Social scientist and cultural critic Jonathan Haidt recently wrote an important article entitled, “What Kids Told Us About How to Get Them Off Their Phones.” In this episode, Brett & Erin discuss Haidt’s piece and his research findings about kids, smartphones and the new phenomenon of a phone-based childhood. They also discuss how unstructured free time is key in getting kids off their phones and providing them with a healthy upbringing.

Read the original article here: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/kids-smartphones-play-freedom/683742/ 

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Are your kids ready for their Christian faith to be challenged? Is Christianity true? What’s the evidence? And do those questions even matter, if we cannot also make the case that Christianity is good? In this episode, Brett and Erin chat with Frank Turek, in-the-trenches apologist and author of the book “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” about the contemporary objections to Christianity that our kids will face and how we can help them answer the challenges.

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Summer is in full swing, and Brett and Erin are busy speaking to parents across the country! So, while they're on the road, we're diving into the MAVEN Parent Podcast archives to revisit some of Brett and Erin's favorite episodes.

God has designed each and every human being in unique and wonderful ways, and that includes our kids! So how do we discover those things that are special about our children? And how can we be intentional in encouraging our kids in their God-given uniqueness? In this episode, Brett and Erin discuss these questions and offer practical tips from their own experiences for getting to know your kid's unique qualities.

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Most teens go through a phase of disrespect—it's not a matter of if, but when. Modern parenting advice often claims that "better connection" is the fix. But that alone just doesn't cut it in real life. So what does work? In this episode, Brett and Erin walk through 10 practical steps you can take to handle disrespect and help cultivate a foundation of mutual respect that will serve your kid well in adulthood.

Listen to Part 1 on this conversation on disrespect: https://linktw.in/xNgQqL

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How should parents respond when their teenagers are disrespectful? Let’s be honest—we’ve all probably thrown some attitude as teens. But when you’re on the receiving end as a parent, teen snark can feel relentless and exhausting. And as parents, we may be desperate for help to know how to handle our teen's habitual disrespectful tones towards us. There's a lot of parenting advice floating around these days and we want to make sure we're clinging to what's biblical and effective.

In this episode, Brett and Erin react to a video from popular YouTube parenting expert Coach M, who offers her take on understanding and addressing teen disrespect. They break down her approach and discuss how it aligns—or doesn’t—with a Christian worldview of human nature.

Watch the full video from Coach M for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRA65JfelzI

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The immigration topic is a big one, encompassing multiple issues. Open borders. Assimilation. National sovereignty. These topics are emotionally charged and debated in our culture. But what wisdom does Scripture shine on these topics? In this episode, Brett and Erin continue their discussion on immigration, borders, national sovereignty, how Scripture informs these issues, and how we can talk to our kids about them.

Read the "Theology of Immigration" article: https://firstthings.com/theology-of-immigration/

Breakpoint: https://www.breakpoint.org/breakpoint-immigration-families-and-jesus/

Watch part 1 of this conversation on immigration: https://linktw.in/pPqFCT

Check out our interview with Dawn Duran: https://linktw.in/vpsipF

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The issue of immigration is everywhere in the news these days. From mass deportations to protests and riots in major cities, this is a topic that is immensely controversial and emotionally charged. As Christians, how do we even begin to navigate conversations about immigration with our friends, family, and kids? In this episode, Brett and Erin discuss the topic of immigration and unpack how Scripture equips us with a framework to think well about this much-debated topic.

U.S. Code banning Illegal Immigration: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1325

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It is fashionable in today's world to either criticize and publicly profess your disdain for your country or blindly stamp everything your country does as good. Many young people today did not receive a robust civic education (and maybe we didn't either!). How can we combat this trend in the next generation? In this episode, Brett and Erin chat with Dawn Duran, author of the book "A Reasoned Patriotism: Critical Thinking and Civic Duty in an Age of Polarization," about how teaching our kids civics is essential to helping them develop a balanced love of country and skills for thoughtful engagement as citizens.

Read The Battle Hymn of the Republic: https://songofamerica.net/song/battle-hymn-of-the-republic/ 

Get Dawn's book: https://a.co/d/4TWFpIS

Find out more about Dawn here: https://areasonedpatriotism.com/

Listen to Dawn's podcast here: https://thenewmasonjar.com/

Read Articles by Dawn: https://thediscerninghomeeducator.substack.com/

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The urge to search online for parenting advice is strong! We use Google or AI tools to search all the time. Why wouldn't a topic like parenting be any different? Especially if you're in a pinch and need some quick ideas for how to move forward. In this episode, Brett and Erin unpack why we have this impulse to Google for wisdom and where we can look instead for solid parenting help.

Check out our episode on Google and parenting advice: https://youtu.be/jWYhhO-c8tI

Need something for the your teens to do this summer? Check out Summit's Student Conferences at: www.summit.org/maven and use code MAVEN25 to save $300 when you register.

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Summer is in full swing and with it the temptation for kids to waste their new found free time with screens. How can we help our kids and teens take full advantage of their summer free time without binging screen time? In this episode, Brett and Erin talk about how to kick the kids outside and help them build good habits with a screen-free summer. Need something for the your teens to do this summer?

Check out Summit's Student Conferences at: www.summit.org/maven and use code MAVEN25 to save $300 when you register.

MAVEN...is donor-supported...DONATE HERE: https://maventruth.com/donation/