Celebrate Kids Podcast with Dr. Kathy

As AI "friends" become more common, what are our kids really learning about friendship? In this episode, Dr. Kathy Koch and Wayne Stender unpack Meta's new chatbot update and explore how true friendships form character, resilience, and faith. Learn how to help your kids value real people over artificial connection—and why Jesus' definition of friendship changes everything.

When does helping someone cross the line from compassion into condescension? In this episode, Dr. Kathy Koch and Wayne Stender unpack a viral Supreme Court moment that raises tough questions about empathy, equality, and how we treat others. Learn how to teach your kids the difference between pity and Christ-like compassion—and how true love restores dignity instead of diminishing it.

Dr. Kathy recently visited Princeton Minnesota and conducted a two day parent training at New Life Church. We brought some of the questions we fielded after her teaching to the podcast to encourage you.

If you'd like to bring Dr. Kathy to your church, school, or community for parent training, visit www.celebratekids.com

How do we talk to our kids about the hard things they see in the news without overwhelming them? In this episode, Dr. Kathy Koch and Wayne Stender explore how parents can help children process violence, fear, and brokenness with truth and hope. Learn how creativity, compassion, and Christ-centered security can become release valves for kids' anxiety in a world that often feels heavy.

Our kids are tired, but not just from sports or school. In this episode of the Celebrate Kids Podcast, Dr. Kathy and Wayne Stender unpack how smartphones are quietly stealing sleep, peace, and purpose from our children. Learn how constant connection leads to exhaustion and anxiety, and how reclaiming rest can restore focus, joy, and faith in your home.

In this episode of the Celebrate Kids Podcast, Dr. Kathy Koch and Wayne Stender explore the growing use of weight loss medications in children and the deeper questions parents should consider about health, habits, identity, and emotional well being. They discuss how food can become connected to loneliness, stress, family patterns, and self worth, and why treating weight alone may miss what is happening underneath. Parents will be encouraged to seek wise medical support, look for patterns, build healthier family rhythms, and help kids understand that their value is rooted in who God created them to be not in what the scale says.

When was the last time you looked around a room full of kids and saw every face lit—not by screens—but by conversation and curiosity? Across the country, more schools are going device-free, and something amazing is happening: kids are becoming more attentive, more engaged, and more confident.

In this episode of the Celebrate Kids Podcast, Dr. Kathy and Wayne Stender unpack what's really going on when we unplug. Dr. Kathy explains that technology, while useful, can condition children to expect life to be easy—and when challenges come, they give up too soon. True resilience, she says, comes from facing real-life challenges, learning through struggle, and being guided by caring mentors and teachers.

Wayne and Dr. Kathy share stories of classrooms that have banned devices and rediscovered the joy of eye contact, laughter, and deep discussion. They also dive into how screens affect the brain, why "teachers teach—devices don't," and how parents can intentionally awaken their kids' natural strengths—the 8 Great Smarts—by engaging them offline.

Together, they remind parents that resilience isn't about perfection—it's about being teachable, humble, and ready to grow. Through stories from Scripture (like Apollos in Acts 18) and insights from today's classrooms, this episode will inspire you to see device-free living not as deprivation—but as an invitation to rediscover the fullness of life God designed for your family.

In this episode of Facing the Dark, Wayne Stender and Dr. Kathy Koch tackle a question many parents quietly wrestle with: Can we really afford to raise kids in today's world? Drawing from both research and real-life experience, they unpack the financial realities of family life and explore what it means to trust God's calling over cultural caution.

Dr. Kathy emphasizes that parenting isn't just a financial decision, it's a spiritual one. She encourages parents to seek the Lord's guidance when considering children, to embrace sacrifice with joy, and to celebrate kids as image bearers, not economic burdens. Together, Wayne and Dr. Kathy connect these themes to the book of Haggai, reminding listeners that delaying obedience for financial security often leads to spiritual emptiness. Parenting, they say, is sacred temple work—raising the next generation to reflect God's glory in the world.

In this episode of The Celebrate Kids Podcast, the daily episode Facing the Dark, Wayne Stender and Dr. Kathy Koch explore new research on parenting benchmarks and trends, especially the growing movement of "cycle-breaking parenting" among Gen Z moms and dads. Together, they unpack what it means to parent with both wisdom and grace, moving beyond negative family patterns without shaming past generations. Dr. Kathy shares practical insights on being unified as parents, balancing correction with encouragement, and raising kids who know their God-given strengths. Wayne connects these themes to Ezekiel 18, showing how Scripture reminds us that every generation can step into fresh mercies and new beginnings.

In this episode of the Celebrate Kids podcast, Dr. Kathy delves into the recent National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) report, often referred to as the nation's report card. The findings reveal that high school seniors are experiencing a significant decline in math and reading skills, with scores reaching historic lows. 12th graders have recorded the weakest performance since the assessment began. Dr. Kathy raises important questions about whether current educational assessments are outdated, considering the advancements in technology such as computers and AI that have emerged since the assessment's inception in 1992. The discussion prompts listeners to reflect on the effectiveness of traditional educational standards in today's rapidly evolving world.