The Surgeon General came out with a very troubling report recently on social media usage among children that should concern us as parents. What are those warnings and what do we as parents need to know to safeguard our kids?

Catherine has invited Dr. Walt Mueller back to break it all down for us.

Covered in this episode:

*Often overlooked good things to celebrate in the area of technology and social media.

*The shocking statistics and serious warnings contained in the recent Surgeon General’s Report on children and social media usage.

*Warning signs of device addiction.

*Important questions to ask ourselves regarding our device and social media usage as parents.

*How to have meaningful conversation with our kids on the topic of social media.

*Vital guidelines for protecting our kids from social media and device addiction.

 

Bio: Dr. Walt Mueller is the founder and President of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, a non-profit organization serving schools, churches, and community organizations around the world in their efforts to strengthen families. Walt has been working with young people and families for over 35 years, and with a Masters of Divinity and a Doctorate in Postmodern Generation from Gordon Cromwell Theological Seminary, he has become a recognized authority on youth culture, family issues, and all things having to do with teens and their world. Walt is also the host of the Youth Culture Matters Podcast.

 

EPISODE RESOURCES & LINKS:

The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding

Youth Culture Matters Podcast

Youth Culture Matters: Episode 179 “Teens, Tech, and Social Media – A Youth Worker Roundtable”

Social Media and Youth Mental Health – The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory 2023

Pew Research Center: Teens, Social Media and Technology (2022)

The Social Dilemma (Netflix)

Tony Renke: 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You

Greg Luukianoff & Jonathan Haidt: The Coddling of the American Mind

Jean Twenge: IGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood

CPYU Parent Prompt: Social Media & God’s Glory

Unplugged (FOTF)Effective Strategies: Tips for Influencing Your Child’s Social Media Use

 

 

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Media is bombarding our children at every turn, and at the same time the generation gap is widening. Catherine’s special guest, Dr. Walt Mueller specializes in understanding the next generation—their thought processes, their challenges, and the many ways that entertainment and media are bombarding our kids’ lives with deeply concerning messages. As founder and president of The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, Walt has worked as a cross generational liaison for more than 35 years. 

Threats from the entertainment world have proliferated with endless internet and television inroads and influences. Walt and Catherine discuss concerning messages from:

*Mr. Beast

*Arthur

*Madagascar

*Chip & Potato

*My Little Pony

*Rugrats

*Doc McStuffins

*Ridley Jones

As Walt wisely advises, we must read, listen to, and watch what is engaging the hearts and minds of our kids. We must not to be alarmist, but we must be aware. And we must speak first on all of these topics to establish a foundation of truth for our kids.

Bio: Dr. Walt Mueller is the founder and President of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, a non-profit organization serving schools, churches, and community organizations around the world in their efforts to strengthen families. Walt has been working with young people and families for over 35 years, and with a Masters of Divinity and a Doctorate in Postmodern Generation from Gordon Cromwell Theological Seminary, he has become a recognized authority on youth culture, family issues, and all things having to do with teens and their world. Walt is also the host of the Youth Culture Matters Podcast.

 

EPISODE RESOURCES & LINKS:

The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding

Youth Culture Matters Podcast

CPYU Blog The Latest on Teens and Social Media Feb. 23, 2024

EPISODE 81: Can Your Kids Be Whoever They Want to Be in Life?

All Creatures Great and Small (Masterpiece Theater)

Will Mr. Best ‘Indoctrinate Young Children with Trangender Propaganda?,’ SBC Leader Asks

Romper List of Shows with LGBTQ+ Characters

The No-Watch List: Guide to All the Kid’s Shows and Movies that Have LGBTQ Characters and Content (Scott Smith)

FOTF: Plugged In TV & Movie Reviews

Christian Courier: Guidelines for Children’s Entertainment

The Social Dilemma (Netflix)

FAITH BASED SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES FOR KIDS:

Minno

Pureflix Kids

Yippie

Shalom World

Faithlife TV

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The mental health crisis in our country is at critical mass. Children are struggling like never before and parents are concerned, as they should be.

What foundation do we need to have in place to help our kids to be strong mentally?

Catherine’s guest, Dr. Bill Senyard, shares some warning signs that a child is struggling and offers practical ways to establish a strong foundation for your child’s mental health.

Attachment theory, the prevailing psychological theory in child development, emphasizes a child’s emotional bond with their primary caregiver. Dr. Senyard defines the four primary attachment styles that a child can exhibit. They are:

1. Secure—confident, reciprocal, non-reactive, resilient.
2. Anxious—emotional, reactive, volatile.
3. Fearful—composite of anxious and avoidant.
4. Avoidant—isolated, emotionally distant.

One relational style is mentally healthy and strong, the other three are showing signs of distress., of a breakdown in mental health. In this episode, Dr. Senyard gives practical ways to help children who exhibit those unhealthy traits.

Dr. Bill Senyard’s bio: Bill’s career has taken him from being a Chemical engineer, a strategic management consultant, and a co-owner of an Inc. 500 high-tech company to fulltime church ministry where he served multiple congregations as a Lead Pastor for over 35 years. He is a popular conference speaker in the US and Canada as well as abroad. He has written over a dozen non-fiction books and workbooks on a wide range of important topics including, how Christians can effectively and Biblically forgive others, how frustrated parents of teens can be “good enough parents” and most importantly, God’s love for the unlovable. Bill is the creator of The Good Enough Parent, a phenomenal curriculum that has a ton of free resources for parents.

Bill’s Website

Good Enough Parent Curriculum

Attachment Theory For Teens Simplified (video)

Bill’s Book: Tale of the Unlikely Prince

 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

 

Episode 85: 8 Words Every Parent Must Say To Their Child

Beyond Consequences by Heather T. Forbes

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and according to the CDC, our kids are facing a mental health crisis. Consider these recent statistics:

 

*Suicide & homicide rates in youth ages 10 to 24 are the highest they have been in decades, since 1968.

*42% of adolescents are feeling sadness and hopelessness, up 50% from 2011 (57% are females).

*22% of all students have considered attempting suicide, up from 36%.

*Youth and young adults (ages 10-24) account for 15% of all suicides, an increase of 52.2% since 2000.

*Suicide has become the second-leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24.

*46% of adolescence ages 13 to 17 say that social media makes their body image worse.

 

Parents are justifiably concerned, and often they don’t know where to start when a child is struggling mentally.

Catherine’s guest in this episode is Dr. Bill Senyard, a mental health expert who specializes in helping parents reconnect the critical bond with their child to address the foundation of their mental health.

Every child has two primary needs from their parents:

1. They need to feel CONNECTED.

2. They need to feel like they are ENOUGH.

A child must know that their parents have their back, and they must know that they are loved no matter what. If this critical foundation breaks down, a child will become disconnected from their parents and others. They will suffer in all of their relationships and in their mental health.

Bill shares how to reestablish that connection through attunement. If one in every three interactions with our kids attune to their foundational emotional needs, we can reconnect with our child and build a strong mental foundation for life.

Dr. Bill Senyard’s bio: Bill’s career has taken him from being a Chemical engineer, a strategic management consultant, and a co-owner of an Inc. 500 high-tech company to fulltime church ministry where he served multiple congregations as a Lead Pastor for over 35 years. He is a popular conference speaker in the US and Canada as well as abroad. He has written over a dozen non-fiction books and workbooks on a wide range of important topics including, how Christians can effectively and Biblically forgive others, how frustrated parents of teens can be “good enough parents” and most importantly, God’s love for the unlovable. Bill is the creator of The Good Enough Parent, a phenomenal curriculum that has a ton of free resources for parents.

Bill’s Website

Good Enough Parent Curriculum

Attachment Theory For Teens Simplified (video)

Bill’s Book: Tale of the Unlikely Prince

EPISODE RESOURCES:

John 3:16

Romans 8:1

Ephesians 3

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The problem of pain has plagued humanity since the beginning of time. Many great apologists have grappled with the reality of suffering, endeavoring to form a theologically sound answer to life’s hardest question.

In this poignant exchange, a couple of moms wrestle with pain and suffering from a distinctly maternal point of view. Catherine and her guest from across the great pond, Ruth Jackson, have a conversation that is real, raw, and refreshingly honest.

Miscarriage. Postpartum depression. Premature death.

When suffering these heartbreaking realities, the temptation is to ask WHY… and yet answering the WHY doesn’t meet our deepest need.

The Christian faith does offer an apologetic for suffering, but more importantly our faith tradition presents a God who came to earth and was broken on our behalf. He is intimately acquainted with suffering. He meets us in our grief. And when we weep, He weeps with us.

As believers in Christ, we know who suffered for us. We know who suffers with us. And we know who will wipe away every tear and make all things new.

RUTH JACKSON'S BIO: Ruth is a producer and youth specialist for Premier Christian Radio's Unbelievable radio programme and podcast, which brings Christians and non-Christians together for dialogue. ue. Ruth studied theology at Oxford University before working at the BBC’s flagship children’s television show Blue Peter. She then moved to the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, where she helped set up the youth apologetics strand Reboot. Ruth contributed to Hope Rising 365, a book for young women. She also plays bass guitar in award-winning all-girl rock ‘n roll band The Daisy Chains.

Ruth’s Instagram

Premier Christian Radio’s Unbelievable

Unapologetic Podcast

 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Episode 66: How Does a Good God Allow So Much Evil and Suffering in the World? w/ Dr. Douglas Groothuis

Article: “Joy To The World” by Ruth Jackson

Article: “God Is Good but This Isn’t” by Catherine Segars

 

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED:

John 11:35

Isaiah 61

Isaiah 49

John 1

Habakkuk 3

Lamentations 3

Psalm 56:8

Psalm 84:4-7

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In the last episode, Catherine highlighted the five primary apologetic approaches for defending the Christian faith. While varying greatly on inception points, strategy, philosophy and subject matter, all of the approaches agree on the superiority of one defense.

That is—EXPERIENCE.

A person’s experience with God is powerful and preeminent. Offering a personal testimony of how God has transformed your life is the one defense that no one can dispute, because it is your experience. A personal encounter with God solidifies one’s faith, making it rational, robust, and enduring.

So how can we have a practical encounter with God?

Catherine walks us through 10 practical ways that we can experience God:

1. Make God your priority (engage with God’s Word, worship, and prayer daily).
2. Plant yourself in the local church.
3. Practice honest reflection and repentance.
4. Fast regularly.
5. Shake up your schedule with sacrifice.
6. Get involved with a mission or ministry.
7. Go on a mission’s trip.
8. Go on a nature walk.
9. Start a spiritual journal.
10. Read a biography on a missionary or great Christian leader.

The items on this list are not revolutionary, but implementing them are. Start with the first three, which need to be a part of every believer’s daily discipleship, and then choose a few others to try. As you commit to prioritizing God, you will experience Him in new and exciting ways.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Resource on church wounds: Episode 44 – Have You Or Your Kids Been Wounded in the Church?

Driven By Eternity: Make Your Life Count Today and Forever by John Bevere

Fasting: Open the Door To a Deeper, More Intimate, More Powerful Relationship with God by Jentezen Franklin

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boon

A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliott

The Intercessor  (Reese Howell) by Norman Grubb

The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun

Hero Tales: A Family Treasury of True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes by Dave and Neta Jackson

 

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED:

Matthew 6:21 & 33

Hebrews 20:25

Psalm 62:5-8

2 Tim. 1:6-7

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Catherine offers a powerful message worthy of CP/CW’s 100th episode by revealing the #1 factor in maintaining a vibrant, lifelong faith, which corresponds perfectly with the #1 prayer every parent should pray over their kids. The answer to this question should interest us as followers of Christ personally and as parents.

In her apologetic studies, Catherine discovered one defense of the faith that every believer is qualified to employ. She begins by summarizing the five primary approaches for defending the Christian faith. They are the:

1. Classic Method – a 2-step approach that begins with natural theology (the knowledge we acquire about God without Scripture or special revelation) to prove Intelligent Design and then proceeds to establish God as that intelligent being.

2. Evidential Method – 1-step approach that relies heavily on evidence, in particular miracles, to prove the existence of God.

3. Cumulative Method – a flexible method that utilizes various arguments and approaches to present an overwhelming case for the existence of God.

4. Presuppositional Method – a method that presupposes God’s existence due to the effect that sin has on our capacity to think and reason.

5. Reformed Epistemological Method – a method that de-emphasizes proof or evidence and focusses on the way that people actually acquire beliefs.

These approaches vary quite a bit, but they all agree on one very important factor—that is experience. Having an experience with God is reason enough for believing in Him. Every believer can have a rational, justified faith by experience alone. And every follower of Christ can offer a powerful apologetic by simply sharing their experience with God.

So what is the #1 factor in maintaining a lifelong faith?

Experiencing God.

And what is the most important prayer every parent should pray over their kids?

“Lord, please help my child to have a powerful encounter with You.”

Tune in next when Catherine offers 10 practical ways that you and your kids can experience God.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Five Views on Apologetics, Steven B. Cohen ed.

Signature in the Cell by Dr. Stephen Meyers

C.S. Lewis Quote

Richard Dawkins Quote

John 9 – Jesus heals the man born blind

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Many people look at the Christian faith as just a religion of do’s and don’ts.

 

Is it?

 

This is a question we need to be very clear on as parents., for ourselves and for our kids. If our children think that the faith is just about all the things we can’t do and all the things we have to do, then they don’t really understand what Christianity is all about. And they probably won’t stick around. They will become a part of the majority of kids who are leaving the faith when they leave the nest.

 

God never intended for our relationship with Him to be a labor-intensive checklist that is more of a burden than a delight. If this is how your kids approach the faith, chances are at some point they will chuck it for a belief system that doesn’t make them feel like they must constantly perform to be acceptable. 

 

So what are all those do’s and don’ts about in Scripture?

 

Catherine explains that the do’s and don’t are about protecting us, not making us acceptable to our heavenly Father. Christ’s atoning work on the cross makes us acceptable to God. The don’t list isn’t comprised of a bunch of good stuff that God inexplicably doesn't want us to do—it contains what leads us to bondage. And God’s overwhelming heart is not to condemn us; it is to free us.

 

Scripture shows how Christ is the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep who are doing the do’s to go after the one sheep being wounded by the don’ts. The Gospel of John depicts God as a passionate father who longs for his lost, don’t-doing child to come home. The list of do's and don'ts in Scripture are an expression of God's love for his children, his concern to protect his children, and his desire for them to thrive.

 

Enjoy the re-airing of this favorite early episode of CP/CW and tune in next week for a very special 100th episode of the show!

 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

 

The tree of knowledge of good and evil: Genesis 2:15-17

Church of the Highlands: Freedom Curriculum

The Parable of the Lost Sheep: Luke 15:1-7

The Parable of the Lost Son: Luke 15:11-32

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The youth exodus is a very real concern for Christian parents. Much of CP/CW’s content is aimed at assuaging this falling away from the faith in our youth.

 

But what does a parent do when they have a child who is questioning or has left the faith? How do you parent the prodigal child?

 

Catherine answers these questions with hard-earned, first-hand experience by offering these vital guidelines:

 

1. Love your child unconditionally, regardless of what they think, say, or do.

2. Rid the obstacles in your child's life in prayer.

3. Recognize and respect what stage of parenting you are in: Caregiver, Cop, Coach, or Counselor.

4. Prayerfully establish Godly boundaries. Blessings come from boundaries.

5. Apologize for mistakes. Humility is a bridge builder.

6. Do not try to convince or convict your child. That is the Holy Spirit’s job.

7. Do not coerce or control your child. That is how the enemy works. 

8. Remember that your child does not need a sermon. They need an encounter with God.

 

Laced throughout this advice are keen insights and critical direction on how to build a strong relationship with a teen or adult child who is on the prodigal path. There are things that can help to draw a child closer to God, and there are things that may seem right but are, in fact, counterproductive. They may push a child further from God.

 

When a child questions the faith, we must patiently answer their questions. If they leave the faith, we must love them with no strings attached and fervently pray for them to have an encounter with God. Loving our kids like Christ while not compromising truth is the most important way we can minister to them in a place of wandering or doubt.

 

Joining Catherine in the hosting chair is Laurie Christine, an author, podcast host, Biblical Parenting Coach, wife, and mom of four loud, adventurous boys. Her podcast, Redeeming the Chaos, invites moms of boys to join her on the wild, wonderful adventure of raising courageous boys and connecting them with Christ Her new devotional book for boys, Rise of the Enemy, was released on Amazon last year.

 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

 

EPISODE 14: How To Battle for Your Kids in Prayer

 

Get Catherine’s Prodigal Bundle including a Scripture Prayer List for Children Who Have Left the Faith: Subscribe HERE

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Studies show that a majority of kids raised in Christian homes are leaving the faith when they leave the nest. It is vital that we understand the primary reasons why young people no longer believe if we want to help them return to the faith.

 

In this episode, Catherine airs an important conversation she had recently on the Redeeming the Chaos Podcast with Laurie Christine. Catherine and Laurie discuss new research which tells us why young people are bailing on Christianity. Highlighted are the 7 most prominent reasons Gen Zrs cite for walking away from the Christian faith. They are:

 

1. I have a hard time believing that a good God would allow so much evil or suffering in the world (29%): see EPISODE 66 w/ Dr. Douglas Groothuis

2. Christians are hypocrites (23%)

3. I believe science refutes too much of the Bible (20%) See Dr. Stephen Meyer: Signature in the Cell, The Return of the God Hypothesis, and Darwin’s Doubt; also see Dr. John Lennox (The “God Delusion “ Debate with Richard Dawkins)

4. I don’t believe in fairy tales (19%) see “The Case for Christ” & “The Case for Christ for Kids” by Lee Strobel

5. There are too many injustices in the history of Christianity (15%) see Episode 9: How Does Christian Worldview Creates the World We all Want to Live”, see Episodes 93, 94, & 95 w/ Os Guinness

6. I used to go to church, but it’s just not important to me anymore (12%)

7. I had a bad experience in church/with a Christian (6%) see Episodes 39, 40, 41, & 42; see “When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community from Emotional & Spiritual Abuse” by Dr. Chuck DeGroat

 

Catherine offers some helpful resources to consult if a child you know has embraced one of these claims about Christianity, and she and Laurie also offer some helpful resources for discipling younger kids in the faith.

 

BIO: Laurie Christine is an author, podcast host, Biblical Parenting Coach, wife, and mom of four loud, adventurous boys. Her podcast, Redeeming the Chaos, invites moms of boys to join her on the wild, wonderful adventure of raising courageous boys and connecting them with Christ Her new devotional book for boys, Rise of the Enemy, was released on Amazon last year.

 

RESOURCES REFERENCED AND CITED:

 

“Emerging Gen Z may deliver huge blow to religion in U.S.” by Jeff Brumley (June 8, 2018)

The American Worldview Inventory in 2022 highlights worldview beliefs of American pastors.

“Only Half of Evangelical Pastors Possess a Christian Worldview: Incidence Even Lower for Most Denominations” (Cultural Research Cente::ACU)

ACU Cultural Research Center Worldview Inventory 2020-current

Foundation Worldview Curriculum (use “CPCW10” code for 10% discount)

Apologia: What We Believe (4 volume set)

 

EPISODES CITED:

Episode 57: “How To Teach Your Kids the Christian Worldview” w/ Elizabeth Urbanowicz

Episode 58: “7 Lies Culture is Selling Our Kids: Are They Buying?” w/ Elizabeth Urbanowicz

Episode 72: “What Do People Leaving the Faith often Get Wrong about God?” w/ Elizabeth Urbanowics

Episode 84: “How To Learn More Scripture in 2024 Than You Ever Have Before” w/ Zac Fitzsimmons

 

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED:

 

Psalm 78:1-8

Hebrews 10:25

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