Blog - HOPEFUL MOM

March 2, 2026February 27, 2026

Partnering to Protect Kids from Online Dangers

My good friend Sarah Siegand is with us again. She’s an expert at helping parents with their tech issues. She recently launched a book for student ministry leaders. In this post she reminds us that the Church is not immune from technology problems, so we should speak up and ask the Church to stand with us in this fight.

Research continues to prove that excessive screen time and exposure to harmful content have created a mental, emotional, and spiritual health epidemic among young people. From the former U.S. Surgeon General to congressional leaders across party lines, from Big Tech whistleblowers to grieving parents, the message is clear: our kids are in crisis.

February 16, 2026February 6, 2026

Love is Not a Feeling: How Parents Can Model Selfless Love

Love. We dream about it, sing songs about it, and talk incessantly about it. We watch mushy movies hoping true love wins. We desire love in our own lives. But somewhere along the way, we confuse attraction, infatuation, and emotion with something deeper. Love is not a feeling, even though our culture treats it like one.

When I was a teen, my primary objective was finding true love. I knew the guy who would sweep me off my feet someday would complete my life and cure everything that ailed me. I would no longer be shy, insecure, or flawed. The ache in my heart would disappear.

February 2, 2026January 24, 2026

How to Help Your Teen Process Sexual Desire

I’m thrilled to introduce Ben Williams of 423 Communities. As the Director of Youth and Families – through 423 Next – he coaches teens, trains, and runs support groups. I love Ben’s heart and passion for teens and how he comes alongside them as someone who has been in their position. Ben offers great advice to parents in helping teens deal with sexual desire. I highly recommend checking out 423 Next here, especially if you have a teen struggling with pornography. By the way, 423 Next has a coach for girls, and I partner with 423 Communities to coach parents.

My Story

I vividly remember desiring privacy from my parents as a teenager. I would spend hours in my room watching YouTube, Netflix, and playing video games. When I was out with my family, I was not present. Instead of looking my parents in the eyes, I was looking down at my phone. Instead of listening to the conversation, I was listening to my headphones. Instead of talking to them, I was usually texting some girl from school.

January 19, 2026January 6, 2026

The Angry Parent’s Path to Peace

Anger. We’ve all fallen victim to it. A burning sensation lit quickly or simmering under other emotions, slowly escalating. Sometimes we’re so overwhelmed by anger, we teeter on the edge of sanity. And sometimes we don’t realize we’re angry until we explode.

Anger surprises us with irrational behavior and unintentional insults.

But anger also propels us to stand up for an underdog or speak out against an injustice.

Anger is a natural response to a life event. But left unattended, anger festers and permeates our well-being, like an untreated infection.

January 5, 2026December 29, 2025

How Predators Groom Kids for Sex Trafficking Online

Sex trafficking doesn’t typically start with kidnapping. It starts with grooming. Predators build trust first. They use affection, attention, and manipulation to slowly convince preteens and teens that abuse is love, secrecy is normal, and speaking up will ruin lives.

Grooming for sex trafficking happens in person and online and is particularly prevalent on social media platforms. Pornography and sex trafficking are intertwined, so we must discuss signs and grooming techniques with our children.

I recently watched a reel on journalist Lori Fullbright’s Instagram that clearly explains how predators groom their victims. You can watch the reel here. The following transcript reveals phrases predators use to manipulate, isolate, and control children before trafficking begins.

December 15, 2025December 16, 2025

Catfishing: What It Is and How It Impacts Our Teens

When my daughter worked at a local pharmacy, older ladies often came in to purchase gift cards for their online friends. Management taught her to ask questions and try to convince customers not to buy the gift cards if their stories were suspicious. Inevitably, though, buyers defended their purchases. They insisted they knew their “friend” well and there was a definite need. My daughter recognized that most of these ladies were being swindled, but she rarely talked them out of spending money on someone they’d never met in person.

These precious ladies were catfished.

December 1, 2025December 6, 2025

5 Digital Safety Traditions to Nurture Family Joy and Peace This Holiday Season

I’m thrilled to welcome Julia Daniels of Ever Accountable back to Hopeful Mom. Julia lists some practical digital safety tips for us this holiday season. Check out Ever Accountable and use this link for 20% off.

Who can forget the iconic scenes in Home Alone when young Kevin finds himself all alone in the house while the rest of the family is traveling internationally for Christmas? He’s only eight – vulnerable, mischievous, and obviously relishing zero adult supervision.

When Kevin’s mom suddenly realizes her young son is not on the plane with the family, I feel her wide-eyed panic in the pit of my stomach (Every. Single. Year.) as she exclaims, “KEVINNN!”

Meanwhile Kevin’s reckless enjoyment of his freedom (and sheer ingenuity) while he’s home alone reminds us all why kids need parents!

In the midst of the holiday bustle, our children can quietly become “home alone” in their own secret digital lives. But the online dangers that lurk are far more serious and subtle than the larger-than-life robbery heist Kevin thwarted.

November 18, 2025November 18, 2025

It’s Not About You: Understanding Teens and Their Choices

“I can’t believe he’s doing this to me. He knows I hate when he watches porn.”

“She purposefully went behind my back and purchased a burner phone after I explicitly forbid any more screen time. She’s trying to drive me crazy.”

“My son ignored everything I told him and watched pornography even after I warned him about the dangers. He just wants to hurt me.”

Many parents have thoughts like these when they discover a child’s unwanted behavior—whether it’s watching inappropriate videos, ignoring screen time limits, or interacting with strangers online. We feel, at some point, as if our child stabbed us in the back.

November 3, 2025October 3, 2025

The Holistic Health Approach to Sex Education

I’m thrilled to introduce Tracey Pike, a leader in the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education field. When I met Tracey, I was immediately drawn to her passion for helping the next generation understand the importance of making healthy choices, especially as it pertains to their overall health.

Teens are influenced by peers, social media, and their home life. They’re stuck in a place where they desperately want to belong and yet want to carve their own path. Additionally, their brains aren’t fully developed, so they are easily swayed by whatever is appealing in the moment. They can be convinced that the choice they make today is inconsequential to their future and only affects one small area of their life. Hence, the belief that sexual activity, which they think is primarily physical, is no big deal. To combat this thinking, let’s change our approach to sex education in our homes.

In this article, Tracey helps us understand what holistic health is and why we should incorporate the concept into our children’s sex education at home as well as in the classroom.

October 20, 2025September 27, 2025

Porn vs. Healthy Sex: A Parent’s Guide

porn vs healthy sex banner at Hopeful Mom

The average age of first exposure to pornography is 8 to 12 years old. Many preteens and teens watch porn for their sex education. They are curious and wander into unknown territory they don’t comprehend.

Our job as parents is to educate our children about the harms of pornography, just as we would discuss the dangers of running in the street, touching a hot stove, or taking someone else’s prescription drugs. Yet, it’s not as effective to simply forbid certain behaviors; we should also explain benefits of healthy sexual activity.

I often tell students, “We want you to have a healthy, thriving sex life . . . Not today. At the right time with the right person.”