The 9 Most Dangerous Apps for Kids | Crosswalk.com

New apps are constantly being created, so it’s important to monitor what your child downloads.

“The bad guy’s not just at the bus stop anymore. He has entrance right into your kid’s bedroom and hand-held cellphone device.” Sexual predators can target your children even when your child is in the room down the hall. And sexual predators aren’t the only problem. Cyber-bullying and exposures to sexually inappropriate content are additional concerns. Not everything in the app store is truly a helpful tool for the end user, unfortunately.

New apps are constantly being created, so it’s important to monitor what your child downloads. Mostly, it’s important to know what each and every app does, whether it has any benefits, and where they can expose your children to danger. Our focus here isn’t so much on the geocaching types of adventure apps (think Pokemon Go) where the dangers involve wandering without paying attention.

Mostly, we want to help parents become aware of the online tricks predators use. Here are some things to look for as you determine which apps you need to monitor, specifically the 9 most dangerous apps for kids today.

Photo credit: ©William Hook/Unsplash

1. Whisper

1. Whisper

SLIDE 1 OF 10

This app allows you to post secrets anonymously and also allows you to chat with other users in your geographic area.

Why It’s Dangerous: Many children are drawn to communicating with strangers, feeling that their secrets are safer with them than with their friends. This app is a perfect tool for ill-intentioned strangers looking to connect with young people because it allows you to exchange messages with people nearest to you (so anonymity can be easily lost).

Conversation starter for Whisper – Why would you tell your secrets to strangers? If you are struggling with something, will a stranger care or be able to help you? Do you think it would be safe to accept their help/friendship?

2. YikYak

2. YikYak

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All Yik Yak users are anonymous. They don’t create a profile or account, but they can post comments that are accessible to the nearest 500 people (within a 1-5 mile radius). A psychiatrist called this the most dangerous app he’d ever seen because it “can turn a school into a virtual chat room where everyone can post his or her comments, anonymously. Untruthful, mean, character-assassinating short messages are immediately seen by all users in a specific geographic area.”

Why It’s Dangerous: This app is causing problems in schools across the United States, with students maliciously slandering teacher, staff, and other students. In fact, several schools have now banned smart phones from campus because of this particular app.

Conversation starter for YikYak– What kind of things would a person want to post anonymously? How would you personally use this app? What would you post anonymously? Why?

3. Kik

3. Kik

SLIDE 3 OF 10

A free app-based alternative texting service that allows texts/pictures to be sent without being logged in the phone history. (Similar apps: Viber, WhatsApp, TextNow)

Why It’s Dangerous – Makes it easier for your child to talk to strangers without your knowledge since it bypasses the wireless providers’ short message services (SMS). Children also think they can “sext” without parents finding out. In addition, strangers can send your child a “friend request.”

Conversation starter for any app – Are you being safe with that app? Are you encouraging others or tearing them down? Are you being bullied? Are you putting out too much information about yourself? Is this an app that brings God glory?

4. Snapchat

4. Snapchat

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Allows you to capture an image or video and make it available to a recipient for a specific time. After that time limit is up, the picture/video automatically disappears forever…or so Snapchat claims. (Similar apps: Poke, Wire, and Wickr)

Why It’s Dangerous – Kids can receive (or send ) sexually inappropriate photos. This app also makes kids feel like they can “sext” or send inappropriate pictures without consequences because the image will self-destruct automatically. The truth is that nothing sent over the internet disappears. There are always ways to retrieve and capture those images.

Conversation starter for SnapChat – Why do you want to send pictures that disappear? Would you be okay with anyone seeing that pic?

5. Vine

5. Vine

SLIDE 5 OF 10

Allows users to watch and post six second videos.

Why It’s Dangerous –While many of the videos are harmless, porn videos do pop up into the feed, exposing your children to sexually explicit material. You can also easily search for/access porn videos on this app. Predators utilize this app to search for teens and find their location. Then they try to connect with them via other messaging apps.

6. ChatRoulette and Omegle

6. ChatRoulette and Omegle

SLIDE 6 OF 10

These apps allow you to video chat with strangers.

Why It’s Dangerous – Not only are users chatting with strangers, they could be chatting with a fake stranger. “Chat sites like Chatroulette and Omegle have done their best to produce systems that warns users when the people they are chatting to are potentially using fake webcam software, however developers still manage to slip under their radars with frequent updates.” So a fifty-year-old man could set up a fake webcam and use images from a 15-year-old boy that looks like a teen celebrity to convince your child to send inappropriate pictures or get information about your child’s location.

7. Tinder

7. Tinder

SLIDE 7 OF 10

Users post pictures and scroll through the images of other users. When they think someone is attractive they can “flag” the image. If that person has also “flagged” them in return, the app allows you to contact them.

Why It’s Dangerous – This app, and similar apps such as Down, Skout, Pure, and Blendr, are primarily used for hooking up.

8. Poof

8. Poof

SLIDE 8 OF 10

Hides other apps on your phone. You select which apps you would like to hide and their icons will no longer show up on your smartphone screen.

Why It’s Dangerous – If children have apps that they want to keep hidden from their parents, all they have to do is download this app and “poof,” their screen is clear of any questionable apps. So, if you see the poof app on their phone, you may want to ask them what they are hiding.

9. What now?

9. What now?

SLIDE 9 OF 10

Remember, your child’s safety is more important than their privacy. As a parent, you aren’t being nosy by checking their cell phone on a regular basis; you are being responsible. Perhaps your family could establish family media rules, such as having to check with a parent before downloading a new app or game. Having a common charging area so you can easily check phones could also be a good system for your family.

Also, take the time to explain to them (at an age-appropriate level) why you are asking them questions and checking their phone and privacy settings. Many children do not realize just how much information they are putting out there and how dangerous it can be.

Christian parents are called to instruct their children in biblical wisdom (Deuteronomy 6:6-8) and today that includes teaching them to apply biblical wisdom to media. Teaching your children how to choose appropriate apps and use them responsibly is vitally important in our media-saturated world.

Helpful tools

SLIDE 10 OF 10

A wonderful tool to help guide you in the internet training process is available at Netsmartz.org. They have many resources for internet safety available, including resources for different ages. And it’s all available for free! You can use their videos for jumping-off points for discussion and incorporate biblical principles into your conversation. As Christians, we’re not simply training children to keep them out of trouble, but so they can grow in wisdom as well.

Felicia Alvarez lives in Southern California and loves avocados, sunshine, and serving her Savior. Currently, she teaches dance to over one hundred students and is working on her second book. Connect with Felicia on her blog or Facebook—she would love to hear from you.

https://www.crosswalk.com/slideshows/the-9-most-dangerous-apps-for-kids.html

Introducing Our Parents’ Guide to Technology 2026 | Plugged In

“Ugh! You’re ruining my life!”

Coming from a teen, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that particular cliché or one of its associates: “You don’t get it”; “All my friends are doing it”; “I guess you don’t love me.” However, I have to admit that I was a bit shocked to hear them all coming out of my 9-year-old nephew’s mouth.

Why was my nephew so bent out of shape? Because his mom had done something that, in his mind, was unforgiveable: She had told him to stop playing on his tablet.

If you’re a parent, you might be familiar with that screentime battle. Or perhaps you’ve been frustrated by the one that frequently follows: “What should I do now? I’m bored.”

When it comes to technology, parents can sometimes feel out of their depth. Even if you grew up with a smartphone in hand (if the first iPhone was a person, it’d be old enough to vote), it can be a challenge to figure out the “right” way to guide your family through this ever-changing technological landscape.

Luckily—or perhaps, unluckily, depending on how you look at it—you’re not alone.

In 2020, the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health identified the top health concerns for parents of children aged 0-18 years. The top three were too much social media and screen time, cyberbullying and internet safety.

When we at Plugged In saw that report, it got us thinking: How can we help parents to navigate technology, protecting their children from harm while also teaching them good screentime habits, in practical and biblical ways?

Well, we came up with a solution, and we are proud to provide you with the Parents’ Guide to Technology 2026 by Plugged In.

In this tech guide, we’ll walk you through those parental pain points mentioned above (as well as some others we identified, such as pornography and artificial intelligence). Each article will unpack a different technology-related issue. We’ll give you stats and information from various researchers and scientific studies. But, most importantly, we’ll also provide you with pragmatic, actionable advice for dealing with those specific problems.

And don’t worry, we don’t expect you to read it all in one go (it’s 125 pages). The Parents’ Guide to Technology is organized so that you can bounce around from article to article, cherry-picking the topics that are closest to your family.

Oh, and did I mention? It’s completely free.

That’s right, we’re not asking you to hand over your credit cards or to pay for a membership or subscription. If you want a copy of the Parents’ Guide to Technology, it’s yours. Just head over to pluggedin.com/tech-guide to download your copy.

What’s more is that we’ll be updating the guide every year. (I did say that the technological landscape is ever-changing, after all.) So let us know what you think! How did we do? Are there issues you’d like us to cover in the future? Do you want more information about a specific topic?

Contact us on Facebook or Instagram. Send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com. Head over to YouTube and leave us a message there. Or, simply, leave a comment below. We always love to hear from you.

The post Introducing Our Parents’ Guide to Technology 2026 appeared first on Plugged In.

Source: Introducing Our Parents’ Guide to Technology 2026

Motherhood Is a Mission, Not an Identity | Your Mom Has a Blog

Melissa explains why it is so important to understand motherhood as a mission rather than an identity. “I see mothers who have confused identities. Somewhere along the way, Christian women have drifted into identifying as mothers first and daughters of God second, and I’m convinced this is where a lot of their hurt is coming from.”

Maybe it’s my phase of life. I’m creeping ever closer to 50 years old, and suddenly all of those young mom things that I used to be targeted by on social media have changed. Now instead I’m getting empty nester posts. I’m seeing thoughts and complaints and struggles of moms who are sending kids to college or who are navigating relationships with adult children.

One theme that continues to come through in these posts and comments is that older moms are struggling to make some transitions. They aren’t handling change well. They are overly concerned with their own feelings, and their feelings reveal a sense of betrayal, hurt, and self-obssession as they watch their kids begin lives that are separate from their own.

I don’t mean to sound harsh. I’m only stating the facts as I see them coming through in the grumbling and hurt feelings of these mothers. And I don’t want to trivialize what some older moms may be going through in an age when many young adults are convinced that going no contact with parents is reasonable. I fully acknowledge that there are a lot of relationship problems that exist between older moms and their children, and many legitimate hurts sometimes exist on both sides. But I’m not really writing to address the problems that moms may be having with young adult children. I’d like to address instead what I see in these complaints: I see mothers who have confused identities. Somewhere along the way, Christian women have drifted into identifying as mothers first and daughters of God second, and I’m convinced this is where a lot of their hurt is coming from.

I recently read a long diatribe written by a woman who was crushed that she made pies for her kids and grandkids at Christmas, and none of them ate them. They were all watching their sugar intake, and the mother felt like her purpose in life was over. Another mom wrote about how her adult children only asked her to come over for Christmas lunch and not Christmas morning. Her pain was evident. Her complaint, however unreasonable, felt justified. She saw no reason why she couldn’t continue in the same pattern of being the mommy at Christmastime. These are just two examples in a sea of hurts from women my age, and over and over again I see the symptoms crop up: these women have forgotten that motherhood is a mission, not an identity.

You are worth no less if no one eats your pies. A lunch invitation on Christmas day instead of a breakfast invitation does not mean that you are not loved or wanted. Even if your child has unfairly excluded you from her life, you are not drifting around on this earth with no purpose or identity. My nest, too, is emptying. Things change, and more drastic changes are ahead for me. Some things about having adult children are tough to adjust to, but one thing I know is that motherhood is not the root of who I am. It’s a wonderful part of my life. Many phases of it, at least with my older children, have already come and gone, days that will never again return. Motherhood is a moving, living, breathing organism that moves and changes and comes and goes. The phases ebb and flow. The job starts really hard and then gets easier and then gets hard again. If we try to find our identity in this mission of neverending termporary phases, the inevitable end for moms is hurt and pain. What are we worth when our children don’t need or want us quite as much anymore?

This is how we know as Christians that motherhood is the wrong place to find our meaning in this world. A wonderful mission is different from the core of who we are. The only thing in this world that determines our identity is our faith in Christ; He is the only thing that is constant and true and completely good in this universe or in the history of the world. Placing our identity in anything less is just setting ourselves up for a total internal crisis when our motherhood mission changes, becomes less prominent in our lives, or disappears all together.

Motherhood is absolutely an eternal mission. But our position and prominence in our kids’ lives is temporal, and if we find that we are living in a cloud of hurt and sadness as each phase moves and changes, then it may be a symptom that we have built our identity on a good, but wrong foundation. Jesus is the only cornerstone we can build abundant life on. Motherhood is a beautiful and critical mission in life, but it isn’t who we are. We must identify with Christ alone and nothing less, and then when the winds of change blow, when our kids age and become independent adults, we won’t consider who is eating pie to be the measure of who we are. When our priorities are out of order, we become unbalanced and can easily live preoccupied by things that don’t mean anything. In the end, the love of Christ is our highest prize, and motherhood, a glorious endeavor, is put in the proper perspective.

Motherhood is a Mission, Not an Identity

Suck At Raising Kids? Here Are Our Top 15 Tips To Be A Perfect Parent | Babylon Bee

Raising kids is hard. Even for experienced parents, every day brings new challenges. How can anyone do it perfectly?

The Babylon Bee conducted a comprehensive survey to come up with the following list of tips on how to be a perfect parent:

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1. When they say they’re hungry, pretend you think they’re telling you their name: For dads only.
2. Introduce them to the Beastie Boys: You want them to appreciate high culture.
3. Do the opposite of what your parents did with you: That usually works like a charm.
4. Don’t — UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES — allow your babies to sleep on their stomachs: Or their backs. Or their sides. The doctor has been clear about this.
5. Vicariously try to live your pro sports dreams through them: Kids really appreciate that.
6. Outsource all training and education to YouTube and TikTok: It’s the Library of Alexandria of our age.
7. Blame your spouse when things go wrong: That way, you help teach your kids conflict resolution, too.
8. If estranged from your spouse, dress up as a matronly Scottish housekeeper to spend time with them: Mrs. Doubtfire was a great dad.
9. Remind them every day how much you love them as long as they get good grades: Conditional love produces healthy, well-adjusted kids.
10. Protect them in an impenetrable Christian bubble: That’s not a metaphor. An actual bubble. We sell them in our online store.
11. Do all the fun stuff yourself, and pass off all the difficult stuff like discipline to your spouse: That way, you can be the fun one.
12. Destroy them at Super Smash Bros. on a regular basis: Dehumanizing humiliation builds character.
13. Throw the Galactic Emperor into the reactor core: One of the greatest father-son bonding moments of all time.
14. Teach them the Bible using anthropomorphic vegetables: It’s part of the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
15. Keep them the same gender they were when they were born: This might seem obvious, but it’s worth mentioning.

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Follow these tips, and you’ll be enshrined in the parenting hall of fame in no time. What are your parenting tips? Post them in the comments below.

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Get your husband’s attention!

https://babylonbee.com/news/suck-at-raising-kids-here-are-our-top-15-tips-to-be-a-perfect-parent/

Three Things the Left Lied About—November 29, 2025 | IFA

The etymology of the word deceive means “to ensnare” or “seize.” When people believe lies, they are essentially being thrown into a trap. As prisoners of deceit, they become confused and irrational. The truth, however, can always set the captives free.

Have you taken your place on the wall?

 

The first lie told by the Left this week is one that’s utterly disturbing because it involves a teacher from a New York school district who was caught “promoting online pornography as art.” Even more shocking is that the parents were not notified that their children would be viewing the very inappropriate pictures.

Porn Labeled as Art

Parents Stephanie Boyanski and Jessy Roberts were shocked to discover that their seventh-grade children “were assigned to visit an unvetted website containing graphic sexual images as part of an art project.” Moreover, the pornographic images were displayed by the teacher on a Smart Board in the classroom, but the students were directed to respond in a “mature” manner. If it weren’t for the parents who happened to discover the obscene content on their child’s school laptop, the issue might not have been brought to light.

Distorting the Truth

The teacher at the center of the incident would not take responsibility and instead blamed the IT department. Additionally, the parents were not allowed to meet with the instructor to voice their disapproval. District representatives tried to deflect the issue, using creative wording that stated that students had “come across inappropriate content,” making it sound like it was all an accident.

The American Center for Law and Justice did not accept the school’s ruse. They explained, “This wasn’t an accident. Students viewed this explicit material repeatedly over the course of approximately two weeks, for a graded assignment. No parental notice. No opt-out option. No filtering of graphic content. No alternative assignment. One of the students involved is a survivor of sexual assault. This assignment triggered traumatic memories, and this student is now in counseling as a direct result of the school’s actions.”

The Left was quick to defend the teacher’s actions at the local school board meeting. “The president of the teachers’ union mobilized teachers to attend the meeting in ‘solidarity,’ canceled after-school activities to ensure staff attendance, and distributed ‘Fact-Over-Fiction’ pins–an unmistakable message aimed at parents.”

Porn Cannot Be Tolerated in Our Schools

The ACLJ is not giving up, even in the face of woke educators. “We are demanding a formal reprimand in the teacher’s file, a clear policy barring teachers from showing sexually explicit content to children without parental notification, mandatory parental consent and opt-out procedures, and district-funded counseling for students traumatized by the assignment.”

The Left wants parents to stay out of public-school classrooms so they can push their own agendas and values on children. The truth is that parents MUST stay alert and involved in their children’s education, from kindergarten all the way through college. We must not allow wokeism to brainwash the next generation of parents, leaders, and influencers.

Parents Are Fed Up with Public Schools

The second lie told by the Left this week ties in with the first one mentioned because it highlights the reason why many parents are taking their kids out of public schools. The Left insists that public schools are excellent educational institutions that challenge students academically and teach them to be critical thinkers. But American parents are not buying it. In fact, in 2024-2025, homeschooling has become more popular than ever, increasing at an average rate of 5.4%.

An article posted by Reason explains, “Angela Watson of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Homeschool Hub wrote earlier this month, ‘This is nearly three times the pre-pandemic homeschooling growth rate of around 2%.’ She added that more than a third of the states from which data is available report their highest homeschooling numbers ever, even exceeding the peaks reached when many public and private schools were closed during the pandemic.”

Interestingly enough, these numbers likely underestimate the growth of the homeschooling phenomenon because not all families follow registration requirements in every state. Pre-pandemic, the homeschooling population stood at about 3% of students in the United States, but now it’s close to 6%. “This isn’t a pandemic hangover; it’s a fundamental shift in how American families are thinking about education,” Watson emphatically states.

Left is Clueless about Why Students are Leaving

Many “progressives” believe the mass exodus of students from the public school system is due to an aging population, demographics, and less immigration. They simply will not address the giant elephant that’s been staring them in the face for years. Parents are tired of liberal curricula, woke teachers, and gender ideology.

Americans want their kids to have an honest, wholesome, rigorous education that focuses on core academic subjects, not liberal political agendas. We must continue praying that our public schools, teachers, and school districts will get back to basics.

Tennessee Democrat Thinks Men Can Have Babies

The third lie told by the Left this week revolves around Tennessee Democratic congressional candidate Aftyn Behn. A newly released video showcases Behn claiming that men can give birth. “I think we have, as birther–women who can give birth, men and women who can give birth–we can maybe leverage that as collective bargaining. We can really leverage collective bargaining when it comes to having children in this country. And so, for example, I’m not going to give birth until the United States government concedes A, B, C, D,” she suggested.

Behn Bashes Motherhood

Behn, who refers to herself as a “birther,” is saying that she will only give birth if her demands are met by the government. But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her liberal rhetoric. A recording of Behn speaking about motherhood illustrates her disturbing worldview.

“My therapist always asks me to transcribe my dreams when they happen, and the recurring dream I’ve had is standing up in a cafeteria full of women—I don’t know why I was there or whatever—and saying, “I don’t want children. I want power!” and just screaming it at the top of my lungs. 

And for someone who grew up with my mother telling me never have kids because you’ll have to give up a lot, you’ll have to sacrifice professionally, which is what she was saying. And where I am now with seeing the consequences and the ramifications of women having kids and being in the political field and what they’re able to achieve, because we don’t offer—you know, it’s like the political field hasn’t met the challenge of working moms. They really haven’t.

But also the deeply patriarchal structures that these women are involved with because they’ve chosen marriage and they’ve chosen to raise children. And I think in the South, it’s incredibly difficult to shake those, especially if you’ve grown up here, and that’s all you’ve been told is the definition of success. The metric of success is how many kids you have, the square footage of your house, and where your kids go to school.”

 The Left sees motherhood as a burden rather than a blessing from God. Their support of abortion makes their views crystal clear. Aftyn Behn needs prayer because she is confused and deceived. She refuses to acknowledge that women are not “birthers.” They are mothers whom God has endowed with a treasured gift.

Lord Jesus, the Left never takes a break when it comes to spreading lies. You, however, are the author of all truth. Help us be wise and discerning as we tackle each and every deception.

These are just a few of the lies the Left told this week. How are you praying?

Angela Rodriguez is an author, blogger, and former teacher who studies the signs of the times, as well as the historical and biblical connections between Israel and the United States. You can visit her blogs at 67owls.com and 100trumpets.com. She is also the author of Psalm 91: Under the Wings of Jesus and Hallelujah’s Great Ride. Photo Credit: Danny Butlin-Policarpo on Unsplash.

Source: Three Things the Left Lied About—November 29, 2025

Saturday Selections – Oct. 25, 2025 | Reformed Perspective

Easiest way to save 175,000 Europeans a year

“Every year, around 1,300 Americans die from extreme heat. But in Europe, which has about double the population, 175,000 people die from extreme heat.” Why this huge difference? “…strict environmental regulations to help combat climate change…”

Christians are being encouraged – in the name of biblical stewardship – to sign on for the climate catastrophic agenda. It can be hard to know what to do, since the science is beyond most of us. But you can gauge the fruit of that agenda. Here we see how those trying to save the planet aren’t saving the people on it. So that’s not an agenda we should sign up for.

Ontario school taught third graders how to “get into drag”

We send our kids to Christians schools not, first of all, to shelter them, but rather to teach them to see the world as it really is – as God created it and sustains it.

But government schools are a danger we should shelter our kids from. Public schools indoctrinate children to see the world as it isn’t – to see it as completely disconnected from God. And that’s not enough for the government, as this report shows: they also want children to question their gender, and feel guilt, not for their sins but for their skin color.

Parents disrobe to make their point

The trans agenda has schools across this continent telling girls they need to be okay with boys in girls’ locker rooms, changing in front of them, and watching them change. What we have here is adults refusing to protect girls.

So, in what seems to becoming a trend, three parents have gone to school board meetings and, while arguing against this ridiculous policy, disrobed to their underwear or bathing suit. In the first case, in September, the board shut down the meeting, too uncomfortable to continue, and isn’t that exactly the point that mother, Beth Bourne, was trying to make? If the board can’t take such discomfort, why are they subjecting girls to it? Then, in October, a couple of women did the same, undressing to their underwear, to make the same point.

Awkward? Certainly. But is it a sinful way to make a point? After all, God calls us to modesty (1 Tim. 2:9–10). But He has also used immodesty to make a point, having Isaiah walk around naked (or in no more than his underwear) for three years (Is. 20:2-4). God also calls on us to defend our children and take the hit for them (2 Cor. 12:14, 1 Thess. 2:7-9), modeled most clearly in what God had done for us (John 10:11). The school was set on humiliating children, and these parents were willing to be humiliated instead.

Neither school seems to have listened. We can only hope these brave parents will also have the sense to pull their kids out.

Too hot to be old (10 min. read)

There are moons, and planets, and even a former planet, that are way too hot to be 4.6 billion years old. Our solar system gives evidence of being a young one after all.

Conservative Anglicans have been liberated

The appointment of a female Archbishop of Canterbury has prompted conservative churches to formally split away.

Why girls are more susceptible to transgender indoctrination

Our kids, girls or guys, need to know that their teen struggles are common – at some point in their teens, everyone feels like a friendless loner who has something deeply wrong with them.

They need to know hear that from their parents so they don’t start looking for answers on the Internet or elsewhere where they could hear their problem is that they were born in the wrong body. They need to hear from us that yes, they might be broken… as we all are. Thankfully, we can turn to God in our brokenness and in repentance, and He will be a Father to the lonely.

Source: Saturday Selections – Oct. 25, 2025

Only 17 Percent Of Young Adults In The U.S. In The 25 To 34 Age Bracket Have Attained The 5 Major Milestones Of Adulthood | The Economic Collapse

What I am about to share with you is some of the clearest evidence yet that the middle class in America is being systematically destroyed.  Young adults are forming middle class households at an extremely depressed rate, and that is because the American Dream is simply out of reach for most of them in this very harsh economic environment.  If you can’t get a good job that pays an adequate wage, you aren’t going to be able to live a middle class lifestyle.  Sadly, many older Americans simply do not understand how difficult things have become for our young adults in this day and age.

The Census Bureau has produced a paper entitled “Changes in Milestones of Adulthood” that absolutely blew me away.

According to the Census Bureau, the 5 major milestones of adulthood are living away from your parents, completing your education, getting a job, marrying, and living with a child.  Since 1975, the success that our young people have had in attaining these milestones has declined dramatically…

According to the working paper, “Changes in Milestones of Adulthood,” almost half of all young adults in 1975 had reached four milestones associated with adulthood: moving out of one’s parents’ home, getting a job, getting married and having a child.

Five decades on, that progression has changed dramatically. The share of young adults that have followed the traditional pathway to adulthood has dropped to less than a quarter, according to the paper.

After reading that CBS News article, I had to go find the original paper.

I found it on the official Census Bureau website, and it says that in 2023 only 17 percent of young adults had attained the 5 major milestones of adulthood…

In 2005, the most common combination was young adults who had all five milestones (about 26% experienced all five milestones). By 2023, however, the proportion of young adults who experienced all five markers of adulthood declined to about 17%, and young adults who reported only experiencing the three economic milestones of living away from parents, completing education, and participating in the labor force was the modal combination. Finally, the residual category in Figure 2 representing the proportion of young adults who experienced any other combination of milestones declined from 36% to 30%, suggesting that the experiences of young adults have become more homogeneous for contemporary cohorts.

17 percent!

Just think about that.

If our society was in good shape, most of our young adults would be in a position to achieve all 5 milestones by the age of 25.

But our society is not in good shape.  According to the Census Bureau paper, the primary reason why young adults are not achieving these milestones is because they are “facing economic barriers”…

The reason for this, according to the paper, is that more young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 are facing economic barriers compared with previous generations. Changing societal attitudes around family formation are also contributing to the sharp decline in the share of young people reaching what the U.S. Census Bureau considers to be “key milestones.”

If I keep hitting people with more evidence day after day, maybe the skeptics will finally start getting it.

Our young adults are not entering the middle class fast enough to replace the older middle class adults that are dying off.

As a result, the middle class is steadily shrinking.

To be a part of the middle class, you have to be able to get a middle class job.

And right now the competition for middle class jobs among our young people is extremely fierce.

If you doubt this, just consider what a 23-year-old college graduate recently admitted to NBC News…

“Every guy I know that is without a job right now wants to work, but they just can’t get it,” said Eli McCullick, who has been looking for a job for more than a year after he graduated with a degree in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder. “It’s demoralizing for guys who really want to get ahead and it’s just not happening.”

McCullick, 23, said he hasn’t even been able to get an hourly job at a restaurant or doing cleaning work at a hotel in the Boulder area, where he’s living at a property his father owns. The only way he has been able to earn money to cover his food and daily expenses has been to do odd jobs for friends and relatives, like shoveling horse manure, mowing lawns and helping an older woman prepare for a yard sale.

There is no way that I would want to be a fresh college graduate looking for a job right now.

It is terrible out there.

Another recent college graduate told NBC News that nearly all of his friends are unemployed and living with their parents…

Sean Breen, who graduated this spring with a communications degree from California State University, Long Beach, said he and nearly all of his high school friends, both men and women, are back home living with their parents and unemployed. He said even those who went to top-ranked colleges and got seemingly in-demand degrees are unable to find work.

“It is like a high school reunion,” Breen said. “We’re all, we are back in Marin County this summer, all unemployed, all trying to find a barista job, a part-time something, because we haven’t found anything.”

After having applied to hundreds of jobs, he said, Breen now plans to go to graduate school in the fall at Trinity College in Ireland, where tuition is significantly lower and, he hopes, jobs will be more plentiful.

This is the reality of what is really going on out there.

Those that keep insisting that “everything is fine” just need to stop.

The job market is freezing up and layoffs have absolutely skyrocketed compared to last year…

Layoffs have risen 140 percent from a year ago, a new report reveals.

Companies have already announced more than 800,000 job cuts this year alone, the highest since the pandemic upended the economy in 2020.

US-based employers cut 62,075 jobs in July compared to 25,885 in the same month last year.

Those numbers are staggering.

Unfortunately, 62 percent of U.S. consumers believe that unemployment will continue to get even worse during the months ahead…

• About 62% of consumers believe unemployment will worsen in the year ahead, according to the University of Michigan’s latest monthly survey.
• That’s bounced around a little in the last few months, but consistently hung around levels not seen since the Great Recession.

Do you remember how difficult it was to get a good job during the Great Recession?

Well, now we are entering a similar time.

That may help to explain why “job hugging” has become a thing in 2025…

Job hugging is the act of holding onto a job “for dear life,” consultants at Korn Ferry, an organizational consulting firm, wrote last week.

The rate at which workers are voluntarily leaving their jobs — known as the quits rate — has hovered around 2% since the start of the year, according to data from the U.S. Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Outside of the initial days of the Covid-19 pandemic, levels haven’t been that consistently low since early 2016.

The quits rate is a barometer of workers’ perceptions of the broader labor market, said Laura Ullrich, director of economic research in North America at the Indeed Hiring Lab. In this case, they may be nervous about getting another job or aren’t enthusiastic about their ability to find one, she said.

If you have a job that you highly value, don’t let go.

Hold on to it as tightly as you can, because if you lose it you may not find work again for a long time.

A lot of people are shocked by what is happening, but the truth is that nobody should be surprised.

There was no way that we were going to be able to defy the laws of economics forever.

The inexorable march of time cannot be stopped, and our future is going to look a whole lot different than most people anticipated.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post Only 17 Percent Of Young Adults In The U.S. In The 25 To 34 Age Bracket Have Attained The 5 Major Milestones Of Adulthood appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Preparing Your Children Academically to Live in a Walmart World | FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS

Preparing Your Children Academically to Live in a Walmart World

FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS 
volume 24, number 26, June 26, 2025

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. You shall also write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, Deuteronomy 6:6-9.

Several years ago I remember reading a testimony from a public school teacher in New York City who had been named the Public School Teacher of the Year in both New York state and the city of New York. He attended a banquet in his honor to receive his city award and was asked to give an acceptance speech. He said something like this, “We public school teachers and administrators are often told that public education does not work. Well, I am hear to say to you that it in fact works perfectly well. We are very much succeeding in our efforts. We are preparing our children to be greeters at Walmart.” I am pretty sure those words did not go down very well with those in attendance.  

The dumbing down of modern education in the west is frightening. I remember reading the 1890 required entrance examination for Penn State University and I am pretty sure very few of us, including myself, could pass the exam. You have read the statistics. The U.S. lags far behind many countries in math and science scores. If you have ever witnessed high school or college age kids on television being asked very basic questions on current events, or who the Colonies fought in the American Revolutionary War, or even basic questions about our form of government and our Constitution then you know how stupid and uninformed so many kids are today. 

There are many reasons for the decline in educational standards but without a doubt the greatest reason is whether or not parents are directly engaged in the education of their children. In his book Wealth, Poverty, and Politics Thomas Sowell points out that Asian parents have far more books at home than do White parents who have far more books at home than Black parents. If kids are not reading at an early age then this will not bode well for them in the future. Sowell also says kids in a two parent home in a ghetto who are encouraged by their parents to study and do their homework are testing better than lazy rich kids from Shaker Heights. The color of one’s skin has nothing to do with IQ or academic success and everything to do with parental oversight. Dr. Ben Carson famously has said that his mom made him as a child read numerous books and provide her with a written report on each one. He later found out she could not read but demanded that he work hard and you no doubt know that he became a famous and highly successful brain surgeon.   

We now know that cell phones and hour after hour of screen time are robbing people, especially kids, of the ability to focus their attention. Years ago, when calculators became available, some schools decided no longer to require students to memorize their multiplication and division tables. After all, calculators can do the work for them. I was shocked to hear a few years ago that many schools no longer require students to learn to write cursive. Again, why should they bother to learn it? After all, communication is now on a screen where we simply type. And then there is the growing problem of college and graduate students using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and falling into plagiarism, and the inability to think critically and solve problems in one’s research and writing. This tendency is particularly prevalent in ChatGPT which is used to generate essays and assignments which furthers the tendency toward plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Students are not being taught how to think, how to research, or how to put their thoughts on paper and in their speech in a cogent way others can follow intelligently. In short, there is a dumbing down process in education which is yielding an entire culture of intellectual zombies, useful idiots, who will do the bidding of the intellectual elites of our day.  

Perhaps I am going further than I should, but I cannot help but wonder if modern, public education is purposely dumbing down our children so that the intellectual elites can more easily control us and keep us in an intellectual and moral stupor. 

Well, how shall you prepare your children to live in a dumbed down world where the highest motivation is too often to aspire to become a Walmart greeter?

First you must own your children’s education. If you have the money to place them in a challenging Christian or secular private school, do not think your work is done. You must be involved. You must set a culture of learning at home. You must make sure they “grind” and do all their homework. Get them reading at an early age. Yeah, it would be great if they have an appetite for literary classics but even if they do not, get them reading what they like. Their desire to read will stay with them through adulthood and their interests in reading will change too. I loved to read as a kid but I was into sports and read almost nothing but books on baseball or football. Later my reading appetites changed to theology, history, and contemporary social and Christian issues. 

Limit their screen time. Studies are pretty conclusive. Too much time on one’s iPhone causes attention deficits. It becomes difficult to focus. We are prone to move quickly from one thought to another, making it difficult for people to follow our line of thinking. This is especially true with children. Some parents are giving their children Apple watches which allow them to text or call a limited number of people without internet access. Do young kids really need an iPhone? And then there is the problem of pornography which is literally a few clicks away for everyone. This stuff can truly hinder the brain’s development, not to mention do great harm to their souls.  

And even if you do not have your children in a school using the ancient Trivium (teaching children with the grain of child development, ie. grammar, logic, and rhetoric) when your kids reach grade seven, you really should augment their education by teaching them informal logic. Informal logic has to do with fallacious arguments which people make all the time, like ad hominem, ipse dixit, post hoc ergo proper hoc, ad captandum vulgus, and non sequitur.[1] Kids need to be able to spot these and also learn not to use them in arguing their position. And then in grade eight you should teach them formal logic, how to make use of the categorical, hypothetical, disjunctive, and conditional syllogism as well as a modus ponens, modus tollens, or sorites.[2] I taught formal and informal logic years ago and our youngest son and his buddies say it is the most important thing they learned in school. Knowing how to think and make cogent, logical arguments is a skill your child will use for the rest of his life. 

There is so much more I could say here but I will close with this. Maybe your child does not need to go to college. I know. I have been talking about intellectual development but many people are waking up to realize that much of the college experience is a sham. Almost without exception the public colleges and universities are controlled by leftists, Marxists, and atheists who want to indoctrinate your kids. I am also hearing that since Covid professors are far less frequently using lectures and are simply putting their information online and expecting their students to learn it with minimal interaction. And the cost of a college education has grown far more than the annual inflation rate. That’s because these institutions of “higher learning” have layers and layers of administrative personnel which all garner lucrative salaries. Many of the Christian colleges are not much better. Kids are coming out of these colleges doubting the authority of Scripture and six day creationism, not to mention being indoctrinated with a “woke” ideology.

I am not saying college is altogether a waste of time and money. Some disciplines like architecture and premed where the study of science is vital, are obviously necessary. Some kids are more wired toward a trade using their hands. Obviously they don’t need college though a trade school would probably be beneficial. But even if your son wants to go into the business world companies are increasingly not requiring a college degree. Some kids just don’t like school. There are plenty of examples of people who never went to college or dropped out and have been very successful professionally and financially. I have a few friends who are multi millionaires and they hated college and barely graduated with a low C average. One’s level of education guarantees nothing. 

If your child has a passion for education and if he is firmly rooted in the faith and Christian worldview, then he or she should make it through college without much difficulty. But if your child comes to you during his senior year of high school and says, “I don’t really want to go to college,” don’t panic. Don’t feel like a failure. Don’t be embarrassed when your friends want to know where your boy is going off to college next year. It’s okay. Don’t let your ego get in the way. If a kid does not like school and still has a passion for the business world, I suggest he may be far better off finding a low paying job with a company as an apprentice, learning all the “ropes” of the trade, finding what he really likes and is good at doing. Maybe in the long run he will learn more and be farther ahead of a peer who hangs out in the fraternity house for four years, drinking beer, and working summers at the local country club.  
________________________

1. ad hominem- attacking a person instead of the issue at hand, ipse dixit-they said it so it must be true, post hoc ergo propter hoc-after this therefore because of this, like saying, “I noticed the sun comes up every morning after I shave. Therefore my shaving must be the cause for the daily sunrise”, ad captandum vulgus- it the people believe it then it must be true, non sequitur- it does not follow. 
2. Syllogism Types to Know for Formal Logic I. This explains what each of these concepts mean. 

The new ‘one-room schoolhouse’: Millions of kids are joining America’s microschool movement | Business Insider

Millions of America’s kids have joined the microschool movement.KenWiedemann/Getty Images/iStockphoto

• Millions of kids in the US are in microschools, which typically educate 20 students or fewer.
• Interest in microschools surged during the pandemic as parents looked for alternate ways to educate their kids.
• Some education policy analysts said the lack of regulations for microschools raises concerns.

Mary Jo Fairhead felt that something was missing at the South Dakota public schools where she taught for over a decade, so she quit and started one in her home.

The main challenge she’s working to solve at her school, Onward Learning, which launched in 2022, is individual attention. She said each teacher has about 10 students. Schools nationally, by contrast, have an average of 15 students per instructor.

“We know every one of our kids on a very personal basis,” Fairhead said. “I know when they walk through the door if something’s off, and I need to check in with them.”

Onward Learning is part of the growing “microschool” movement in the US. These schools have fewer than 20 students total on average and tend to employ an alternative learning environment that focuses on personalized lessons for each student. Demand for them is growing due to parents’ desires to have a greater say in their kids’ educations and have more options beyond the public schools in their district.

Their popularity comes as the Trump administration is seeking to expand school voucher programs and has proposed redirecting federal funds from public schools to private schools, which could boost microschools’ resources.

Critics worry that the category is poorly defined — it could encompass a homeschool or a group facilitated by a teacher in a church, allowing for minimal state and federal regulation. Microschool advocates said kids learn best when education is tailored to best suit their needs.

“It’s my opinion that this type of learning could be beneficial for any child, but especially those kids that just need a little more space, either space to learn, space to run, and just a little less pressure,” Fairhead said. “If you’re the type of parent who wants a very structured day, lots of testing, and all of that, then my type of school is probably not the right fit.”

‘A new version of a one-room schoolhouse’

Given the lack of definition, it’s difficult to predict the number of students enrolled in a microschool at any given time. The RAND Corporation, a nonpartisan research organization, said in a March report that “the best currently available estimate” for the number of kids enrolled in a microschool full-time is between 1 million and 2 million, with “many more” enrolled part-time. Some microschools partner with religious institutions for funding and other resources.

Fairhead said that her school enrolled 12 kids in its first year, and she just finished the third school year with 37 students from kindergarten through 8th grade and a “pretty long” waitlist. The days are typically structured with a few hours of learning core subjects in the morning, like science and math, and the rest of the day is focused on “experiential learning,” like art, music, and outdoor activities.

She also incorporates Lakota language — the indigenous language of the reservation near the school — into the students’ curriculum.

“If a child’s struggling and they need something more personalized, we find it for them,” Fairhead said. “Or if they’re excelling and they need something that’s going to challenge them more, we find that for them.”

Fairhead’s microschool dedicates part of the school day to experiential learning.Courtesy of Mary Jo Fairhead

Interest in microschools started to grow during the pandemic as families looked for ways to keep students together while schools were closed, Paige Shoemaker DeMio, a senior analyst for K-12 education policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, told BI. She called it “a new version of a one-room schoolhouse.”

The National Microschooling Center — a nonprofit that works to advance the microschool movement — released an analysis of the sector in May. Using data from interviews and online questionnaires with 800 microschools across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the analysis said that 74% of microschools have annual tuition and fees at or below $10,000. It also said that 41% of microschools rely on state-provided school choice funds to operate.

Fairhead said that she partners with the local tribe for funding. She also received a $200,000 grant as a semifinalist of the Yass Prize, founded by billionaire Jeff Yass to award high-impact education initiatives.

Fairhead’s microschool enrolled 37 students in the most recent school year.Courtesy of Mary Jo Fairhead

Don Soifer, CEO of the National Microschooling Center, told BI that the majority of microschool founders and teachers also have certified teaching experience.

“Microschool leaders come from a background as experienced educators themselves who are excited at the opportunity for professional growth in no longer being bound by the requirements of the rigidities of a public school system,” Soifer said.

Soifer added that the goal of microschools is not to replace the public school system. Rather, it’s to give families another option where their kids can be in a much smaller setting, and parents can be more clued into what their child is doing on a day-to-day basis.

“We all have friends who are working in the public schools, making important progress on improving them, and more power to them for having the patience to do that,” Soifer said, adding that he spent years doing the same. “But there are families that can’t wait 20 years, 25 years for the public schools to make the improvements that are going to be able to help our kids who are in school right now.”

Different regulations from state to state

Regulations for microschools vary by state. An analysis by the National Microschooling Center found that over half of microschools follow their state’s homeschooling requirements, while the rest either follow their state’s nonpublic school guidelines or operate in a state with a defined microschool statute.

West Virginia, for example, codified the legal definition of a microschool in 2022, which says that one or more teachers can create a school that charges tuition and is an alternative to public, private, and homeschool enrollment. Georgia codified the legal definition of a learning pod one year prior, which could include a microschool structure.

Having those legal definitions allows regulators to ensure microschools are meeting the necessary requirements, Shoemaker DeMio said — and the lack of definitions from other states raises concerns on how to best hold those schools accountable. Lack of accountability could give rise to misuse of funds and inability to track whether kids are effectively learning the curriculum, she said.

“If we have a way that we can categorize certain schools as microschools, then we’re able to actually break down the data and we’re able to better understand who these students are serving and what quality of education they’re receiving or how they’re achieving,” she said.

Some microschools have been investigated for accusations of misusing funds. Arizona’s attorney general launched an investigation in 2021 into a microschool company, accusing it of collecting charter school funding from the state without actually providing any curriculum. In West Virginia, the state’s treasurer included a microschool in an investigation following complaints from parents that their tuition was not being used to teach their children.

Fairhead said that she doesn’t think more regulations are necessary and that they could diminish teachers’ passion. She said that parents hold her accountable: “They ask questions. They want to know what we’re teaching and what our kids are learning. And I prefer them to be my accountability over somebody who doesn’t know my kids, doesn’t know our area, and doesn’t know me.”

Shoemaker DeMio said that absent clear guidelines, data on microschools and student outcomes will remain minimal.

“If we can get specific regulations and guidance at the state level, that would be really helpful. It can provide us with data so that we could better track the schools,” she said. “But at the same time, it would also be helpful for people interested in starting microschools if they have a better understanding, if they have better guidance from the state on how to go about this.”

Do you have experience with microschooling or alternative forms of education? Share your story with this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Source: The new ‘one-room schoolhouse’: Millions of kids are joining America’s microschool movement

The Mailbag: Mother’s Day Potpourri | Michelle Lesley

The Mailbag: Mother’s Day Potpourri

Welcome to another “potpourri” edition of The Mailbag, where I give short(er) answers to several questions rather than a long answer to one question.

I like to take the opportunity in these potpourri editions to let new readers know about my comments/e-mail/messages policy. I’m not able to respond individually to most e-mails and messages, so here are some helpful hints for getting your questions answered more quickly. Remember, the search bar (at the very bottom of each page) can be a helpful tool!

Or maybe I answered your question already? Check out my article The Mailbag: Top 10 FAQs to see if your question has been answered and to get some helpful resources.

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This week on the blog, in anticipation of Mother’s Day, it’s all about the mamas. Here’s a roundup of Mailbag articles and other resources on motherhood and parenting…

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How can I raise my daughters to be godly women?

Avoiding the Creepers: Six Ways to Raise a Biblically Strong Woman

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How can I raise my sons to be godly men?

Six Ways to Raise a Godly Man

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Am I violating Scripture’s prohibition on women teaching men by teaching my sons the Bible at home?

Rock Your Role FAQs (#12)

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Can you recommend a good Bible study for teen girls?
Can you recommend a devotional I can do with my kids?
How can I teach my kids the Bible?

The Mailbag: Potpourri (Kids’ devotionals, The Chosen- Season 2, Methodist apostasy) (section 1)

The Mailbag: Can you recommend a good Bible study for women/teens/kids?

The Mailbag: Potpourri (NBCS, Homeschool resources, Piper…) (section 3)

12 Techniques for Raising Bible-Saturated Kids

Homemade Catechism: 11 Scriptures for Real Life Parenting Situations

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Which children’s Bible do you recommend?

The Mailbag: Children’s Bible Recommendations

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How can I know if my disabled (or very young) child is saved?

The Mailbag: Salvation and the Mentally Challenged

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My young child says she is saved and wants to be baptized. How can I know if she’s really saved and ready for baptism?

A Review of Justin Peters’ “Do Not Hinder Them”

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I’m thinking about homeschooling, but I don’t know where to start. Help!

Homeschool Resources

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As a stay-at-home / homeschooling mom of boys, how can I make sure they’re getting the male leadership and influence they need during the day while my husband is at work?

The Mailbag: Potpourri (Christian romance novelist, home schooling sons, Spanish resources…) (section 2)

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What is your position on birth control or having a planned family size? 

The Mailbag: Christian Women Working, Using Birth Control, and Limiting Family Size

The Mailbag: Should I Risk Another Pregnancy?

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Should I cover myself and my baby while breastfeeding for the sake of modesty?

The Mailbag: Should Christian women cover up while breastfeeding?

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How can I teach my children about modesty?

Modesty- Part 3 at A Word Fitly Spoken (We suggest you listen to all three parts in order as they build on one another)

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Is spanking biblical or abusive?

The Mailbag: Potpourri (Spanking, Women teaching men, Working a homosexual “wedding”…) (section 1)

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Can I get some guidance on training my children to behave in church?

That’s (Church) Life! – How to “Do Church” – Part 1 at A Word Fitly Spoken

Churchmanship 101: Training Your Child to Behave in Church 

The Mailbag: Potpourri (Joni’s testimony, “Messy”, Female seminary profs…) (section 4)

Yes Sir! That’s My Baby!

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How do I deal with my unsaved parents who are an ungodly influence on my children?

The Mailbag: Grandparents an Ungodly Influence on My Kids

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Biblical advice / information on parenting in general?

Do You Trust God with Your Kids?: 8 Ways to Parent Your Children Like God “Parents” You

Parenting: What a Child Wants, What a Child Needs

Parenting Without Shame

The 10 Commandments of Parenting

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If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.

Advent: Thirty Days of Jesus; Day 5- The Babe has arrived! | Elizabeth Prata

Advent: Thirty Days of Jesus; Day 5- The Babe has arrived!

https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7y5vN2Rmcg0DH2Yl6vNoED?si=FHAaAsnORuKanPIA6GRKXw&utm_source=oembed

By Elizabeth Prata

Answers in Genesis: Separating myth from biblical fact, No Room For an Inn
You probably recognize this scene:

Bethlehem (around 2,000 years ago): Joseph and Mary arrive at the sleepy town in the middle of the night. Mary, already in labor, remains on the donkey while Joseph frantically searches for a room at the local inns. Desperate, he begs one reluctant innkeeper for any place at all to have this baby. The innkeeper finally relents and makes room for them in a tumbledown stable with the cows. There’s just one problem. This isn’t what the Bible teaches.

Read more from Answers in Genesis at the link above.

GotQuestions: What does it mean that baby Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloths?
Swaddling clothes are cloths and bands used in the practice of swaddling, or essentially “wrapping” an infant tightly in cloth. The idea behind swaddling is that it helps the baby transition from the womb (a very snug place) to the outside world. Swaddling clothes are still used today, but with some modifications…

Kirk Cameron’s New Mission to Help Parents Instill Biblical Values: ‘Entertainment They Can Trust’ | Faithwire

Kirk Cameron’s New Mission to Help Parents Instill Biblical Values: ‘Entertainment They Can Trust’

Actor Kirk Cameron is working to usher in a “new era of faith-filled children’s programming.”

At a time when culture and society are desperately in need of wholesome and safe TV shows and movies, Cameron is delivering a new children’s show, “Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk,” a crowdfunded effort bringing together well-known performers and children’s TV veterans.

Listen to the latest episode of “Quick Start” 

https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?p=CCBNC3640195386

“This family-focused, live-action series combines laughter, learning, and biblical values, offering parents and grandparents a trustworthy entertainment option that reflects their values and brings the family together,” a press release announcing the endeavor reads.

It’s an effort that comes as a chaotic culture reels, and many Christian parents struggle to protect their kids from the influx of negative, anti-biblical content in entertainment today.

“Parents today are searching for kids’ entertainment they can trust — shows that align with their values and capture their children’s attention in a meaningful way,” Cameron said in a statement shared with CBN News. “‘Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk’ does just that, blending fun and purpose into a series the whole family will want to watch together.”

The actor continued, “I can’t wait for families to watch the full episodes but, for now, the trailer will give them a taste of the adventure that’s in store!”

Watch the trailer:

“Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk,” which will also feature special guests, focuses on main characters Iggy the Iguana and “Mr. Kirk,” played by Cameron.

Additionally, “Creative Leigh,” portrayed by actress Leigh-Allyn Baker, will join the ensemble, with the cast creating a vibrant effort to entertain kids and teach important values through storytelling and adventures.

“I’m so excited to finally share a sneak peek of Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk!” Baker said. “We’ve packed every episode with heartfelt inspiration, positive, uplifting lessons… and FUN!”

“Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk” was created by BRAVE Books and company founder Trent Talbot, who said in a statement shared with CBN News he knows firsthand as a father the difficulties that come with finding safe entertainment for young kids. He believes this show offers a solution.

“I’m thrilled for families to finally experience it,” Talbot said, explaining the significance of the trailer’s release. “This premiere marks the beginning of something special, a place where kids can be entertained and inspired in a way parents can trust.”

Cameron also teased the show in an interview with CBN News earlier this year.

“We want to teach children biblical, moral lessons through their phones and the screen time,” he said, likening the show to “a wildly updated version of ‘Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.’”

“[We will have] high energy, hilarious dialogue, beautiful animated biblical, moral lesson stories about the sanctity of life, about the fruit of the spirit, about the First and Second Amendment, and guest stars at every turn,” he continued.

“Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk” is a natural outgrowth of Cameron’s See You at the Library initiative with BRAVE Books, an effort that saw him touring libraries across America to read to families.

Find out more about the show, including updates on release timelines, here.