License to Parent with Trace Embry

New apps, websites, devices --even new languages and other modes of communication and entertainment--are developing virtually every day. And, this includes ways of communicating and sending images that could negatively affect your child's reputation and future success. Consequently, realizing that our kids have a lot more disposable time to explore and use these devices than we do (if we let them), we'll need to come to grips with the significant changes and/or help needed to help them execute a wise digital protocol. We'll be exploring what some of that might look like, next, as we discuss how to shine online with Josh Ochs.

Josh Ochs is a Founder and Digital Citizenship Author with a background in marketing at Disney and a love for all things technology. Josh Ochs combines both to help teens and tweens use social media as a portfolio of positive accomplishments. Josh travels the nation speaking to over 30,000 kids each year sharing with them tips they can use to create a positive online presence.

Josh’s book: “Light, Bright and Polite for Teens” teaches kids of all ages that everything they post on social media will eventually be discovered by their parents, teachers, their school Principal and someday colleges and employers. He shows families and teenagers practical examples they can use to always keep it “Light, Bright and Polite” by posting photos of community volunteer projects that will help them shine online. Josh Ochs' other 5 books teach people and brands how to shine online.

Light, Bright and Polite: Social Media Etiquette for Teens

Episode Highlights:

“It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game”

How can teens be positive online?

How do you "search for yourself" online?

Learn how your social media presence becomes a resume

What are colleges and businesses looking for online?

How can I change my child's perspective of online activity?

Picture via: Pixabay

New apps, websites, devices –even new languages and other modes of communication and entertainment–are developing virtually every day. And, this includes ways of communicating and sending images that could negatively affect your child’s reputation and future success. Consequently, realizing that our kids have a lot more disposable time to explore and use these devices than […]

And, when so many of these instant pleasures avail themselves at every turn without any peer pressure to resist, then, like sheep to the slaughter, it can be just too easy to allow our emotion to cloud our reason and proceed with something that we'll likely regret later. And, because so many of today's instant pleasures are ego-driven, visually appealing, excitement oriented or sexually stimulating, today's young men seem to be tempted more than the rest of the general population. Today, we'll be discussing a Guy's Guide to Four Battles Every Young Man Must Face with expert Jonathan McKee.

Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the Amazon Best Seller – The Guy’s Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket and The Guy’s Guide to Four Battles Every Young Man Must Face. He has over 20 years of youth ministry experience and speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers and parents on TheSource4Parents.com. Jonathan and his wife Lori live in Northern California.

A Guide for our Guys

Episode Highlights:

Are guys today a victim of our society?

What type of temptations is prevalent in our world? How do they differ from the temptations parents faced as teens?

How is smartphone use impacting teen guys?

How is the media impacting the sex lives of and sex talk with teen guys?

Four Battles: the distraction of a screen, sexual temptation, self-esteem, and substances.

Why are accountability partners so important? How do our children find good leaders for accountability if they don’t open up to mom and dad?

Picture via: Pixabay

And, when so many of these instant pleasures avail themselves at every turn without any peer pressure to resist, then, like sheep to the slaughter, it can be just too easy to allow our emotion to cloud our reason and proceed with something that we’ll likely regret later. And, because so many of today’s instant […]

It seems that more and more the deck is being stacked against the unique attributes that God has given our sons in particular. Has paternal dominance and toxic masculinity really been the root of society’s ills? Should we raise our kids not to believe that their obvious biological differences should not be taken into account […]

But, these days, there are websites and podcasts devoted entirely to debunking the Bible and Christianity! And, they’ve given our kids pause to believe that perhaps the Bible isn’t what their parents claimed it to be; but, rather a book of myths and contradictory stories made up by an oppressive patriarchy of madmen. And your […]

Have we mortgaged our kids' childhoods for "stuff" and status? Why shouldn't our success be gauged more by the relational peace, contentment, fulfillment, joy, and security that we and our kids actually bring to one another? And by the eternal security that comes from our family's knowledge of, submission to, and relationship with the God of the universe? Today will explore a more biblical view of parenting success. You might call it a Theology of Home. And we chat with Carrie Gress, an expert on this subject.

Carrie Gress, a homeschooling mother of four, has a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of America. She is the editor at the online magazine Theology of Home and the author of several books including her latest The Anti-Mary Exposed.

Theology of Home

Theology of Home was created to assist Christian women in discovering truth and knowledge in a way that is applicable to their daily lives. We often see many secular magazines and publications really speaking to deep issues in raising a family, navigating the home, etc. but we also see a lot of junk that is tied to it. The concept of Theology of Home came as the idea struck me that we are all really racing to come home (Heaven/eternity) and everything we do needs to be directed to that. Everything we do can be heavenly and like a sanctuary, or it can feel like hell. As parents, we can create an environment that our children will understand as a foreshadowing of our heavenly home. As parents, the biggest thing is to be present to those in the home and to foster those relationships. Homemaker is not a dirty word. We have a desire (just look at HGTV!) to have beautiful homes, but we need to focus on more than just the perfect throw pillow.

I think that we have to look at the nature of the human person. Unfortunately, our culture has distorted this. If we go back to ancient mythology we see women defined as vessels. We see the ocean, a ship, etc. Women don’t just carry things, they transform them. So much of our culture tells women that children are your enemy and you need to do what men do to be happy. Really, women have a deep desire to nurture and help transform things. These are amazing gifts we can give others.

In today’s culture, we are seeing that the media and other women have a very strong impact on women and the way they see their success. In fact, oftentimes these pressures are stronger than the need for approval from a woman’s own husband or family. Our media is promoting a very specific message that children are our enemy and we can only be happy in our career. However, older women today are looking back and desiring deep relationships that they never took time for in their earlier years. Dedicate time to your kids. These are things that we will not regret later in life.

Episode Highlights:

What are the roles of parents in the home?

Do women have a desire to nurture?

What impact does the feminist movement have on our home?

Picture via: Pixabay

Have we mortgaged our kids’ childhoods for “stuff” and status? Why shouldn’t our success be gauged more by the relational peace, contentment, fulfillment, joy, and security that we and our kids actually bring to one another? And by the eternal security that comes from our family’s knowledge of, submission to, and relationship with the God […]

They're known as "Peter Pan males." Because, by all observation, it appears that they just refuse to grow up. They've also been known to be plagued with what's now called "a failure to launch." So, what can we do as responsible and God-fearing parents living in a world full of entitlement political-correctness, trigger words and safe-spaces to prepare our kids for independent and responsible living? That's today's discussion as we explore Parenting for the Launch with Dennis Trittin.

Dennis Trittin is President and CEO of LifeSmart Publishing and author of "Parenting for the Launch: Raising Teens to Succeed in the Real World" and "What I Wish I Knew at 18: Life Lessons for the Road Ahead." His mission is to inspire and equip the next generation with the leadership and life skills they need to flourish and fulfill their purpose.

Previously, Dennis was a senior executive for 27 years at Russell Investments where he managed some $40 billion and evaluated leaders and organizations worldwide. Dennis has been happily married to Jeanne for 37 years, have two wonderful adult children, and reside in Gig Harbor, Washington.

Raising Teens to Succeed in the Real World

The book Parenting for the Launch was actually written in response to feedback that was received from educators. They kept saying, “can you write a book for parents?” They were identifying just as many issues with parents as they were with children. Educators, employers, universities are all seeing this as a needed resource for parents.

Typically parents don’t think about the teenage years when they dream about raising a family. It’s so easy to just give in and allow things when we cease to realize that we are raising future adults and parents. There has to be a strategy in our parenting. We are dealing with their everyday needs, but are also staying steps ahead. Our view needs to be that we are not just raising children, we are raising adults called to live out God’s purpose. If we don’t think in those terms our focus shifts to our kid’s happiness. This results in a generation of children with a lack of character and soft skills who are not ready for adulthood.

As parents, we need to be intentional. But we also need to teach our kids to be intentional. So, what does intentionality look like during the teen years? It involves building the leadership skills that our kids need to become successful adults. We must put our kids in positions to learn and demonstrate leadership. Secondly, we must teach our kids how to do things they need to do on their own while they are in our home. Look ahead about 3-4 years and start introducing those things along the way. Give them more responsibility and privileges. Introduce your children to other role model adults who will speak life into them and help them develop connections. While kids are pushing parents away in their teens, having other adults to say the same things (but it is received differently from someone who is not their parents) is essential.

Episode Highlights:

What can we do, as parents, to prepare our children for the real world?

What is the role of intentionality in parenting?

Are students receiving enough "real life" lessons in the education system?

Picture via: Pixabay

They’re known as “Peter Pan males.” Because, by all observation, it appears that they just refuse to grow up. They’ve also been known to be plagued with what’s now called “a failure to launch.” So, what can we do as responsible and God-fearing parents living in a world full of entitlement political-correctness, trigger words and […]