Smartphones have this pull on us- me, you, and everyone. They are designed that way! When was the last time you left your phone somewhere and didn’t panic? Your brain and mine have developed and matured in ways that your child’s brain has not. So why do you give your child a phone? It is understandable- they need it for football practice and other activities. They need to get ahold of you and vice versa! But, how do you talk through pulling back on the phone? Let’s discuss some practical steps.

Melanie Hempe is the founder of Screen Strong and has been on our program before. One of her goals in Screen Strong is to help parents think through the double standards on phones and other devices when they’re talking with their children.

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The post Digital Addiction appeared first on Trace Embry | License to Parent.

During the course of almost every mom and dad’s 18-year parenting journey, you will encounter conflict with your children. Guaranteed. But what happens when the conflicts become routine and magnify into combat in the teen years? How should parents proceed when you can no longer restrain your teenage wrecking ball from wrecking your home and the loved ones inside it? There are options if you run out of ideas for keeping your home a sanctuary of sanity and safety. These options are provided by a professional who helps families for a living.

Holly Hunter has been transporting troubled teens to therapeutic schools and programs across the country through Safe Passage Global which she founded. Holly has been a private investigator for more than 20 years, holds certifications in crisis manager intervention, and has been a Christian life coach. Holly is a certified mental health coach, first responder, and much much more. Holly is good at what she does and cares deeply about people. When Holly has some downtime you can find her singing, taking photos, or writing books.

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Have you ever stepped out in faith? Feeling led to do what some would consider impossible, but believing that God was directing you and knowing that He would do just that? Trace and Beth Embry saw a need in our world and they knew God was calling them to be the answer and to bring healing. Step by step, brick by brick, child by child, and through God they are breathing life into our next generation. They are watching God build something incredible. The Miracles of Shepherd’s Hill.

Trace is the founder and executive director of Shepherd’s Hill. Trace and his wife Beth have a heart and passion for the parents and youth of today’s culture. Trace was a former business owner and police officer in the Chicago area, but God lead them on a journey. The Embrys gave up almost everything to move to Georgia and begin Shepherd’s Hill Academy. Trace is the author of the book “The Miracles of Shepherd’s Hill: An Extraordinary Odyssey of Divine Interventions” Trace and Beth have five kids and eight grandchildren.

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There are scripture verses that speak about the sins of the fathers and many would agree that these verses also apply to the sins of the mothers. Whether you are a mom or a dad, even Godly parents are not immune from the shame, grief, and guilt, that can often accompany the secret sins of our past. These past sins and the emotions that stem from them can adversely affect the way that we raise our kids. They can even do damage to our parent-child relationships in the process. Adding insult to injury, the children of shame and guilt-ridden parents find themselves struggling with many of the same traits and issues that they did not know about their self-loathing parents. We need to get past the past for the sake of our kids today because you can’t live on a stump.

Dr. Harold Rhoades is a counseling psychologist. He was an intelligence officer in the US Army and he was also the head of counseling programs at Emmanuel College and Reagent University. He is the founder and director of Healing Springs Retreat Ministry. Dr. Rhoades is the author of the book “You Can’t Live on a Stump.” Dr. Rhoades and his wife live just down the road from Shepherd’s Hill Academy.

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When we think of addiction or any activity that can damage human emotions, bodies, and brain matter we often think only in terms of drug addiction. But what if our kids are regularly engaging in other things? Things that bring about the same kind of damage? Do you realize that our children’s screen time could be doing just that? The fact is digital abuse does affect the brain in the exact way that it is affected by cocaine and heroin. Digital abuse may also be affecting your child’s body and emotions in a similar way.

Melanie is the founder and director of Screen Strong. Melanie helps families avoid the problematic use of screens. She does this from the heart of a parent who has had to walk her own children through some hard screen addiction. Through Screen Strong, Melanie provides easy education on brain development and the effects of screen use on kids. She also provides solutions for parents. Melanie does not just tell parents to take away the devices, she helps them think through it so they can reconnect their family.

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Raising kids has always been a challenge and a joy, but today the challenges in raising kids seem to overwhelm the best of parents and the joy can feel gone. Parents seem to have lost their voice in the home and in our culture. We are seeing many couples opting out of raising kids altogether. Our culture now appears to be working against traditional families and robbing them of the joy that once was.

Rick Boyer is recognized by many in the homeschool network as Uncle Rick. He is an author, speaker, and homeschool pioneer. For many years his audio recording have taken scripture, history, and adventure stories and turned them into character lessons for many children. Rick and his wife Marilyn created the homeschool curriculum “Character Concepts.” 

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The post Taking Back Joy appeared first on Trace Embry | License to Parent.

Several months ago I watched a mother Robin build a nest outside my window. First, there was a nest, and then came the blue eggs. Then the blue eggs hatched and we had baby birds and then those baby birds flew away and all that was left was an empty nest. Jim Burns is back with us to talk more about how to find joy in the empty nest.

Jim Burns is the president of the ministry Homeword where he writes and speaks on their core values. The core values are; strong marriages, confident parents, empowered kids, and healthy leaders. Jim and his wife live in southern California and they have three grown daughters. Jim and his wife are finding joy in the empty nest.

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Our world has always dealt with political corruption and evil. Yet these days it seems that American parents are having to raise their kids in a culture where the breakdown of the very foundations and fundamental principles of reality have been challenged and sometimes redefined. This is a different kind of evil. A kind of evil that logically culminates into chaos which logically ends in conflict, destruction, and death. So the question becomes- may we be living in the last days?

Sam Sorbo studied biomedicine at Duke University but went on to be a model traveling the world and becoming fluent in five different languages. Modeling then took her to Hollywood for acting. Acting in LA is where she met her husband Kevin Sorbo. Today Sam hosts the nationally syndicated Sam Sorbo Show and speaks publicly around the nation. Find out more about Sam, her passions, and her family at her website.

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Our kids are being raised in a media-saturated world where their media choices have become virtually endless. Some of this is good, but when does it turn into too much of a good thing and become bad? Can too many media choices dilute what good and bad choices look like? With respect to digital technology is it wise for our kids to have unrestricted access to the proverbial candy shop of media? Are there psychological, emotional, behavioral, physical, and spiritual risks when media access is unrestricted?

Phillip Telfer is firstly a child of God and a disciple of Christ. Phillip is a pastor and is also a founder of Media Talk 101. He is the author of “Media Choices: Convictions or Compromise.” He also enjoys roasting his own coffee and sharing it with his family and friends.

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As Christian parents, when we raise our kids to believe that the Bible should be the final authority of moral truth we need to know how to interpret scriptures for ourselves. This starts with the book of Genesis. What we understand about Genesis will help us better determine what the rest of Scripture says. This will give us a better chance of knowing how to glorify God.

Del Tackett is a well-known biblical worldview teacher and author. He is the creator of The Truth Project and The Engagement Project. He is the host of the new feature film called “Is Genesis History.” Del wants to be known as a tour guide. A guide that takes you on an incredible excursion, the most breathless place possible; to gaze upon the face of God and to understand how his nature and character undergird all of reality.

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