. Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

  7. Sep 16

    Ep. 239: The Teenage “Tradwife” and a Biblical Worldview of Marriage

    Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that teens have taken up the “tradwife” mantle and have begun building their personal brands and influencer content by adulterating the sanctity of marriage.  Over the past month, there has been a whirlwind of commentary surrounding the teen tradwife trend – teens who’ve opted to get married early and share on social media how much they love marriage, submitting to their husbands, and not working. It’s obvious that teens absorb and assimiliate to much of the viral content they see on social media. Now, teens and young adults are creating content around traditional marriage values in order to be seen, gain followers, and go viral. In today’s episode, Kelly explains the tradwife trend and the real motivation for capturing pieces of your marriage and posting them as content for public consumption. Kelly argues that the motivation is nothing more than performance aimed at gaining attention. Examining the most popular TikTok video (the video that “broke” the internet), it’s easy to see how this content can deceive young girls into thinking this is what marriage is (and not liking the social media portrayal) or to jump into a romanticized version of marriage because the influencers make it look so blissful. Either way, it’s not biblical. Kelly ends with emphasizing the biblical definition of marriage and calls women to step into teen girls’ lives, ask questions, and help shape a biblical understanding of the institution of marriage. Articles referenced: Teenagers are buying into the tradwife fantasy, literally and figuratively Pew: 12th Grade Girls are Less Likely than Boys to Say They Want to Get Married Someday TikTok: Ava Ahavat What Does Coram Deo Mean? Scripture referenced: Genesis 2:24 1 Thessalonians 4:11 Matthew 6:1 Ephesians 5:22-23 Matthew 5:14-16 Proverbs 31 Revelation 19:7-9 1 Peter 3:3-4 Romans 12:2 NEW!! The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide! An 8-week biblical study examining how character is impacted by media and technology. This is the study every youth group/student ministry needs to be doing! Get your copy of the STUDENT Study Guide today! Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated). Also available on Audible. Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

  8. Sep 9

    Ep. 238: Astrology and the Biblical Worldview

    Astrology has been around for thousands of years, but it’s seen a resurgence in the last decade thanks to social media. Today’s astrology is much deeper than pithy horoscopes – it’s about birth charts, planetary movements, and houses. Many astrology content creators use persuasive language that lures young people in, promising to help them understand who they really are and what their purpose is. Many Christians don’t know whether, or how, astrology fits into the biblical worldview. In today’s episode, Kelly explains the bible’s clear instructions surrounding the practice of astrology. For parents with teens whose fascination with astrology has become an obsession, the Word of God offers hope and help. Articles referenced: Generation Z Turn to Astrology to ‘Answer Life’s Big Questions’ Astrology Definition TikTok is One Long Conversation With the Universe 30% of Americans Consult Astrology, Tarot Cards, or Fortune Tellers The Pattern: Astrology CHANI: Your Astrology Guide Scripture cited: Deuteronomy 18:9-14 Isaiah 47:13 Daniel 2:1-2, 10-11, 25-28 Psalm 19:1, 3 Romans 1:18-20, 22-25 Genesis 1:26-27 Psalm 139:13-16 James 1:5 Proverbs 2:6 Proverbs 9:10 Isaiah 8:19 Isaiah 46:9-10 Romans 8:28-39 Colossians 2:2-8 Acts 17:28 James 5:19 NEW!! The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide! An 8-week biblical study examining how character is impacted by media and technology. This is the study every youth group/student ministry needs to be doing! Get your copy of the STUDENT Study Guide today! Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated). Also available on Audible. Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

See All (273)

5
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

We are a network of brave parents who empower & equip others to intentionally develop & train children to have strong character & integrity. We believe brave parenting is doing the right thing even when it is hard. While it seems our children would rather be raised by the internet, the truth is they need strong and courageous parents who will invest in their character.

Information

  • Creator
    Brave Parenting
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    273
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2019 Brave Parenting LLC
  • Show Website
    Brave Parenting

You Might Also Like