Celebrate Kids Podcast with Dr. Kathy

In this episode of Celebrate Kids, Wayne Stender discusses the importance of nurturing different intelligences in children. Dr. Kathy then emphasizes how giving kids opportunities to explore new and challenging activities can help them discover their capabilities and prepare for future success. The episode highlights the value of creativity and artistic expression, featuring the resource Creating a Masterpiece, which offers step-by-step guidance for parents and children to engage in various art projects. By awakening different "smarts," especially visual-spatial intelligence, families can foster growth and self-discovery. Tune in to learn more about embracing challenges and the significance of art in development.

In this episode of Facing the Dark, Wayne and Dr. Kathy talk about the tension parents feel when raising independent kids in an anxious culture. Using stories of children walking to the library, running errands, and practicing small responsibilities, they explore how competence, confidence, character, and resilience grow through wise, supported independence.

In this episode of Facing the Dark, Wayne and Dr. Kathy talk about a neighborhood using simple WiFi "tin can phones" to help kids call friends and build real life connection without smartphones. Together, they explore why conversation skills must be taught, why belonging grows through practice, and how parents can help kids develop confidence and relational maturity in a screen shaped world.

In this episode of Facing the Dark, Wayne Stender and Dr. Kathy Koch step into one of the most common and uncomfortable parenting conversations: How do we explain where babies come from without confusing or misleading our kids?
The discussion is sparked by a popular podcast moment in which a celebrity mom offers a simple explanation: "When two people love each other enough, their love gets them a baby." While well-intentioned, Wayne and Dr. Kathy explore why answers like this, though emotionally appealing, can quietly create confusion or misunderstanding in a child's mind.
Using a memorable ice-skating analogy, the episode acknowledges how slippery these conversations can feel for parents. But avoiding them doesn't make kids safer; it just sends them elsewhere for answers. Dr. Kathy explains why parents must be the trusted authority on questions about bodies, intimacy, and life, and why clarity matters even when the details are age-appropriate and gradual.
Rooted in Psalm 139, the episode reassures parents that a child's worth is never defined by how they were conceived, but by who created them. When kids eventually learn the fuller story of biology, relationships, or even painful family circumstances, honest foundations help them feel secure rather than misled.
Wayne and Dr. Kathy encourage parents to speak the truth with care, to name body parts accurately, to explain intimacy appropriately, and to always frame life as something intentionally crafted by God. Kids can handle reality when it's delivered with love, wisdom, and patience.
This episode equips parents to step onto the ice with confidence, helping their children grow in understanding without fear, and letting truth become a bright light that cuts through confusion later in life.

Screens do more than entertain children; they shape habits, identity, attention, and belonging. In this episode of Facing the Dark, Wayne and Dr. Kathy unpack new health concerns about rising screen use among kids and teens while exploring the deeper heart needs driving attachment to technology. They discuss why screens often become substitutes for security and identity, while offering parents practical ways to rebuild rhythms that strengthen real connection and healthy character formation.