Blog - HOPEFUL MOM

August 2, 2026July 30, 2026

Your Child Needs Safe Enough, Not Perfect

I met Dr. Carol several years ago and have admired her ever since. Her sweet spirit is magnetic, and her knowledge is extensive. In her presence, you feel seen and heard. I’m thrilled that she’s back at Hopeful Mom helping parents understand what a safe enough parent looks like.

Your child has gotten involved in pornography or something similar. You’ve worked hard to keep your nervous system from going berserk. You may wonder, “What did I do to let this happen?” Some aspects of how you related to your child either now or in the past may leave you feeling overwhelmed, embarrassed, or sad. Some people tend to give up at that point. Others try to shift blame to the child, or step up the boundaries or controls.

But what your child needs most of all is a safe enough presence. They don’t need you to be perfect; they need you to be with them, to see them, and to care.

July 21, 2026July 21, 2026

Tech-Ready, Not Tech-Perfect: 5 Habits for Modern Families

I’ve been a fan of the organization Protect Young Eyes and its founder, Chris McKenna, for years. So I was excited to read his new book, 5 Habits of the Tech-Ready Family: Raising Wise Kids in a Wild Digital World. Glad I did. He did an excellent job addressing the trials that parents face today, offering practical advice, and staying true to the core of parenting.

In the first chapter, McKenna admits parents wrestle with the challenging balance of technology being both a gift and a curse. “Yes, I want my son to take a phone … because the world has changed and there are no pay phones on street corners anymore. But I also need to discipline myself to check his location less and practice being okay with not always knowing. I need to let him be bored and independent sometimes, because those small discomforts are where resilience is born” (McKenna 5).

That’s the crux, right? We want our children to learn how to deal with boredom and become independent. Which means we need to let go and allow them space to grow and become resilient.

In his subsequent chapters, McKenna lists five habits of a tech-ready family.

July 6, 2026June 22, 2026

Eyes Peeled, Prayers Strong: A Mom’s Wake-Up Call About Sex Trafficking

I’m excited to welcome Jessica Brodie back to Hopeful Mom. Jessica’s passionate about educating parents on mental health issues and the sex trafficking trade. She’s done her homework and wrote about trafficking in her newest novel, Hidden Seeds. Keep reading for a sneak peek into the book as well as helpful information to keep our kids from getting caught in a potential trafficking situation.

I thought sex trafficking involved women—or men—being violently kidnapped and coerced, or lured into trafficking through addiction.

What I didn’t realize until far too recently was that trafficking usually starts subtly, and right here in our neighborhoods, with young kids who could live next door. Both girls and boys are brought in through a gradual process called “grooming” that preys on their emotional and sometimes physical needs.

June 22, 2026June 22, 2026

What Grandparents Don’t Know About Online Safety Can Hurt Your Kids

Sometimes we’re so focused on keeping our home safe for our kids, we forget they’re interacting with devices elsewhere – like at their grandparents’ (or other relatives’) house.

When my son was sixteen, he confessed to his father and me (for the second time) that he had a pornography problem. Through his prompting and with his approval, we added boundaries and safeguards.

New restrictions included locked down computers and no devices in bedrooms. Again, our son was fully on board with these regulations, as well as many others.

May 18, 2026May 15, 2026

The Importance of Real-Life Community in a Social Media World

A great tragedy of our day is that many of us want to be loved, but we’re terrified of being known. ~ The Wolf in Their Pockets

Community matters. People we interact with—friends, neighbors, classmates, co-workers, random people on the street—influence us. Surroundings impact beliefs, thoughts, and opinions, as well as physical and mental health. All these factors contribute to behavior.

In short, adults and teens alike should choose friends wisely and engage with others who support healthy choices frequently.

Where do we find these friends?

May 4, 2026April 26, 2026

4 Golden Nuggets for Hurting Parents

Dena Yohe is with us again to give hurting parents some advice. I am so grateful to call her friend. Dena walked through struggles with her daughter when she was a teen and now helps other parents who find themselves in the same position. She and her husband run support groups and have authored several books, including Dena’s latest book, Strength for the Brokenhearted: A 31 Day Devotional for Hurting Parents. She has some golden nuggets for us.

When we began our journey of parenting a troubled child, my husband and I were clueless. An endless amount of information was available on how to raise great kids, but we found little help when it came to dealing with more serious issues. We needed help because we had no idea what to do. Similar to panning for gold in a river, we found some valuable insights over the years. Here are four golden nuggets we discovered.

April 20, 2026April 11, 2026

When Life Disrupts: How Families Learn to Adapt and Heal

Only 1 in 7 married parents meet the criteria for resilience.

When an email about a 2024 study conducted by Barna [i] landed in my inbox a few weeks ago, I was intrigued. And encouraged. Resilience can be measured. It can also be learned. Good news for parents, especially those of us dealing with a child’s unhealthy behavior.

What is resilience? “The process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.”[ii]

Flexibility. Adjustment. Adapting. Bouncebackability. All qualities of resiliency.

April 6, 2026April 6, 2026

Snapchat and Other Social Demons

snapchat and social media have pornographic material

It’s my honor to introduce Daniel Weiss, president of Sexual Integrity Leaders, Inc. and co-author of Treading Boldly through a Pornographic World (which I highly recommend). Daniel’s passion for equipping leaders to help the sexually broken is evident. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking at one of the Sexual Integrity Leadership Summits he sponsors yearly. He is encouraging and humble. I’m sure you will find helpful nuggets of wisdom, especially on helping your children deal with this pornographic world, in his post.

A recent study from the United Kingdom again confirms what we have known for the past twenty years: exposure to online pornography is normal for kids today. In her report supporting the strengthening of Britain’s online protection laws, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza shared that, “This report … paints a stark picture of what childhood looks like in 2025 with an online world that is, in many ways, completely unfit for children.”

Social Media: Top Pornographic Sites

We might suspect the internet is bad for kids (or know it full well), but this recent study reveals that eight of the top sources for pornography aren’t pornographic sites at all, but mainstream social media sites like, X, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube. The internet has definitely moved on from the marketplace of ideas to a virtual brothel actively inviting kids to step inside.

March 16, 2026March 14, 2026

Teaching Teens Healthy Boundaries in Dating

“Will you go with me?” the boy asked. I was in fifth grade and didn’t recognize the phrase used at the time to ask someone to be his girlfriend. (Think 1980s.)

Wide-eyed, I said, “Go where?”

As his real question dawned on me, I regretted my reactionary response but was too shy to backpedal and say, “Yes.”

This interaction started my dating era.