Brave Parenting

By Brave ParentingSociety & Culture Parenting Kids & Family

Brave Parenting episodes

August 12 Ep. 234: GIRLS by Freya India Biblical Support – “Detached”
In this six-part podcast series, we walk through Freya India’s book GIRLS: Gen Z and the Commodification of Everything, examining how online culture has shaped young women and how Christian parents can respond with biblical truth.
**This episode continues MATURE themes and is NOT recommended for children.**
In this fifth episode on Chapter 5, “Detached,” Freya reveals how flirting, sexting, dating apps, hookups, and pornography have led to a grave state of relational and emotional detachment among Gen Z. Kelly summarizes Freya’s evidence and assertions about how online media and technology contributed to a generation feeling safer and more empowered alone. More importantly, she answers the question of: “how did we get here?” by examining what the Word of God says about sexual immorality and depravity. What is God’s sexual ethic? Why does it matter? And what can parents do to prepare Gen Alpha for the romantic relationship wasteland they are growing up into?
Girls by Freya India
Girls Substack
Helping Your Kids Know God’s Good Design by Elizabeth Urbanowicz
Brain, Heart, World Pornography Documentary
Episode 79: It’s Time To Do Something About Pornography
Episode 81: Sugar Dating
Episode 82: Only Fans & “Digital Sex Work”
Proverbs 7: Teaching Sexual Wisdom to Kids
Episode 150: Big Tech & Sexual Exploitation
Scripture references:
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Genesis 19:15
Job 31
Romans 2:15
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Proverbs 6:32-33
1 Corinthians 6:18
Galatians 5:19
Colossians3:5-8
Romans 1:18-32
Galatians 5:13
2 Peter 2:19
1 Corinthians 6:12
John 15:18-19
Matthew 7:13-14
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!
1 hr 15 min
August 05 Ep. 233: GIRLS by Freya India Biblical Support – “Disconnected”
In this six-part podcast series, we walk through Freya India’s book GIRLS: Gen Z and the Commodification of Everything, examining how online culture has shaped young women and how Christian parents can respond with biblical truth.
In this fourth episode on Chapter 4, “Disconnected,” Kelly summarizes how Freya India describes the redefinition of friendship and community by online platforms and social media networks. Can an AI pendant named “Friend” be our answer? The problem is that the new definition of friend (along with the terms and conditions that apply) leaves only feelings of disconnection and loneliness. Today, the solutions offered are online communities and AI companions – neither of which fit the biblical model for human connection and community.
Through Scripture, Kelly explains the fundamental human need for community and relationships and how Christians are called to love one another, forgive, serve, and endure all things. Christian parents have a responsibility to model, teach, guard, and guide true community and friendships.
In case you missed: Episode #230 Filtered, Episode #231 Diagnosed, and Episode #232 Documented.
Articles/Books/Podcasts referenced:
Girls by Freya India
Girls Substack
Ep. 139: AI Chatbots part 1
Ep. 130: AI Chatbots part 2
BP Guide to Replika
BP Guide to CharacterAI
The Best Thing for Your Brain is Other People – Even Annoying Ones
Scripture referenced:
Genesis 2:18
Psalm 25:16
Proverbs 17:17
Proverbs 18:24
Proverbs 27:6
Proverbs 27:9
Psalm 127:3-5
Ephesians 6:1-4
Exodus 20:12
Acts 2:42-47
Hebrews 10:24-25
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
1 Kings 19:1-8
Matthew 26:36-46
Luke 4:1-13
John 15:3-15
Colossians 3:12-14
Matthew 18:15-17

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!
51 min
July 29 Ep. 232: GIRLS by Freya India Biblical Support – “Documented”
In this six-part podcast series, we walk through Freya India’s book GIRLS: Gen Z and the Commodification of Everything, examining how online culture has shaped young women and how Christian parents can respond with biblical truth.
In this third episode on Chapter 3, “Documented,” Kelly examines the way smartphones and social media have trained young people to turn daily life, relationships, drama, opinions, and even children into content. This episode considers how documentation shifted from memory-keeping to performance, curation, voyeurism, and public approval. Kelly offers a biblical response rooted in living Coreum Deo (before the face of God), and encourages parents to guard and guide their children in quiet faithfulness.
In case you missed: Episode #230 Filtered, and Episode #231 Diagnosed
Articles/Books/Podcasts referenced:
Girls by Freya India
Girls Substack
Peter Gray’s Benefits of Smartphone Ownership for Kids
Like Follow Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesta Latifi
The House of My Mother by Shari Franke
The Weight of Glory C.S. Lewis
Scripture references:
Matthew 6:1
Galatians 1:10
Hebrews 4:13
Psalm 139:7-8
Luke 2:19
Matthew 5:16
1 Peter 4:15
1 Timothy 5:13
Matthew 18:6
2 Corinthians 12:14
Psalm 127:3
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
Matthew 28:19
1 Chronicles 28:20

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!
53 min
July 23 Ep. 231: GIRLS by Freya India Biblical Support – “Diagnosed”
In this six-part podcast series, we walk through Freya India’s book GIRLS: Gen Z and the Commodification of Everything, examining how online culture has shaped young women and how Christian parents can respond with biblical truth.
In this second episode on Chapter 2, “Diagnosed,” Kelly unpacks Freya’s evidence of how “the market” began to profit off of the anxiety and distress of adolescents. Also, considering how mental health influencers, therapy apps, telehealth, medication culture, and peer contagion have taught girls to find their identity in their anxiety, depression, and diagnostic labels. Kelly offers biblical support for these concerns, rooted in lament, suffering, identity in Christ, and parents’ responsibility to guard against harmful voices while guiding children toward biblical categories for emotions.
Girls by Freya India
Girls Substack
Scripture references:
Matthew 6:27
James 1:2-4
1 Peter 4:13
Philippians 3:10
Lamentations 3:17-24
Matthew 26:38
Romans 5:3-5
2 Peter 1:3
1 Chronicles 28:10
1 Corinthians 6:19

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!
54 min
July 15 Ep. 230: GIRLS by Freya India Biblical Support – “Filtered”
In this six-part podcast series, we walk through Freya India’s book GIRLS: Gen Z and the Commodification of Everything, examining how online culture has shaped young women and how Christian parents can respond with biblical truth.
In this first episode on Chapter 1, “Filtered,” Kelly considers how Freya India’s argument that filters, FaceTune, beauty influencers, selfies, and algorithmic feeds have trained girls to inspect, alter, and display themselves for approval. The evidence makes it clear that this is not merely a beauty trend; it is a discipleship system rooted in an anti-Christian anthropology. Parents are encouraged not only to think biblically about beauty, but to shepherd their children with both loving boundaries and biblical guidance, teaching daughters that their worth is not found in beauty, attention, or online approval, but in the God who created, knows, and redeems them.
Girls by Freya India
Girls Substack
Scripture references:
Romans 1:16
Psalm 23:1
John 10:11-15
Genesis 1:26-27
1 Peter 5:2-4
Psalm 139:13-14
2 Corinthians 5:17
Romans 12:2
JUST RELEASED: The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide!
An 8-week biblical study examining how character is impacted by media and technology. The study can be done individually, in a small group, or even as homeschool curriculum!
Great for middle school, high school, and young college students to develop Christlike character, which can then guide their use of media and technology.
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!
30 min
July 08 Ep. 229: Make Tech Slow Again – The Return of Friction
There is a growing trend of “friction-maxxing” and going analog, especially among Gen Z. People are seeking slower, more friction-intensive technology so they can spend less time on it. And it appears that the market is responding accordingly. In this episode, Kelly reviews the increasing range of frictional products on the market. From turning your smartphone dumb to apps that take 2 weeks to deliver a message via carrier pigeon, all the way to boomboxes and bookstores, the trend is clear: we want to make tech slow again!
We believe that behind the trendiness of analog life lies a spiritual conviction and a pre-commitment not to be manipulated by media and technology.
Articles/Products referenced:
Brave Parenting Podcast #174: Adding Friction to Your Phone
5 ways to add a little inconvenience to your day — and improve your brain
Roost app
Slowly app
This app turns your iPhone into a tiny iPod-style dumbphone, case and all
Dumbphone app
Dumbify app
Screen Zen
Clearspace
Unplulg app
One Sec app
Blank Spaces app
Brick
Kitchen Safe
Cat Gatekeeper
Unhook
Newsfeed Eradicator
Cold Turkey
Freewrite
CampSnap
Polaroid Analog Summer
Fewer People are Reading, But Bookstores are Making a Comeback Anyway
Costco is Selling 1980s-Style Boomboxes. It’s Yet Another Sign of the Analog Renaissance
Friction-Maxxing Could Be the Secret to a Simpler, Better-Designed Home
Scripture references:
Galatians 5:22-23
Titus 2:11-12
1 Peter 5:8
Romans 12:2
1 Corinthians 6:12
1 John 2:15-17
Ephesians 6:4
Esther 4:14
Ephesians 2:10

JUST RELEASED: The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide!
An 8-week biblical study examining how character is impacted by media and technology. The study can be done individually, in a small group, or even as homeschool curriculum!
Great for middle school, high school, and young college students to develop Christlike character, which can then guide their use of media and technology.
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!
36 min
July 03 Ep. 228: Handheld Gaming Devices-Switch & Steam Deck
The Switch 2 and the Steam Deck handheld gaming devices are growing in popularity as people recognize the convenience of playing anywhere, anytime. In today’s episode, Kelly explains the basics of the Switch 2 and the Steam Deck, while exploring the similarities and differences between these personal gaming devices and a smartphone. A growing narrative surrounding these personal gaming devices is how they allow parents to continue gaming during the fragmented time of parenting.
How should Christians think about handheld gaming – or any other personal screen time in front of kids?
Articles referenced:
Switch 2
Steam Deck
History of the Handheld Game Console
The Steam Deck Is The Perfect Device, For The Busy Parent.
Sorry Valve, But the Steam Deck Outgrew My Need for a Steam Machine
How Fatherhood Redefined My Gaming Passion
Reddit: Is the Steam Deck beneficial when you have babies/little kids?
Reddit: Managed to clear my backlog playing over 200 hours, only while having my newborn sleeping on my lap during his first 6 months.
Reddit: Steam Deck saved gaming for parents
YouTube: The Steam Deck is the BEST gift for Gamer Parents!
Are Parents to Blame for Children’s Phone Addiction?
Scripture referenced:
Ephesians 6:4
1 Corinthians 11:1
Ephesians 5:1-2
Ephesians 5:15-16
Ephesians 5:8
JUST RELEASED: The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide!
An 8-week biblical study examining how character is impacted by media and technology. The study can be done individually, in a small group, or even as homeschool curriculum!
Great for middle school, high school, and young college students to develop Christlike character, which can then guide their use of media and technology.
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!
43 min
June 27 Ep. 227: Apple & Google Announce New Parental Controls
Apple and Google both announced new parental controls for their iOS and Android devices within days of each other. Ironic? Probably not. Will these new controls be revolutionary? Probably not. In this episode, Kelly highlights the pressure these companies face to prove they can protect children. Meanwhile, Apple’s press release shows that they are still positioning themselves as the authority on what children need, while continuously pointing back to parents, saying, “This is your job – you can limit, you can control, you can approve, you can monitor…”
Should new and improved parental controls be a permission slip to allow your child to have an iPhone? Should a new (and easier) Screen Time interface with expert recommendation change how you limit and monitor? How can parents think biblically about screen time? How big a deal is screen time anyway?
All these things and more in today’s show.
YouTube: How We Spend Our Day (1920-2026)
Articles referenced:
Apple previews new child safety features
New expanded Android parental controls to support families around the world
Scripture referenced:
1 Thessalonians 5
Proverbs 22:6
Matthew 22:37
James 1:27
Upcoming Events:
Great Homeschool Convention – Round Rock, Texas July 9-11
Kelly & Ryan will both be leading workshops and Brave Parenting will have an exhibitor booth
JUST RELEASED: The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide!
An 8-week biblical study examining how character is impacted by media and technology. The study can be done individually, in a small group, or even as homeschool curriculum!
Great for middle school, high school, and young college students to develop Christlike character, which can then guide their use of media and technology.
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!
57 min
June 21 Toys Are For Play, But Tech is For Everything (Thoughts on Toy Story 5)
Toy Story 5 is capitalizing on a truly devastating part of our culture: the loss of childhood to technology. In this briefing, Kelly highlights some of the most important aspects of the movie to help parents grasp the weight of what it depicts. Can a tablet be the problem with kids no longer playing, and the solution to making more friends? What does it mean to grow up too fast? Is gaming the same as playing? Is the age of toys really over?
Articles referenced:
Plugged In: Toy Story 5
Scripture referenced:
Proverbs 22:6

Upcoming Events:
Great Homeschool Convention – Round Rock, Texas July 9-11
Kelly & Ryan will both be leading workshops and Brave Parenting will have an exhibitor booth
JUST RELEASED: The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide!
An 8-week biblical study examining how character is impacted by media and technology. The study can be done individually, in a small group, or even as homeschool curriculum!
Great for middle school, high school, and young college students to develop Christlike character, which can then guide their use of media and technology.
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!
10 min
June 17 Ep. 226: The Essential Role of Grandparents in the Digital Age
We live in a culture where it seems that the generations are at war with one another, families are falling apart – some going no contact, and children are increasingly without skills, purpose, and hope. Perhaps this is because we’ve lost sight of the benefits that intergenerational relationships bring. What children need to learn and experience is not what the internet offers. They need the slow, offline activities that grandparents can teach. They need to be reminded of their roots and to receive a heritage of faith, traditions, memories, virtue, and skills.
In today’s podcast, Kelly argues for the essential role grandparents play in children’s lives. Both parents and grandparents listening will receive encouragement and practical steps to restore relationships, establish screen-free relational time between grandparents and grandchildren, persevere with kids who may resist slow, character-building activities, and understand why this is part of God’s design for the family.
Articles referenced:
The Troubling Rise of Family Estrangement
Effects of grandparents’ involvement on young children’s resilience
Socioemotional Engagement with Grandchildren: Associations with Loneliness and Quality of Life
Grandparents Can Teach What the Internet Cannot
Scripture referenced:
Deuteronomy 4:9
Psalm 78:4-7
Proverbs 17:6
Psalm 127:3
Proverbs 13:22
Ephesians 2:10
Ruth 4:14-17

Upcoming Events:
Great Homeschool Convention – Round Rock, Texas July 9-11
Kelly & Ryan will both be leading workshops and Brave Parenting will have an exhibitor booth
JUST RELEASED: The Managing Media Creating Character STUDENT Study Guide!
An 8-week biblical study examining how character is impacted by media and technology. The study can be done individually, in a small group, or even as homeschool curriculum!
Great for middle school, high school, and young college students to develop Christlike character, which can then guide their use of media and technology.
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!
37 min

About Brave Parenting

From the publisher's feed

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…