Friend of Trace – John Rosemond

John Rosemond earned his masters in psychology in 1971 from Western Illinois University, and is licensed in North Carolina.  During his career he has directed several mental health programs for children, and has help numerous families and children every since.

John devotes his time to speaking and writing now. John is syndicated in well over 225 newspapers nationwide. He has written over eighteen best-selling parenting books, and travels to speak all over the country sharing his parenting experience and humor with so many others.

He lives in North Carolina with his wife Wilma, a.k.a. “Willy.”  They have been married over 50 years.  He is also the founder of ParentGuru, where he helps parents to raise responsible adults.

Prepare Your Kids for the World

Trace Embry, Michelle Hill, together with John Rosemond, author of The Bible Parenting Code, share about the importance of traditional parenting methods and the dangers of modern psychology’s influence on parenting.

John Rosemond argues that parents should not strive to be in a relationship with their children, but rather should focus on disciplining and preparing them for the world. He also discusses the importance of parents being on the same page and putting their marriage first.

John Rosemond suggests that parents should not compromise their standards to secure a relationship with their children.  He advises parents of adult children who have cut off communication with each other to pray about it rather than pursue it.

Episode Highlights:

• What’s John’s advice to parents with adult children? 
• Do parents need to change the way they are doing parenting?
• What is the importance of parents being on the same page in their parenting style?
• What does Scripture say about parenting?

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Friend of Trace – Dr. Nicholas Kardaras

Dr. Kardaras is an Ivy-League educated psychologist, a well known speaker and addiction expert. He is also the CEO and Chief Clinical Officer of Maui Recovery in Hawaii and Omega Recovery in Austin, Texas.  Dr. Kardaras is the author of the book titled “Glow Kids.”  Please visit his bio page to learn more about his amazing accomplishments.

Keep Your Kids from Glowing in the Digital Age

Trace Embry, Michelle Hill, and Dr. Nicholas Kardaras speak about the dangers of excessive screen time for children and its impact on their emotional, social, physical, and spiritual health.  They highlight the importance of face-to-face interaction and the role of parents in setting examples for their children.

They also discuss the influence of digital technology on the mental health of young people, particularly the addictive nature of devices and the impact of social media influencers.  They suggest that the excessive information and lack of critical thinking skills can lead to mental health issues, self-destructive behaviors, and even suicide.

They advocate for delayed access to devices, regulation of screen time, and avoidance of social media and gaming to protect children from the harmful effects of digital technology.

Episode Highlights:

• How has technology affected how we parent our kids? 
• Learn the influence of digital technology on the hearts and minds of human beings, particularly kids.
• What is impulsivity & who has it?
• Younger females contracting Tourette syndrome.
• What percent of mass shootings are linked to mental illness?
• Culprits of Digital Addiction?

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Friend of Trace – Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is a Retired (1998) US Army Ranger, a paratrooper, and a former West Point Psychology Professor.  He has become one of our nation’s leading trainers for military, law enforcement, mental health providers, and school safety organizations. He has a Black Belt in Hojutsu, the martial art of the firearm, and has been inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

Lt. Col. Grossman has five patents to his name, published many books including his bestseller “On Killing” and a New York Times best-selling book co-authored with Glenn Beck.  He is well-known for his research, has been cited by the President of the United States, and has presented papers before the national conventions of the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Today, Lt. Col. Grossman is the director of Grossman On Truth, LLC.  After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he has written and spoken extensively on the terrorist threat with articles published in many leading law enforcement journals.  He has been inducted as a “Life Diplomate” by the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, and is a “Life Member” of the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute.

Parents Know the Danger Violence has on Your Kids

Trace Embry, Michelle Hill and our friend Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, who is an expert on human aggression and violence, together discuss the potential negative effects of violent video games on children.  They also speak about other dangers of technology on our young people.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman shares his research and knowledge that the addictive nature of video games, combined with the violent content, can lead to serious issues such as sleep deprivation, impaired judgment, and increased aggression.  He also criticizes the video game industry for fighting against regulations that would limit children’s access to violent games.

Trace Embry and Lt. Col. Grossman agree that parents need to be proactive in monitoring their children’s gaming habits and enforcing age-appropriate content.  They also recommend resources like Lt. Col. Grossman’s book “Assassination Generation” and the website of our friend Melanie Hempe, ScreenStrong.org, for parents seeking guidance on this issue.

Episode Highlights:

• How has technology affected how we parent our kids? 
• Is social media designed to be addictive?
• How sleep deprivation affects our behavior.
• Do you believe video games generate violence?
• How can parents push back on big tech and social media?
• Is violence tolerated more today than 5o years ago & how does it affect our emotions?

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Friend of Trace – Gary Chapman, Ph.D.

Gary Chapman, Ph.D. is an author, speaker, and counselor who has a passion for people to help them form lasting relationships.  He is a well-known marriage counselor and director of marriage seminars.  The 5 Love Languages® is one of Dr. Chapman’s most popular titles with millions of copies sold and on the  New York Times bestsellers list since 2007.  Find all of Dr. Chapman’s resources at his Store.

Dr. Chapman has been directly involved in real-life family counseling since the beginning of his ministry years, and his nationally-syndicated radio programs air nationally on Moody Radio Network and over 400 affiliate stations.  His Podcasts are Building Relationships & A Love Language Minute.

Dr. Chapman holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in anthropology from Wheaton College and Wake Forest University, respectively. He received his Ph.D. degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has taken postgraduate work at the University of North Carolina and Duke University.

Dr. Chapman and his wife, Karolyn, have been married for more than 45 years, reside in North Carolina and have two grown children.

How to Help Your Child Feel Loved 

Trace Embry, Michelle Hill and our friend Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages of Children, discuss how parents can foster emotional wellbeing in their children by understanding their love languages.  He explains that each child has a primary love language, which could be physical touch, words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, or quality time.

Parents can identify their child’s love language by observing their behavior, listening to their complaints, and noting their requests.  Dr. Chapman emphasizes that while all love languages are important, speaking the child’s primary love language is crucial for them to feel loved.  He also suggests that discipline should be wrapped in the child’s love language to ensure fairness and understanding.

Dr. Chapman shares a sad story of a young man who never really knew his father.  This was shared with Dr. Chapman by the young man at his father’s graveside service.  Therefore leaving Dr. Chapman sad knowing it was now too late for that father to know his child’s love language.

Episode Highlights:

• Can you name the 5 Love Languages? 
• Ask yourself, “Do your children feel loved?”
• How to identify your child’s love language.
• When is it NOT a good time to offer advice to your child?
• Why is it so important to spend time with your children?
• What are Primary and Secondary love languages?

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Friend of Trace – Melanie Hempe, BSN

Melanie Hempe, BSN, is an author, speaker and the founder of ScreenStrong and Families Managing Media (FMM).  She received her bachelors of Nursing from Emory University and has worked with technology experts and researchers on the impact of social media and video game use.  She helps families avoid problematic screen use, i.e., video games, pornography, social media, etc. in their kids’ lives.

Through ScreenStrong, she provides resources and education courses on brain development and the effects of screen use on kids, and solutions for parents who desire to free their kids from screen addictions. Melanie hosts the popular weekly ScreenStrong Families Podcast and has been featured in Psychology Today, The Wall Street Journal, A&E Network, CBS, CNN, NPR, “Screened Out” (the movie), and many other news and television outlets.

Melanie lives in North Carolina with her husband, Chris, and their four children.  As a family they enjoy reading good books, spending time with friends in their home and just good family fun without screens.

Life on the Other Side of the Screen Delima 

Trace Embry, Michelle Hill and guest Melanie Hempe, BSN discuss the dangers of screen time and digital addiction with our children, comparing its effects on the brain to that of cocaine and heroin. The conversation brings out passions how the constant exposure to screens can lead to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts.

Trace and Melanie also highlight the importance of parents taking responsibility for their children’s screen time and setting boundaries.  Then Melanie Hempe shares the personal experience she encountered with her own son’s gaming addiction and how she managed to help him overcome it.

Melanie emphasizes the importance of real-life social interactions for children and warns against the false sense of social fulfillment that social media provides.  She encourages parents to stick together with other like minded parents.  The three of them encourage parents to seek support and gather resources to help manage their children’s screen time effectively.

Episode Highlights:

• Effects of addiction to screens is much like substance abuse. 
• What changes has the pandemic brought on regarding digital addiction?
• Will we look back on too much screen time like smoking cigarettes?
• What was Melanie’s son addicted to and how did he overcome it?
• Parents have to ask themselves; “Is it worth it to let my kid have a smartphone?”

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Friend of Trace – John Rosemond

John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of psychology. In 1971 he earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University, and is licensed in North Carolina.  During his career he has directed several mental health programs for children.

For the last 30 years or so, John devotes his time to speaking and writing. John is syndicated in well over 225 newspapers nationwide. He has written over eighteen best-selling parenting books, and travels to speak all over the country sharing his parenting experience and humor with so many others.

He resides in North Carolina with his wife of over 50 years, Wilma, a.k.a. “Willy.”  He is also the founder of ParentGuru, where he helps parents to raise responsible adults.

Help for Parents from the ParentGuru 

Trace Embry, Michelle Hill, and psychologist John Rosemond discuss John’s latest book, “The Bible Parenting Code: Revealing God’s Perfect Plan for Parenting.”  John shares an amusing personal experience of raising his son using modern psychological methods, which resulted in his son being the worst behaved child his teacher had seen in 20 years.

After this revelation, John and his wife Willy decided to raise their children the way they were raised, which led to a significant improvement in their son’s behavior and academic performance.

John Rosemond is a critic of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and refers to it as a book of bogus diagnoses.  He emphasizes the importance of relying on God’s perfect parenting plan as outlined in the Bible. He also discusses the congruence between Scripture and recent astrophysical facts as a way to affirm the truthfulness of Scripture.

Episode Highlights:

• Why does John call his wife of 50 years “Willy?”
• Learn how John & Willy dealt with their worst behaved child.
• What does John say about children’s feelings?
• Is modern psychology all it’s cracked up to be?
• John’s contrast of astrophysics and Scripture.

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Friend of Trace – Holly Hunter

Holly Hunter is the founder of Hunter Investigations, LLC and Safe Passage Global.  It is her passion and calling to help families in crisis.  For more than twenty years she has been a private investigator helping parents with crisis management intervention.  Holly also helps families transport troubled teens to therapeutic programs via Safe Passage Global.  She is certified in crisis management, a mental health coach, first responder, a Christian life coach, and so much more!  On a more personal level, Holly cares deeply about people, loves to take pictures, writing books, and singing.

Help for Parents with Unruly Teens 

Trace Embry, Michelle Hill, and Holly Hunter share their experiences about the challenges parents face when dealing with troubled teenagers and the options available for help. They discuss the role of residential care programs like Shepherd’s Hill Academy, which offers therapeutic and educational support for teens in crisis.

They also discuss the importance of parents maintaining their relationship and not blaming each other for their child’s issues. Our guest, Holly Hunter, founder of Safe Passage Global, explains her organization’s role in transporting troubled teens to therapeutic schools and programs and their benefits. She emphasizes the importance of family unity and the need for professional help in extreme cases. They also touch on the legal aspects of involuntary treatment and the misconceptions surrounding it.

Episode Highlights:

• Informing parents that long-term treatment programs exist for the safety of their child and family?
• No shame in seeking outside help for your family.
• Holly explains residential care?
• What resonates with parents to help them choose residential care?
• What is the important to not play the blame game?

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Friend of Trace – G. Craige Lewis

G. Craige Lewis has been ministering for over 30 years. He’s been pastoring Adamant Believers Council in North Richland Hills, Texas for over a decade, promoting the message of Christ and fighting against the secularization of God’s church.

Lewis also leads and is the founder of EX Ministries; established to share God’s Truth to the body of Christ and others, and to expose the deception of the enemy. He is often called on to speak about the hip-hop sub-culture, as he authored the “The Truth Behind Hip Hop” series. 

Musical is Spiritual

Trace Embry, Rich Roszel and G. Craige Lewis discuss the impact of music on children and teenagers. They share that the music young people listen to can shape their identities and influence their behavior!  To a higher degree, certain types of music, particularly rock, rap, and hip-hop, can have a negative impact on young people, potentially leading them to engage in harmful behaviors.  They all stress the importance of parents being intentional in their parenting and being aware of the music their children are listening to.

G. Craige shares his views on the spiritual nature of music and its effect on human behavior. He argues that music can bypass a person’s moral code and influence them in ways they may not be aware of.  He also emphasizes the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit to discern the spiritual nature of music.  Rich expounds on this and shares a personal story about how music touched his soul.

Trace expresses this;  “I think we’ve got too many people claiming the name of Christ who want to live like hell and expect heaven for a reward.  It just doesn’t work that way.”

Episode Highlights:

• Is there an inherent evil found in certain songs or certain kinds of music?
• Can certain music profoundly affect our kids behavior negatively?
• Why do parents overlook the effects of music?
• Is today’s music worse spiritually than in years past?
• What are God honoring lyrics?
• Learn what Ex Ministries is all about!

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📣 ANNOUNCEMENT:  For a Season, production of New Radio programs of License to Parent is on “Pause” mode.  We Thank Our Radio Listeners!!  The Podcast will now showcase the Best performing, Most listened to programs at this Website and at your favorite Podcast platforms.  Click Here to Subscribe & Continue Listening!  The RSS Feed will be updated with the Classics of License to Parent so you can Stay Tuned!!

Keep Reading for the Reason for the Season as Trace shares his heart below.  His audio message is also at the 27:20 mark in this .mp3 file and in the last recorded program “Emotional Safety with Dr. Joshua Straub.”

Trace Shares His ❤️

For the last 15 or so years I have had the honor and a privilege to interview many of the best and the brightest in the fields of child and family relationships, cultural studies and insights that affect parent-child relationships. Hollywood film makers, scientists, theologians, authors, mental and medical health professionals, philosophers, and many of the giants in today’s broadcasting who have had their fingers on the pulse on many of the things affecting child-rearing for today’s parents, Christian, and secular like. And virtually every one of them, whether they realized it or not, would’ve understood and affirmed the biblical principles for child-rearing from their respective disciplines, whether they were actually Christians or not because the Bible and science don’t contradict one another. The Bible and objective truth do not contradict one another.

For all these years, I’ve left every License to Parent broadcast feeling very much affirmed about what our kids and families are learning and experiencing at Shepherd’s Hill Academy. Family healing and life transformations are the physical evidences that God and His Word through Jesus Christ is the Way the Truth and the Life and certainly the model for a parent’s best shot at raising healthy, well-adjusted kids in a society that’s imploded before our eyes.

When we first launched License to Parent, only a man and a woman could possibly make a marriage. Only man and woman could’ve possibly birthed and raised a healthy child. Virtually all Americans would have agreed with that. Today, in the eyes of more and more people, our systemically mentally and spiritually ill society doesn’t even know what a man or a woman is! This and much more is just an example of how quickly and how drastically reality itself is being redefined and how science is being ignored.

Reason for the Season 🙏🏼

One of the highest compliments that has been paid to this broadcast, as far as I’m concerned, is the idea that we have not been giving parents answers to the most common questions, but rather License to Parent has been giving parents answers to questions they should be asking but aren’t. Just like our goal at Shepherd’s Hill Academy, our goal here at License to Parent has always been to help build better parents by helping them to become change agents to our culture rather than helping them to become more microcosms of it. Today’s church has produced too many of those already and now it seems we’ve had hell to pay for it.

But in the course of being a beacon of light in a dark world with respect to raising kids, I’ve also had the privilege of working with consummate production professionals who helped make this broadcast what is, people like Rich Rozel, Carl Peetz and my co host Michelle Hill. I want to thank you guys big time, this too has been an honor and a privilege.

So it’s with a heavy heart ❤️  that I have to say today is our last License to Parent Radio broadcast, at least until prayer and circumstance dictate otherwise, or perhaps Jesus comes back.

There are many reasons for this decision, first and foremost for health reasons. So I would ask you to please pray for my wife, Beth who’s dealing with health issues right now. She’s been given a serious cancer diagnosis. Therefore I’ll be doing my best to make her my first ministry right now. Again, until prayer and circumstances dictate otherwise.

In the meantime, if you like to continue listening to our License to Parent Podcast, just go to our License to Parent website: LicenseToParent.org and click the button to “Subscribe to Podcast.” As prayer, time and circumstances dictate, I’ll look forward to providing you the same kind of information our radio broadcast has provided these past several years.

Thank you so much for the love and support you’ve given us.   I love you! 💙

And we do hope to see you (for new production) another time, Lord willing.

“And as always “Remember folks, if you don’t train your children somebody else will.”

About Joshua Straub, Ph.D., CMCLC

Dr. Joshua Straub is the Co-Founder and President of Famous at Home, a company that equips others with relational connections and emotional intelligence.  He is also an author and speaker.  He is passionate about helping others lead; he is a marriage and leadership coach, and is a Fellow at the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling.  He takes most pride in his role as husband and dad.  He and his wife Christi host the Famous at Home podcast.

How to Cultivate Emotional Connection with Kids

Michelle Hill, Trace Embry and Dr. Joshua Straub discuss the importance of emotional safety in raising children.

Together, they also highlight the importance of showing up for children, both physically and emotionally, and the role of a biblical community in child-rearing.  Dr. Straub suggests that parents should regularly check in with their children to understand their needs and feelings and to show them grace and wisdom.

Both Trace and Joshua share stories about their own fathers.  Joshua also gives pointers how he parents his own children as he and his wife homeschool and have family weekly meetings.

Episode Highlights:

• Be sure to listen to the end; Trace gives a special announcement.
• With risks all around us, how do we keep our kids safe?
• God’s standards never fall short.
• Is there safety without boundaries or exploration?
• What is effective parenting without grace?
• How do messed up parents turn out some really good kids?

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About Brad Griffin Our guest, Brad M. Griffin, is the Senior Director of Content & Research for the Fuller Youth Institute.  Brad develops research-based resources for youth ministry leaders & families.  Brad is the coauthor of over fifteen books, including Faith Beyond Youth Group, 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager & 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, Growing Young, and Sticky Faith.  He is also a speaker, writer, and volunteer pastor.  Brad and his wife, Missy, live in Southern California with their three teenage and young adult kids. The Ideal Youth Group Together, Michelle Hill, Trace Embry and Brad Griffin discuss the role of youth groups in the church and how they can and should impact a child's faith. The ideal church youth group knows how to express and live out the importance of trust, consistency, and communication with its members. They also highlight the need for youth leaders to model Christ-like behavior and promote conversations about faith outside of the youth group. It is suggested that parents should expect youth leaders to provide information about the content of the group's discussions and activities.  Parents should be given an outline of the youth group discussion topics to facilitate effective discipleship and transparency. Youth groups shouldn't try to compete by trying to keep kids entertained.  They already get enough of that!  There should be an emphasis on the importance of fun in youth groups, but be cautious on relying too heavily on entertainment. Episode Highlights: Can parents be a stumbling block for youth leaders trying to disciple youth group participants? Think about your own child's youth group. Can youth groups be harmful to your child's faith? What does the ideal youth group look like? Does effective discipleship always include entertainment? Image from Canva