cyberparenting

Let’s talk about how to build relationships with your kids using open + honest communication as you parent in the digital age.

In this Grace In Real Life podcast interview, digital parenting expert Mandy Majors shares with us:

• What it looks like to have healthy conversations in your home,
• How to offer yourself grace when a new app or platform or algorithm pops up and you feel overwhelmed,
• And how to prepare your kids to use social media in a healthy, non-soul-crushing way.

Mandy reminds us that:

• God loves you the same, no matter what.
• Your good kid is going to mess up and ways you can offer grace for that,
• And the path to freedom for yourself when you feel like parenting in the digital age is overwhelming.

Key Quotes

• “God is calling us to create a culture of healthy, honest, real conversations in our homes.” - Mandy Majors
• “Show me the teachable moments.” - Mandy Majors
• “I’m your Google.” - Mandy Majors
• “We gotta build a safe place.” - Mandy Majors
• “First, we must listen to the Holy Spirit.” - Mandy Majors
• “Kids are processing it all in their minds. You need to speak into it.” - Mandy Majors
• “You cannot create effective communication without being a good listener.” - Mandy Majors
• “Jesus can redeem and restore any relationship.” - Mandy Majors
• “There’s always hope with Jesus.” - Mandy Majors
• “God is about conviction, but He’s not about shame.” - Mandy Majors
• “You gotta know your kids. You gotta know the season. Give grace.” - Mandy Majors
• “Your good kid is going to make mistakes.”- Mandy Majors
• “Before we’re mothers, we’re a daughter of God.” - Mandy Majors
• “God loves us the same if we mess something up with our kids or not.” - Mandy Majors
• “Our identity is in Christ; it is not really in motherhood.” - Mandy Majors
• “Do not freak out.” - Mandy Majors
• “Draw more attention to what they’re doing right than what they’re doing wrong.” - Mandy Majors
• “I don’t have to keep up with it all because I keep up with my kids and the relationship, and that’s what protects them.” - Mandy Majors
• “We can’t be all about rules. The relationship is first. Then we give guidelines.” - Mandy Majors

Mentioned in the Podcast

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• Subscribe to Jill’s weekly “the good + the grace” email 
• Facebook group 
• nextTalk podcast
• Bark
• Dude Perfect
• Sadie Robertson
• Kirby Minnick
• Episode #66: How your Enneagram type impacts your parenting 
• Episode #67: Easy and practical ways to give your kids grace 
• Episode #68: How to create a family shaped by grace in a conversation with Gary Morland 
• Episode #69: How to parent out of love, not fear with Kevin A. Thompson
• Episode #70: Helping your kids enjoy Jesus with Kirk + Debbie Freeman
• Episode #71: Creating a family culture where Jesus is woven into daily life with Kimberly Amici 
• Keeping Kids Safe in a Digital World by Mandy Majors
• TALK: A Practical Approach to Cyberparenting and Open Communication by Mandy Majors

About Mandy Majors

Mandy Majors is an author, podcaster, mama, and digital parenting expert.

Mandy is the author of the award-winning book, TALK: A Practical Approach to Cyberparenting and Open Communication. 

She is a graduate of Indiana University and founder of nextTalk, a nonprofit organization that keeps kids safe online by creating a culture of conversation in families, churches, and schools. 

She’s been married to her best friend, Matt, for twenty-one years, and together they’re raising two teens in Texas. 

Here’s how to connect with Mandy Majors

• Mandy’s website
• nextTalk website
• Mandy on Facebook
• nextTalk on Facebook
• Mandy on Twitter
• nextTalk on Twitter
• nextTalk on Instagram

Here’s how to connect with Jill

• Website 
• GraceInRealLifePodcast.com 
• Instagram 
• Facebook group 
• Facebook page
• Subscribe to Jill’s weekly “the good + the grace” email 

We talk about how connecting with our kids can help protect them against addiction and the harms of pornography. But how exactly do we build those healthy connections? Ever considered the benefits of adventuring with your kids? They go well beyond exercise and a healthy dose of fresh air. Adventuring together builds connections in unimaginable ways. Plus it's fun!

We have a return guest this week, Greta Eskridge—supermom, home educator, social media influencer, and most recently ... published author (details below). And BOY is she fun to follow! Her passion is to be out doing AMAZING stuff with her kids! And that’s exactly why we’re picking her brain. What’s the secret to these amazing adventures? And what can we learn from her experience?

Last time Greta was on the show, we were in the first few weeks of the COVID-19 madness. Suddenly dumped into the schooling-from-home arena, we looked to her for advice. At that point, none of us imagined that several months later, we would still be in lockdown. Most of us are still schooling and working from home in one form or another, and trying to cope with the upside-down new normal (if you can call it that!). What’s a desperate parent to do?

Tune in to the podcast for some great conversations about how to get out of the funk and build real, meaningful connections with our kids that will last a lifetime!

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. 

Parents everywhere are mourning the loss of “the most wonderful time of the year”—that sweet spot when our lives  return to a predictable routine. (Or so we like to tell ourselves!) With COVID-19, the return to school looks different. Thousands of families have started out the year in virtual school—at home. As the weeks go on, they’re discovering that it’s anything but normal.

It doesn’t seem to matter if we’ve got one child at home or multiple children, the consensus is the same. Virtual school is tough—mentally, physically, and emotionally—on everyone! Let’s face it, school is more than just learning ABCs and 123s. It’s about social interaction, movement, collaboration, school spirit, and more. And it feels impossible to simulate that experience sitting at a desk, at home, connecting through a screen.

Parents are understandably anxious. Never before has it been mandated that kids spend this much time in front of screens for learning. In fact, there are compelling arguments to say that less time with screens (even for educational purposes) the better. So what do we do? How do we make the best of the situation we’re in? Today, we’re sharing three main ideas for creating a safer, more successful, more joyful (okay, okay ... more tolerable) virtual school experience in your home.  

• Acknowledge the downside of virtual school and highlight the benefits.
• Design your child’s learning environment to promote screen safety and academic success.
• Plan your day in blocks. Decide together what kids can do after their online lessons.  

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

In our crazy digital world, we know it’s not a matter of IF our kids will see porn—it’s a matter of WHEN. But what then? After exposure, will they go back? How do we know if they are struggling with an addiction? 

As parents, we just want to keep our kids safe. That’s the goal. But in order to protect our kids from the harms of pornography, we need to understand what we’re dealing with. For instance, what’s the difference between accidental exposure, a habit, and addiction? What qualifies as an “addiction,” and can we really use that word when it comes to children and teens? 

Paul Lavergne, a Registered Psychotherapist and Certified Sexual Recovery Therapist, is here on the podcast to help us sort through these complicated questions, and give us answers, resources and peace of mind.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete podcast notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

Young or old, our kids need to know: When it comes to my body, I AM IN CHARGE, and there are lines no one can cross without my permission! But how do we get that into their heads?

When we teach our kids about body safety, we’re helping to protect them from a host of dangers—from predators and sharing nudes to unwanted sexual attention and date rape. 

But how do we instill this knowledge without scaring them to death?

Think of it this way. Rather than painting a picture of the big scary world and encouraging our kids to cower in a corner, we can put a cape of confidence around them and teach them to trust their powers of self-awareness. 

So, let’s talk about WHY, WHEN, and HOW we empower kids and teens with protective information.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete podcast notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

Ah … Valentine’s Day … time for paper hearts, candy, red roses … and a great reason to talk about about dating, relationships, and sex with your kids? Absolutely! 

What’s your first Valentine’s Day memory? Exchanging those little perforated cards in elementary school? Smearing pink frosting on a sugar cookie? For us, Valentine’s must include chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. (Yum.)

In the beginning, “liking” someone was so simple, wasn’t it? “Do you want to be my boyfriend/girlfriend? Check the box: yes or no.” Then pass the note back after lunch!

But as we get older, LOVE becomes a little more complicated.

It’s our job as parents to un-complicate things for our kids—to get back to basics! But how do we teach them what real love is, what a healthy relationship looks like, and how to navigate the craziness in our porn-saturated culture? Let’s talk about it!

For complete podcast notes, visit our website: ParentsAware.info

Is there a difference between sexting and sharing nudes? Why is this important? Find out why semantics matter when parenting your kids and how to start a relevant ongoing conversation about this huge trend.

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

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Is YouTube safe for our kids? And how do YouTubers influence the online games our kids play? What are questions I need to ask my kids when they want a new gaming platform?

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE

Connect with us...
www.nextTalk.org
Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us...
admin@nextTalk.org
P.O. BOX 160111 San Antonio, TX 78280