Them Before Us With Katy Faust

In this week's show, Katy Faust and Josh Wood take a wide-angle look at the future of kids, schools, and families. We start with how AI is reshaping education, not by making kids better at coding, but by forcing schools to double down on soft skills like resilience, teamwork, and emotional intelligence. Then we turn South, where states like Florida and Tennessee are defying national trends in reading and math decline with bold reforms and a back-to-basics approach. We also dig into new Census data showing young adults are struggling to reach classic milestones of adulthood, marriage, kids, and independence, and what that means for society’s future. Finally, we take listener questions about teen drama and tough in-law relationships

This week’s show tackles three hot-button cultural and political debates shaping family life. First, we dive into California’s AB 495, the so-called “Family Preparedness Plan Act,” which supporters frame as compassionate but critics warn could dismantle parental rights and expose kids to exploitation. Then, we turn to Trump’s push for a “citizen-only” Census and the escalating redistricting wars that could reshape Congress for decades. We also look at the controversy over “parentification” and why letting kids pitch in at home might actually strengthen families, not harm them. Finally, in listener questions, we explore how parents can equip kids for back-to-school and how Christians should think about marriage debates in light of cases like Kim Davis and the Supreme Court’s signals on Obergefell.

This week’s show takes on some of the toughest questions families face today. Jenn and Katy wrestle with the idea of whether women can truly “have it all,” balancing career, motherhood, and faith, and what that phrase even means in real life. Josh joins Katy to break down a growing legal and cultural question: should parents be held accountable for the crimes of their children? In the Q&A, the team addresses one of the most difficult issues listeners raise, how to think about abuse within marriage and what a faithful, child-centered response should look like. It is a wide-ranging and heartfelt discussion about ambition, responsibility, and the real challenges families face behind closed doors.

Josh and Katy tackle the week’s headlines—like the miraculous birth of a baby frozen for 30 years, a court victory for abortion pill reversal, and what a new Gallup poll says about America’s values. Jenn joins for a raw Q&A on tough bioethics questions: What should happen to embryos when a mother can’t carry them? What if a baby is born to the wrong parents? Plus, news on the Trump IVF policy shift, a surprise downturn in the jobs report, and why the economy matters for families.

In this episode, Katy and Josh explore the intersection of policy, parenting, and the well-being of children. They begin with a major legal win in Oregon, where the 9th Circuit struck down a rule requiring adoptive parents to affirm gender ideology, highlighting the need to put children’s needs before political agendas. Next, they examine why most Americans admire adoption but rarely choose it, and how fear, misinformation, and cultural trends contribute to the ongoing adoption gap. They also dig into encouraging new data showing that divorce rates are falling, while questioning whether fewer divorces actually mean stronger families. Finally, Jenn joins Katy to respond to thoughtful listener questions about adoption and same-sex couples, parenting differences between spouses, and whether two teens should marry before college. From courtrooms to living rooms, this episode asks a timely and important question: What does it truly mean to prioritize children in a culture that often centers adults instead?

This week, Katy and Josh unpack two disturbing surrogacy stories making headlines. One involves a registered sex offender who crowdfunded his way into custody of an infant, and the other centers on a California couple under FBI investigation after commissioning 21 children via surrogacy. Together, they examine how surrogacy laws sidestep critical protections that would apply in adoption, and how treating children as products can lead to devastating consequences, even when everything appears legal on paper.

In the second half, Jenn joins the conversation for a candid Q&A, offering insight and perspective as the team responds to heartfelt listener questions about whether or not it's worth it to have children, someone stuck in a loveless marriage, and whether kids are meant to heal us.

What happens when unpopular research proves true? We unpack new analysis on Mark Regnerus’s studies on LGBT parenting (hint: he was vindicated!), explore whether pastors should endorse candidates, and challenge the myth of a “well-timed” divorce. Real listener questions bring it home with honesty and hope.

Katy and Jenn dig into what boys are missing in today’s culture. Not just guidance, but men. From the shrinking presence of dads to the lack of male mentors in schools, boys are being raised in overwhelmingly female spaces, and it’s leaving a mark. Next, they unpack the latest headlines. Chip and Joanna Gaines make a surprising turn in their new show, and Baylor University reverses course on LGBT grant funding. Are Christian institutions buckling under cultural pressure? Finally, they respond to heartfelt listener questions about adoption, surrogacy, and the ache of absent fathers.

Katy and Josh unpack the "Big Beautiful Bill" defunding Planned Parenthood, the new technology called "IVG" and what it means for children's rights, and then Jenn joins Katy with some questions about divorce and whether men or women carry more of the "mental load" in a relationship.

This week’s episode dives deep into the culture and challenges facing today’s families. We start with Malachi 2:15 and explore what it means to raise godly offspring in a time when pride in America is declining and truth is under attack.

In our news commentary, we unpack two major Supreme Court victories for children and parents, one upholding age verification for pornography websites, and another reinforcing parental rights over LGBT curriculum in schools. What do these rulings mean for Christian families?

We also tackle listener questions, from navigating a child’s exposure to pornography, to how to lovingly engage friends struggling with Christianity, to whether socialism aligns with Scripture.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone concerned with how to protect, disciple, and prepare children to stand firm in both faith and culture. Learn more from Them Before Us at thembeforeus.substack.com!