Upside-Down Parenting

Aaron Klemm, a Christian educator and parenting contributor, joins a candid family tech reset conversation. They revisit lessons from a technology-focused series, including modeling healthy habits, setting countercultural screen boundaries, navigating AI, and recognizing what convenience can replace in a child’s development. The discussion also explores COVID-era devices, emerging research, and making more room for relationships and discipleship.

Aaron Klemm, Summit Ministries’ publishing and content director, joins a candid Q&A on raising children in a digital age. They discuss protecting kids from harmful online content, recognizing unhealthy gaming, setting wise technology boundaries, and helping children use AI responsibly. The conversation also explores loving discipline, biblical guidance, and responding when teens question their faith.

Ryan Pauly, founder of ThinkWell and professor at Biola University, explores a biblical worldview of technology. They discuss how smartphones, social media, video games, and AI shape habits, desires, relationships, and childhood. The conversation examines human creativity, God-given limits, technology-free rest, and how parents can help children use AI wisely while protecting critical thinking, perseverance, and real-life connection.

Noelle Pellicane, a young adult and technology-minded advocate, shares what it was like growing up without a phone or social media. She recalls missing trends but gaining reading, drawing, sports, music, cooking, and real-world connection. Noelle discusses how boundaries shaped friendships, built independence, and continue influencing her own technology habits and hopes for future children.

Arlene Pellicane, author and speaker focused on healthy family technology habits, joins the conversation on resetting life with screens. They explore practical tech boundaries, nighttime devices, handling kids’ pushback, and creating screen-free rhythms. They also discuss boredom, creativity, face-to-face connection, parental modeling, and managing technology required for school.

Arlene Pellicane, author and Christian speaker, explores how technology is reshaping childhood and family life. She unpacks its four ABCD harms, from anxiety amplification to dopamine-driven habits. They discuss biblical perspectives on screens, why parents must model healthy tech use, and how shared boundaries can open space for creativity, relationships, faith, and real-world freedom.

How do the everyday moments of parenting shape your child's faith? In this episode of Upside-Down Parenting, Matt and Janel share real stories about raising their kids and the lessons they've learned about Christian parenting, family discipleship, and modeling a biblical worldview. From Bible reading and family traditions to car-ride conversations, apologies, hospitality, and difficult questions about worldview, they explore how ordinary moments can have a lasting impact on a child's relationship with Jesus. You'll hear practical encouragement for modeling authentic faith, having meaningful conversations with your kids, teaching biblical truth, practicing forgiveness, and helping your children discover how God can use their gifts to serve others. Christian parenting isn't built on getting every moment right. It's built through a lifetime of faithful, everyday discipleship. Your kids are watching, learning, and being shaped by how you follow Jesus. Resources we talked about or that we'd recommend: *How Parents' Modeling Faith Shapes Their Child's Beliefs—Dr. Jason Barker *Christianity Tells a Better Story Than "Love Is Love"—Christopher L. Reese *Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good—Steven Garber

A conversation about leaning on the Holy Spirit instead of carrying all the weight of shaping kids’ hearts. They define the Spirit’s identity and describe Him as helper, teacher, and advocate. Practical rhythms like prayer, Scripture, repentance, and listening get attention. They contrast parental duties with the Spirit’s work in conviction and transformation.

How can Christian parents raise resilient, joy-filled kids who know how to handle big emotions, bounce back from difficult experiences, and grow in wisdom? In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Marcus Warner, author of The Four Habits of Raising Joy-Filled Kids, Matt Jones and Janel Greig explore practical Christian parenting strategies for building emotional resilience in children. Dr. Warner explains how relational joy helps kids "build bounce" and develop the emotional strength to recover from life's challenges. He also shares practical advice for disciplining children with care, helping toddlers navigate big emotions, correcting behavior without shame, and teaching children wisdom and self-control. In this episode, you'll learn: How to build resilience in your kids Why joy is essential for emotional development How to help children regulate big emotions Why correction and discipline aren't the same thing How to correct your child with care How relational parenting helps children develop wisdom and self-control Why parents can't pass on what they don't possess Raising resilient, faith-filled kids isn't about perfect parenting. It's about intentionally building joy, strengthening your relationship with your children, and helping them develop the emotional and spiritual foundations they need to flourish. If you're looking for practical biblical parenting advice for raising Christian kids in today's world, this conversation will encourage and equip you. Missed Part 1? Listen to our first conversation with Dr. Marcus Warner on the secret to raising joy-filled kids. Resources we talked about or that we'd recommend: *The 4 Habits of Raising Joy-Filled Kids: A Simple Model for Developing Your Child's Maturity - at Every Stage—Chris Coursey and Marcus Warner *Building Bounce: How to Grow Emotional Resilience—Marcus Warner and Stefanie Hinman *Raising Resilient Kids: Interview with Alisa Childers

Are your kids truly joyful—or just temporarily happy? Many parents wonder if they're doing enough to help their children develop a faith that lasts. According to Dr. Marcus Warner, one of the greatest gifts we can give our kids isn't another activity, achievement, or gadget—it's joy. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Matt Jones and Janel Greig sit down with Dr. Marcus Warner, author of The Four Habits of Raising Joy-Filled Kids, to explore why joy is foundational to emotional resilience, healthy relationships, and lasting faith. In this episode, you'll discover: Why joy is different from happiness How unresolved trauma shapes the way we parent Why so many kids today are struggling emotionally The first habit of raising joy-filled kids: Attunement How to understand your child's emotions before rushing to fix them Why emotionally connected parenting builds resilience and lifelong faith Be sure to join us for Part 2, where Marcus unpacks the remaining three habits: Build, Correct with Care, and Develop Discipline Relationally. Resources we talked about or that we'd recommend: *The 4 Habits of Raising Joy-Filled Kids: A Simple Model for Developing Your Child's Maturity - at Every Stage—Chris Coursey and Marcus Warner *The Anxious Generation: How the Gospel Offers Freedom & Hope—Dr. Jason Barker *What Is Joy?—Abby Debenedittis