Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Newcom.
Hi Kelly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My husband and I met in college and have been married for 23 years. I am a pharmacist and work full-time at HEB. After years of infertility, we adopted seven children from foster care (between 2007-2014). Immediately, we were presented with many challenges related to screen media and tech devices due to their life experience before our home. We were highly intentional about what they were exposed to to help them overcome their past. Through one particular incident when my daughter used a classmate’s smartphone to get on Facebook and was nearly trafficked, I knew that parents had no clue what their teenagers were doing on these smartphones. I didn’t have the luxury of thinking, “My kid would never do that,” because I was still getting to know them! Every other parent, however, not only assumed their kid would never do wrong on a smartphone, but they also believed that social media was safe for teens. I committed in 2015 to start talking about smartphone and social media safety for teens.
I’d schedule gatherings at coffee shops and ask to speak at PTO meetings – anywhere I could get in front of parents and warn them that they could not be hands-off regarding smartphones and social media. My husband and I started Brave Parenting officially in 2016. Ryan manages everything business and tech-related while I research, write, and speak. I began to be invited to speak at schools and churches across Texas, and in 2017, I published my first book, Managing Media Creating Character. I started the Brave Parenting podcast in 2019. Initially, we aimed to convince parents to delay social media access until 16 years old. While this goal remains, we have expanded our vision to equip parents to think through all media and technology decisions through the lens of Scripture and to commit to Wait & Limit from the earliest of ages. We have added teaching events at Baby Dedication/Baptism classes in churches, Pregnancy Care Centers, and MOPS events. All of this inspired me to return to school and get my Master’s Degree in Biblical Theology and Apologetics, which I will graduate with this August 2024.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
The road has not always been smooth. It’s not hard to imagine how much children find it dreadful and embarrassing when their mother is teaching all the parents in their school and church to Wait and Limit media and technology. It was tough on my daughters to not have social media in middle school and first year of high school. We had so many tears and so many battles over it, but I was certain they would be better off in a few years than their peers who were trapped in the competition/comparison cycle, sexting, and addiction. Now that all have graduated high school, they agree that, although it was hard, it was better for them. Aside from the challenges that operating Brave Parenting presented, we’ve had major struggles with some of our adopted children in their adolescent years (violent threats against us, drugs, alcohol, crime, running away, living homeless – you name it, we’ve been through it). With that said the struggles of my children and their friends helped me see just how pivotal parents are when they stand firm and hold healthy boundaries for media and technology. Kids may hate media boundaries at the moment but appreciate their parents’ steadfastness when they are older.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started Brave Parenting in 2016 after my adopted 17-year-old daughter was almost trafficked by a man from Michigan whom she met on Facebook using friends’ smartphones at school. She had run away from home but, based on a tip from a classmate, was found in the back room of a trailer harboring runaway girls. I knew if there was any hope for girls with troubled pasts or, frankly, any young person who fell prey to lies of people hiding in anonymity behind a screen, parents needed to know the risks that personal access to social media and the internet posed. It wasn’t enough for me to limit, train, and educate my kids – all kids need to be trained and aware of how much the online world can take them captive. Today, Brave Parenting continues this mission of educating and equipping parents to know they must wait and limit media and technology, and how to do that when handing a child a screen is so much easier. This is also why we call it BRAVE parenting, but it is counter-cultural and requires courageous sacrifice. We believe technology plays a large role in the mental health crisis and loneliness epidemic and are motivated to convince groups of parents to band together and make changes in how much media access children have. We aim to encourage Christians, particularly in this mission, as a core part of the discipleship taught in Scripture. We believe that God’s word is not antiquated and sufficient to answer today’s questions surrounding our media and technology-driven culture. We fulfill our mission through weekly podcasts, live speaking events at schools, businesses, and churches, and through online content and curriculum found on our website, braveparenting.net. I have also written a book, Managing Media Creating Character, a foundation for why “brave” parenting is the only way for parents to raise unaddicted kids.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Having grown up in the Midwest, I love the diversity of culture found in San Antonio—everything from the food to the entertainment and tradition. We have everything a “big city” has while still feeling like a united small town. I have worked in pharmacies across the city as a pharmacist and spoken at schools in every district and even private denomination schools. The people of San Antonio demonstrate a commitment to family and raising children who have the perseverance to dream big and achieve their goals. The economic diversity of our city presents a unique challenge for my business and the Ministry of Brave Parenting. Higher-income families give children smartphones, tablets, and game consoles because they have disposable income. The lower-income families hand children the same devices because they serve as easy babysitters while parents work long hours to provide for their families. These barriers are hard to overcome because they have become engrained into the fabric of their lives. I only wish this was not the case. I love to serve, counsel, and guide all families; these are just real challenges I have noticed in our city. (And I don’t like 1604 between Six Flags and I-35, but does anyone?)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://braveparenting.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braveparenting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BraveParentingNetwork/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brave-parenting-28a538119/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yfv6uIngkTTRcUtJlNJ8I
