License to Parent with Trace Embry

The Over-Consumption of Technology By Our Kids

Is being ostracized even a wise or valid reason? After all, kids being ostracized is a risk of having or not having or participating or not participating in something all the time. 

If our reference point of how to live is what other people think we are all going to be in for a lot of disappointment!

However, being ostracized for doing something right can actually result in good things for our kids such as character growth, resilience, grit, integrity, patience, and a stronger resolve to keep doing what’s right. Being strong enough to incorporate a safe and wise digital alternative for our kids.

There is no reason that any minor should have unencumbered access to his or her own smartphone. This even includes those who use their own money to pay for it. And there is a case to be made for this from the scientific perspective, biblical perspective, relational perspective, logical or psychological perspective, the physical perspective, and the spiritual perspective.

But I’m not saying kids should be without phones altogether. It’s a safety issue and a convenience. It’s a communication issue. But just because smartphones have become a systemic symbol of cultural relevance is not a good reason for giving a minor unfettered access to a smartphone and all that comes with it.

We’ll be talking about all of this with someone who is doing something about it today on License to Parent.

Discussing Technology and Discernment with Anne Marie McDonald

Anne Marie is the Vice President of public relations strategy at Gabb Wireless. She manages outreach opportunities to further the education of age-appropriate tech solutions. She frequently speaks about family and tech safety on various podcasts, broadcasts, and webinars that are in line with Gabb’s mission. She speaks from the heart on this because Anne Marie and her husband have four children ranging in age from 5 to 15.

Talking about Tech with our Family

Episode Highlights:

As a parent how can I understand good and bad technology and provide effective tools for my family?

Discussing tech habits and hygiene with our kids.

The dangers of having a smart device as a babysitter.

How do we fight the "this phone is your friend" narrative?

How to introduce wise phone use into a smartphone world.

How technology changes our kids.

Use code WISEPHONE to receive $10 off your Gabb Wireless Device.

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Parenting Priorities and Today's Culture

Are we, as parents, taking our parenting advice from popular media? Science? Pop Psychology? Scripture? As Christian parents, it is important to take our cues from Scripture, walking in the foundations of God's word. Today, we speak again with John Rosemond as we continue to discuss politically incorrect parenting.

Our parenting styles, disciplines, and general way of life may not always add up to what culture expects. Today we discuss some important questions that Christian parents should be asking, and how the answers will impact the well-being of our children for years to come.

Discussing The Hard Questions with John Rosemond

John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology.

In the past few years, John has appeared on numerous national television programs including 20/20, Good Morning America, The View, The Today Show, CNN, and CBS Later Today, as well as numerous print interviews.

Old Fashion Parenting

Episode Highlights:

What are some things you believe Grandma was right about and how can we implement these truths into the lives of our kids today?

What instructions do we need to follow to raise our kids?

Should your kids be the most important thing in your life?

Is happiness the main focus in the pursuit of raising children?

What is the balance in serving and guiding our kids?

What is the difference between happiness and joy?

Image from Pixabay

Parenting Differently in Today's Culture

You may parent a little bit different than those in your neighborhood, at the grocery store, and even those in your extended family.

A genuine commitment to God and His word can get funny looks from your kids’ friends, the parents of those friends, and even other Christian parents. But have you noticed that your kids are more emotionally well-adjusted, better behaved, and easier to handle?

Still, the temptation to give in to the prevailing parenting trends of our culture may be a nagging concern to you. Maybe no-one openly rebukes you for it, but you may still feel at times like a parenting primitive who is behind the times and raising your kids with a different set of restrictions and requirements than most other kids.

Your kids often seem to identity better adults than with their actual peer group. You are a politically incorrect parent. And we’re here to encourage you in that.

Discussing The Challenges of Parenting Today with John Rosemond

John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology.

Presently, his time is devoted to speaking and writing. John is syndicated in approximately 225 newspapers nationwide. He has written eleven best-selling parenting books. He is also one of America’s busiest and most popular speakers and most certainly the busiest and most popular in his field. He’s known for his sound advice, humor, and easy, relaxed, engaging style. 

The Dangers of Self-Esteem

Episode Highlights:

Why do people trust secular mental health when it comes to child-rearing today?

Are these methods backed up by real research?

What is an integrationist?

Is self-esteem biblical?

What are the downfalls of self-esteem?

How does today’s generation handle criticism?

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The Crisis of Manhood

Today, there are new standards, protocols, and even terms that many of us are yet to be familiar with. In fact, many of the definitions of these terms have to be sorted out and agreed upon before we can have an intelligent conversation about manhood.

Apparent absolutes about boys and men have become fluid. But more than that, American culture has created a climate ripe for systemic discouragement of our young men. Have they been in some sense emasculated? If so, what can be done about it?

The crisis of manhood extends beyond political correctness. The bottom line is that we have messed with God’s ecosystem. When the creation thinks that they have a better idea for doing and defining life than the creator, that’s when we are building a house of cards.

Discussing The Challenges of Manhood Today with Gregory Koufacos

Today we welcome Gregory Koufacos to the program. Gregory is a veteran addiction counselor and therapist. He has just published a book called: The Primal Method: a book for emerging men. This book explores the epidemic of young men failing to launch.

Gregory holds a master’s degree in Psychology from the New School of Social Research. He’s a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor and a nationally certified recovery coach. Gregory’s work helps clients identify what’s gone wrong, why traditional therapy often fails them, and how emerging men can break their debilitating cycles.

A Parenting Crisis Coming to Light

Episode Highlights:

What can parents do to mitigate negative culture while their children are still boys?

How much of this issue is due to all the things our young kids are stimulated with 24/7/365 via technology?

It is essential for every young man to find his purpose in life. How can parents do a better job at helping their sons find their purpose?

In what way is the authentic connection a part of healing and growth?

What is the primal mind?

What is the difference between finding a purpose and finding your purpose?

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Putting Romans 12:2 into Practice

By and large, a vast majority of moral views and perspectives of even non-believers in America used to be in line with biblical views. Unfortunately, it’s hard to say that about many Christians today.

This similarity in views also applied to parenting. This was specifically seen in what used to be required of our nation’s youth and what they were allowed to be exposed to. But the times have certainly changed. Today’s American parents don’t look the same as they used to. It’s a struggle and a challenge for parents to range healthy and emotionally well-adjusted kids. It requires us to be so much more intentional about the parenting choices that we make.

We now must teach our kids to “swim upstream” against the current cultural tide. That means taking Romans 12:2 to heart and to a whole new level. Our goal is to be counter-cultural parents raising counter-cultural kids.

Discussing The Challenges in Counter-Cultural Parenting with Tina Marie Griffin

Tina Marie Griffin went from bailing hay and milking cows at a young age on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, to working as an actress in Hollywood. At the age of 20, she moved to Los Angelos to study and pursue a film and acting career. Since then, she has appeared in numerous films and television programs.

Today she travels around the country speaking on how pop culture and media have been glamorizing harmful behavior without showing the consequences. She exposes how this in turn erodes the foundation of the development of today’s youth. Tina Marie has spoken about how positive media, friends, and good choices can lead to a successful life.

She and her husband Luke have 4 children and they are homeschooling parents (even before Covid-19).

A Parenting Crisis Coming to Light

Episode Highlights:

Do Hollywood actors, artists, and media personnel allow their own children to view or listen to their own work?

How has the media been pushing a political agenda?

What is Spy-Gate?

The importance and power of prayer

Text GUIDE to 55444 for Free Parent Media Guide

What about Kanye?

What can parents do to equip their children?

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Educating our Children in Today's Culture

As a result, our kids have been allowed to be exposed to influences that we wouldn’t regularly even think of allowing them to be exposed to. Media, movies, peers, popular culture and more are vying for our kids' attention. Have we been complicit in all of this? We must be vigilant. Our kids are God’s kids and we have the responsibility to train them in the way they should go.

The tragedy is that today in many cases someone else already has trained our children. In the past, it was always the “bad crowd” that parents warned their kids about. But today the bad crowd could be what was traditionally thought of as the good crowd of people we trusted. This could be school board members, teachers, professors, media personnel, news anchors, doctors, lawyers, and the list goes on. Today it seems like the spiritual life has been sucked out of the noble professions. But they still hold much of the influence in today’s society.

If there is a systemic problem in America today— it’s a moral and spiritual problem.

Discussing The Challenges in Education with Sam Sorbo

Sam Sorbo is an actress in films such a Bonfire of the Vanities and Twenty Bucks. She has also acted in television shows such as Chicago Hope and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. She is now the host of a nationally syndicated radio program: The Sam Sorbo Show.

She continues to act, produce and write books including They’re Your Kids - An Inspirational Journey from Self Doubter to Homeschool Advocate.

A Parenting Crisis Coming to Light

Episode Highlights:

We are going beyond an Education Crisis to a Parenting Crisis

What parents are learning in the midst of a pandemic

Parenting and discipline come before education

How has 2020 impacted the educational landscape

What are some of the Covid-homeschooling resources available to parents

How does secular schooling impact our worldview as parents? How does this impact our kids?

What role does morality play in society?

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The Christian Perspective of College

Yet many of these prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale, and others actually began as Christian theological institutions. As Christian parents then, how should we be preparing our kids to deal with an academic environment that might actually be hostile to their faith? How can we better prepare our kids to stand their ground amidst this growing hostility? Should we even consider sending our kids to a college or university that might draw our kids away from God?

It's no secret that for quite some time now there's been a liberal bent in much of higher education.  But, it seems that in recent times there's actually become a seething resentment, perhaps even hate, for anything to do with faith in God.

Another thing that so many of these academics don't always have, is the ability or the wisdom to come to terms with the limits of their own finite knowledge.  That's a huge and arrogant mistake. So, when they pass-on their emotionally-charged leftist rhetoric to their young and impressionable students, things don't always end well. Especially for those students who graduate "con-sum-lager" in Bolivian Snipe-hunt theory and then wonder why no one's hiring. 

So, these kids have the time to brood down that warped road of bias and hostility, anger, resentment, jealousy, and misery that their leftist professors have gone down and helped pave for them.  But, that's exactly how and when so many of our "educational" institutions embolden and equip more entitled "adult" spoiled brats to try to break our stuff or take our stuff away from us; including our faith. Particularly our Christian faith.

Discussing the Changes in Higher Education with Dan Dupee

Dan Dupee is President Emeritus of the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO). He served as President and CEO of the CCO from 1999-2015, and as Chairman of the Board from 2016-2020.

Dan is also the author of It's Not Too Late: The Essential Part You Play in Shaping Your Teen’s Faith, which was published in 2016 by Baker Books. 

Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) calls college students to serve Jesus Christ with their entire lives. They share the Gospel with students and develop passionate disciples of Jesus Christ. They serve together with the church and invite students into the lives of local congregations. They give students a vision for serving Jesus Christ in their studies, jobs, communities, and families.

Higher Education & Our Faith

Episode Highlights:

The impact of society and a pandemic on higher education

Why is there an animosity towards the faith?

How has higher education changed?

What can we, as parents do to prepare our kids for college?

Can Christian students thrive in a secular college environment

What is CCO?

Why is community more important than ever?

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Forsaking The Ideals of Socialism & Globalism

Our country is the country people from other countries are trying to get to; both legally and illegally. If it is such a terrible place then why are they trying to do this? Today we look at how the church can recognize manipulation by those who would want us to hate America and those who wish for us to accept the narrative of a historically failed form of government.

We need to let our kids in on the rest of the story. I know from working with kids that they don’t like to be unjustly controlled, conned, or otherwise manipulated. Not by their government, their teachers, bosses, coaches, or their own parents; and certainly not by foreign billionaires! But being controlled, conned, and otherwise manipulated is exactly what’s been happening to our kids these days through lies, revisions of history, and lore of free stuff!

Our kids aren’t the only victims here. It’s a lot of adults too. I’m talking highly educated adults. I can’t tell you why but we know that there is no fool like the educated fool, right? Whatever the case, this is an interesting and important parenting topic and we’re excited to have Dr. Frank Wright with us today to talk about it.

Discussing the Exposure of Falisies with Dr. Frank Wright

Dr. Frank Wright has been the president and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) for more than 10 years. He’s also acted as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Salem Communications Corporation. He then joined Dr. D. James Kennedy ministries as its president and CEO in 2015.

Dr. Wright’s organization has produced a documentary that exposes the architecture of left, the well-heeled foundations that make the grants, activist groups that do the work (including Catholic, Protestant, and evangelicals organizations), and politicized media who amplify the message.”

Christian Parents & the Importance of History

Episode Highlights:

Who is George Soros? Why do you kids need to know who he is?

Is Soros a socialist or globalist? What is the difference?

What is the overall goal of Soros?

Why are we even concerned with what George Soros does or thinks?

What is the “follow the money” chart?

How do we respond to our kids who think this is just a “conspiracy theory?”

How do we influence our culture today?

What can we, as parents, do?

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The Impact of Screens on Our Children & Teens

We’ve seen that screens often become something like our children’s “other parents” but has it become even worse than that? Could these smart devices have become our children’s god? What does the Bible say about this topic and how to instill biblically, safe, and healthy wisdom into our kids?

Discussing Digital Addiction with Kathy Koch

Dr. Kathy Koch is the founder and president of Celebrate Kids Incorporated, based in Fort Worth, TX. She is the co-founder of Ignite the Family. She is a featured speaker for Great Homeschool Conventions and is a frequent speaker for Care Net, Axis, and a number of other organizations.

Dr. Kathy earned a Ph.D. in Reading and Educational Psychology from Purdue University. She was a tenured associate professor in Education at the University of Wisconsin. She was also a teacher of 2nd graders, a middle school teacher, and much more!

She has also written 6 books including her most recent, Start with the Heart. We have asked her here today to discuss one of her previous books entitled Screens and Teens: Connecting with Our Kids in a Wireless World.

A Healthy Balance of Screentime

Episode Highlights:

Why does there need to be a wise digital protocol in the home?

Why are so many kids still allowed to spend so much time in front of screens and keyboards?

Should we be happy all the time? What is the difference between happiness and joy?

How do you know if your teen has developed an addiction to technology?

Is there a benefit to paper books over e-reader books?

Is using a screen for education beneficial?

Additional resources available in Kathy's new book

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Guiding Our Children through the Unknown

It’s challenging for us as adults, but it’s challenging for our kids too. But it’s challenging to them in different ways. Normally our kids would look to us for guidance on how to get through life’s challenges. We’re usually pretty good at helping them because, more often than not, we’ve already been through the challenges ourselves and can show them how we managed them.

Covid-19s Impact on our Children

2020 has shown us that this model isn’t going according to plan either, as most of us have never experienced a global pandemic. It’s new to us just like it’s new to our kids. This time, they get to see us flounder. That brings up another point of stress: Covid-19’s impact on our kids and how we can help them manage these pain points and come out stronger on the other side.

Discussing Mental Health Struggles with June Hunt

June Hunt is an author, speaker, singer, and founder of Hope for the Heart. Hope for the Heart is a worldwide biblical counseling ministry founded in 1986. The ministry offers practical help through biblical counsel, coaching, and content for contemporary concerns in more than 60 countries on 6 continents. June’s books have sold more than a million copies. In February, June will release her newest book called Anxiety: Calming the Fearful Heart. Today June and Trace Embry will look at the impact Covid-19 has had on our teens.

Navigating the Struggles of a Pandemic

Episode Highlights:

Are children and teens struggling with the will to live?

How has isolation impacted the suicide rate and mental health overall?

Recognizing indicators and signs of anxiety, fear, concern, and suicidal ideations.

What phrases should parents look for in teens who are suicidal? What actions are indicators?

What should I do if my teen shows signs of anxiety or suicidal ideations?

What are the causes of kids/teens feeling hopeless?

What is the role of hope?

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