If It’s Between YouTube and Me – Pick Me!
In the minute it took to click the link to this article and begin reading, 400 hours of videos were uploaded to YouTube. YouTube is engaging its viewers intently across 91 countries and 80 different languages. In a calendar year, people watch 46,000 years worth of content. The enormity of that volume can barely be […]
Why Everyone Needs a Phone Basket
Every year we host a “Christmas Cookie and Hot Coco” party for our middle school aged children. It all began because Grandma, a Cambridge Culinary School trained chef, loves to bake dozens upon dozens of extravagant Christmas cookies for the kids to indulge in. Not wanting our kids to eat them all, we invited all […]
Always Available, Instant Communication is Hurting You: Here’s Five Ways to Change
I once asked a group of young middle school aged girls how they practiced patience with their smartphones. One girl proudly announced that she shows patience as she waits for the iMessage bubble indicating the other person is typing to display her newly received message. For many of us adults, this may be the extent […]
Neglect Your Phone (Not Your Child)
You probably think your teen spends too much time on their phone. A majority of parents (72%) feel this way according to new research.[1] And…over half of teens (52%) AGREE they spend too much time on their smartphone. Your child probably thinks YOU spend too much time on your phone. Over half of teens (51%) […]
10 FORTNITE Facts Every Parent Should Know [VIDEO]
There seems to be some new viral trend captivating our kids every six months. Whether it be a dance move (Whip Nae Nae), toys (fidget spinners), crafts (slime), or apps (Pokemon Go) – kids today love to jump on the bandwagon and ride it all the way to obsession. The current obsession: FORTNITE. Epic Games, […]
Brave Parenting Q & A
On THURSDAY JUNE 28th at 8pm CST Brave Parenting Founder Kelly and her husband Ryan will be LIVE here at braveparenting.net and on Facebook [@braveparentingnetwork]. They will answer any of your Smartphone, Social Media, Internet, Boundaries, and Parenting questions. You can submit your questions in advance or during the live event. Kelly is the founder […]
Are You Sharing Too Much of Your Kids? [What to Consider Before Posting]
I was nineteen years old when I received my first (and only) debt collection call. The man calling knew everything about me, and with authority, was set to collect on my unpaid debt. Except, the debt was from seven years earlier – when I was twelve. And the line of credit was opened with a […]
Home Smartphones: The Better Alternative For Young Children
Remember the days when you stretched out every curl from the tethered phone cord in desperate attempt to talk to your friends away from listening ears? Or maybe you recall arguing with your sibling as they continued to pick up another house phone during your call. These are the sweet and precious memories of home […]
The Growing Trend of “Random Video Chatting”: What Parents Need to Know
Everything online is moving towards video. Perhaps this is due to our plummeting attention spans or our lack of desire to read on a screen. More likely, however, it is because our brains are wired to appreciate and engage with moving, talking, breathing, humans instead of edited selfies. For children spending an increasing amount of […]
5 Reasons Why No Child Needs Snapchat
Everyone parenting in our Snapchat society can probably identify with one of these FOUR places: You are preparing for the adolescent/teen years when your child will ask for Snapchat. Your child has already asked for Snapchat and you are currently debating whether to allow it. You’ve allowed Snapchat, you don’t like it, and you need […]
How to Wean Your Child Off Social Media
You said yes to the social media app. So many of your kid’s friends use this app so it seemed like the right thing to do (I’m the only person in the school without it!), but now you regret allowing it. The constant selfies, the never-ending checking, viewing, responding, checking, checking, checking. It’s like they […]
What Every Parent Needs to Learn from Recent SWATting Tragedy
In late December 2017, a news story out of Wichita, Kansas brought a growing issue into full light: SWATting. While this may seem like an issue for large cities or a crime-riddled subculture not affecting the average family, there are valuable lessons every parent and child can learn from this story. “SWATting” SWATting refers to […]
The Alternative to Scrolling in 2018 is….
If you weren’t online right now, what would you be doing? When you aren’t scrolling through news, emails, and social media feeds, are you watching television? Working out? Cleaning your house? What about reading – as in actual books? Is this on your agenda? Brave Parenting believes one of the BEST goals for a New […]
Outsourcing Your Role as a Parent
“Honestly, I don’t know what I would do.” This was an honest confession from my neighbor about kids and screens. She and I were sitting on my front porch in the sweltering Texas heat. Jeanne is wise in her years, especially after raising 4 children as a single mother. But, the one feeling that came […]
It Starts with Dinner: Phones Off the Table
Over the past ten years our culture has allowed for a seismic shift in acceptable and respectful behavior between people. Phubbing, sharenting, exposing, roasting, and sexting are now everyday, household behaviors. We’ve been swept off our feet from a tsunami of smartphones. Everyone now seems to be clinging to their devices for dear life. The […]
The Home Smart Phone: The Better Alternative
Remember the days when you stretched out every curl from the tethered phone cord in desperate attempt to talk to your friends away from listening ears? Or maybe you recall arguing with your sibling as they continued to pick up another house phone during your call, either to eavesdrop or tell you to get off […]
Blindfolded Parenting and the Rise of Snapchat
A recent survey of American parents revealed that less than half of parents (40%) know the content their children are seeing through social media accounts. This indicates 60% of parents are metaphorically BLINDFOLDED to what content is being poured into their child. Not surprising considering Snapchat, the master Houdini of all social media apps, has taken […]
Big Dreams: The One Thing Children Desperately Need From You
Children love to dream. Whether they dream about life, the future, or fantastic stories from their imagination, they know how to dream big. From the moment they begin speaking and through their adolescence they blissfully proclaim their desire to be a princess, a doctor, the President, or the next big NBA basketball star. As parents, […]
Breaking the Habit of Multitasking
You are Chief Coordinator of your household. You hold a job, cook meals, organize sports and extra-curricular activities, help with homework, schedule check-ups, drive the taxi, mow the grass, do the laundry and read stories at night. All of this while trying to keep an active social life and find time to be active in […]
