Gentle parenting gave us spoiled tyrants, now FAFO parenting is restoring order
Gentle parenting — or as BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey calls it, “permissive parenting” — was all the rage for a while. It encouraged parents to replace authority and traditional discipline with empathy, compassion, and positive reinforcement, promising flourishing children who were confident, autonomous, and respectful.
What it really did was birth entire generations of undisciplined kids ruled by their emotions, who loathe authority and don’t understand the first thing about natural consequences. You’ve seen the videos of parents futilely attempting to reason with their screaming 3-year-old who wants to eat dirt or permitting their 6-year-old to smear paint on the walls because she’s just “expressing herself.”
We’ve seen the fruits of gentle parenting. They’re poisoned.
The pendulum, however, is now swinging back. Authoritative parenting — modernly called FAFO, or “f**k around and find out,” parenting — is back in style. Even the Wall Street Journal says so. In a recent article titled "Goodbye Gentle Parenting, Hello ‘F— Around and Find Out," author Ellen Gamerman defines FAFO parenting as an approach that “[teaches] children accountability through tangible repercussions.”
Allie is relieved that people are finally returning to common sense. “Yes, we should all be authoritative parents,” she says, noting that it’s possible to be an authority while still being gentle in the way the Bible instructs.
“If you’re not the authority in your home, your 3-year-old’s going to be the authority in your home. That is disordered, and you are setting them up for failure,” Allie warns.
“[Children] don’t have the emotional regulation, the maturity, to be able to do that.”
According to the WSJ article, FAFO parenting depends on letting children suffer the natural consequences of their actions. “FAFO is based on the idea that parents can ask and warn, but if a child breaks the rules, mom and dad aren’t standing in the way of the repercussions. Won’t bring your raincoat? Walk home in the downpour. Didn’t feel like having lasagna for dinner? Survive until breakfast. Left your toy on the floor again? Go find it in the trash under the lasagna you didn’t eat,” Gamerman writes.
She also stated that “critics blame the [gentle parenting] approach for some of Gen Z’s problems in adulthood.”
Allie agrees, “Yes! Like not being able to look in people’s eyes ... and just, like, the overemphasis on, ‘I’m sorry, like, that’s outside of my realm of comfort. I’m not comfortable doing that. I don’t want to do that. That’s outside of my boundary.’”
The difference between the thriving Gen Zers and the stereotypical ones who get roasted for their laziness and entitlement, Allie says, is that the first group “had good parents ... who told them no.”
“They had parents who said, ... ‘You’re not going to get a phone when you’re 11. You’re not going to have social media when you’re 13,” she says.
“The parents who knew that their role was to steward and to be an authority and to love their children ... while still being as kind and as gentle and as supportive as possible — those are the kids I’ve seen that can look you in the eye, that can sit through dinner and they’re not looking at their phone. They’re not obsessed with social media; they’re not obsessed with themselves; they’re willing to work hard even when it’s not fun.”
To hear more of Allie’s commentary, watch the episode above.
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Dr. Phil’s chilling warning about the dark side of the digital age: ‘They’re victimizing your child consciously’
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the chaos of day-to-day life and forget just how much has changed in recent years. But if we took a step back and considered what life was like just a couple of decades ago, we’d be mind blown at how different modern living looks today — especially as it relates to technology.
Back in 2024, Glenn Beck sat down for an extensive interview with Dr. Phil about the toxicity of our increasingly digital world. Given the expansion of artificial intelligence and social media algorithms in just the last year, their conversation is perhaps more relevant than ever.
“In 2002, the first text message hadn't been sent. ... We weren't at all digital,” says Dr. Phil.
However, in the subsequent years, “We started to get much more into the internet, and then [2008-2009], it was like a bunch of C130s flew over and dropped smartphones on everybody,” he says, “and that's when I saw as big a change in our society as has happened in my lifetime for sure — I think as big a change to mankind as has happened since the Industrial Revolution.”
Fast-forward to today, and the vast majority of people are “walking around with as much computing power in [their] hand as we had when we did the moonshot.”
This leap in technological progress has caused a lot of damage to the human soul. Glenn considers artificial intelligence’s projected growth over the next few years. “Man is not geared for that. I mean, we are animals and our instincts — everything — comes from millions of years of experience. We're not ready for this,” he says.
“And it’s showing,” Dr. Phil agrees, “because if you look particularly at our young people who immerse themselves in this technology, we're seeing the highest levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, [and] suicidality ... since they started keeping records for that sort of thing.”
“Young people stopped living their lives and started watching people live their lives and comparing themselves to that, but the problem was they're comparing themselves to fictional lives [of influencers],” he explains, recalling times he’s had influencers on his show who have admitted that their lavish lives on social media are a far cry from reality.
These phony content creators are setting unrealistic expectations for the younger generations, who buy into the lie that life is fun and easy and then find themselves depressed when their life doesn’t measure up.
Compounding the issue is the tragic reality that most people walk around looking downward at their phones instead of up where real life is happening. When the iPhone first came out, Glenn immediately noticed this shift in behavior and warned that these smart devices were a dangerous “experiment on humankind.”
We now know from recent studies that he was right – smartphones are indeed rewiring the brain and harming the human psyche in ways we don’t fully understand yet.
Even more disturbing is the fact that those who are developing the algorithms that dictate the content we see should not be trusted. Dr. Phil points to a study conducted on a 13-year-old girl that proved that an algorithm is just a “money grab,” designed to get people “emotionally invested,” usually to their detriment.
“We've seen the information that the girls get anxious, they get depressed, their self-worth goes down. It hurts them to see [curated content],” he says, but “[social media companies] don't care ... so they continue to feed them upsetting content because they click more and get more ad exposure.”
“They're victimizing your child consciously,” he warns.
To hear more of the conversation, watch the full interview above.
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This Is Your Sign To Throw A House Party For Your Gen Z Friends
The long-term consequences of removing physical social spaces for kids have changed the fabric of American society.No country for angry young men
When one of Donald Trump’s strongest voting blocs starts to fall off after just six months of a largely successful second term, it’s time for some soul-searching.
Not just because the midterms loom or because 2028 is already on the horizon. The demographic in question — young men — will shape, defend, and lead this country well beyond the next election. If they’ve grown too cynical to bother, the rest of us may be left holding the bag.
When the past and present betray a generation, expect that generation to reshape the future.
Trump’s 2024 performance with 18- to 29-year-old men marked the best Republican showing since George W. Bush won that demographic in 2004 — the last time the GOP won the popular vote. Young men backed Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, then defected to Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Bush 43 pulled them back temporarily, but by the time Obama, Hillary, and Biden came along, Democrats had captured their hearts — and their votes.
Yikes. That’s no way to live. Yet today’s young men are angrier, more cynical, more disruptive — and more serious. They don’t want to “save” Social Security. They want to be saved from it. They aren’t starting out wide-eyed like the Boomers. They didn’t get the luxury of being idealists first and realists later. They started with realism, forged by debt, disillusionment, and betrayal.
These young men want a way of life back. They want accountability for the people who stole it from them.
The average 25-year-old white male is already more “based” than his Reagan-voting grandfather ever was or ever could be. And he’s not finding any comfort in Fox News. So the question is: Will anyone offer him a white pill before he plants the flag of “I just don’t care any more” at the 50-yard line of American life?
This generation won’t follow unless they’re given a mission worth sacrificing for. Trump’s brand won’t carry them forever. They can’t afford homes. They can’t find wives who aren’t steeped in feminist dogma. They can’t compete in a DEI-rigged job market. And now they’re expected to watch the people who ruined their future skate by without consequences?
That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.
Young men like my son don’t want slogans. They want justice. They want our leaders to treat domestic traitors at least as ruthlessly as we’ve treated our allies in trade negotiations. They’ve seen enough memes. If the memes don’t end in prison time, they’ll see them as mockery. They want consequences — and they want them handed out with severe prejudice.
That’s the instinct of men who’ve been cornered for too long. Dread it, run from it — it’s coming. Unless we offer them something better, they’ll start making something worse.
Don’t count on them to keep voting Republican just because the Democrats are just that bad. That’s a losing bet. These young men reject the old paradigms — left, right, Reagan, Bush. Whatever. They’ve even begun questioning the biblical dispensationalism that guided American foreign policy for decades.
When the past and present betray a generation, expect that generation to reshape the future.
Our shot at shaping that future is now. If we fail to hold the deep state accountable yet again, then we’d better produce an economic boom big enough to distract from the urge to burn everything down.
We’ve convinced ourselves that soft, passive men define the modern male. But history — and nature — doesn’t work that way. Sooner or later, the animal comes roaring back — and a new generation rises, looking to settle scores.
Better get ready.
Are Democrats reclaiming the 'podcast bros'?
President Donald Trump notched a historic victory in 2024, becoming the first Republican to sweep all seven swing states and to secure the popular vote since 1984. His success has been attributed to many different aspects of his campaign, but one unorthodox strategy stuck out.
In between countless campaign rallies and many media appearances, Trump made his rounds on several platforms that have been casually dubbed as the "bro podcasts." The slate of comedians, sports enthusiasts, and cultural commentators is a far cry from the traditional presidential debates brokered by corporate news outlets, yet the reach is arguably greater.
'Like a lot of normal Americans, some of the country's top podcast hosts aren't ideologues, they're just people who detest the political establishment.'
Trump subsequently made significant gains across several demographics, including Gen Z men, a generation that is measurably more conservative compared to their Millennial and Gen X predecessors. At the same time, their support for Trump is beginning to slip, and Democrats can smell blood in the water.
Many of these podcast hosts were perceived as sympathetic toward Trump during his campaign simply for interviewing the Republican frontrunner. It's important to clarify, however, that many of those same podcasters were in talks with former Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, which eventually turned down all their interview requests — but not before making a pit stop at Alex Cooper's notorious sex podcast, "Call Her Daddy," of course.
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The bottom line is that these podcasters are not the MAGA apologists the legacy media claims they are. Within the first six months of Trump's second term, the same hosts who sat down with the president leading up to November have also come out and criticized some policies implemented by the administration.
'Democrats shouldn’t approach these podcasts as a place to score points.'
Theo Von, the beloved comedian who hosts "This Past Weekend," has been especially critical of Trump's foreign policy and Israel's ongoing attacks in Gaza. Trump campaigned on ending foreign wars, yet the same conflicts rage on, leaving Von and many other Americans dissatisfied with the administration's trajectory.
“What’s the win for us? We’re just involved in some other thing while we have suffering here at home," Von said in June as tensions grew between Iran and Israel.
The Epstein saga, which dominated the political news cycle for over a week, also sowed division among podcast hosts and American voters alike.
"Sure feels like the dark arts are afoot!" Von said in response to the GOP's handling of Epstein-related votes. "Why no vote Speaker Johnson?"
Comedian Andrew Schulz, who co-hosts the "Flagrant" podcast, has also criticized certain aspects of the Trump administration and its immigration policy. Schulz, who was a lifelong Democrat, told Saagar Enjeti of "Breaking Points" that elected officials ought to be held accountable, even if you supported them.
"If you're not willing to hold the person that you voted for to the standards that they expected, then you're not a real person that cares about what's happening in America," Schulz said.
Because podcasters like Schulz and Von refuse to cast themselves into ideological molds, there is room for a wide range of voices to share their thoughts and exchange ideas with the popular hosts. Many of these critiques are echoed by their audiences, and some Democrats are seizing the opportunity.
Since the inauguration, Trump's approval ratings among Gen Z and male voters have declined, in some cases in the double digits. One CBS poll shows that Gen Z approval of Trump has declined from 55% to 28% in just six months, while overall male approval has dipped from 60% to 47%. Notably, these are the same demographics that make up a large portion of the viewership for podcasts like "The Joe Rogan Experience" and "Flagrant."
'Democrats are desperate to get back their momentum with young voters, especially men, by looking like regular people.'
Emily Jashinsky, host of "After Party with Emily Jashinsky," told Blaze News that the real reason these podcasts have amassed great followings, particularly with young men, is not because of their party affiliation but because they are willing to go against the grain.
"Like a lot of normal Americans, some of the country's top podcast hosts aren't ideologues, they're just people who detest the political establishment," Jashinsky told Blaze News. "Hunter Biden actually framed himself and his father as victims of the political establishment in his conversation with Andrew Callaghan, and that's not an accident."
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When asked point-blank if the "podcast bro" audience was "up for grabs" for Democrats, Schulz answered bluntly.
"Absolutely," Schulz said. "I'm up for grabs."
Democrats have since been making their rounds on the podcast circuit. Everyone from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and even Gov. Gavin Newsom have made appearances alongside the "podcast bros."
"We're allegedly these 'big MAGA podcasts,' and Pete Buttigieg comes on and has the biggest interview of his career," Schulz said. "Not our biggest interview of our career, his biggest interview."
"It's very simple. Whoever has the ideas that meet the needs of the people and can actively convince us that they can execute those ideas is gonna win our vote."
"Democrats shouldn’t approach these podcasts as a place to score points," Khanna, who has previously appeared on "The Glenn Beck Podcast," told Blaze News. "I have always believed in talking with people who have different views — whether that’s on Fox News or podcasts. It’s about exchanging ideas and building authentic relationships."
Although Democrats like Newsom and Buttigieg are broadly considered to be figures of the establishment, their willingness to participate in challenging, long-form interviews is unorthodox for their party.
However, their willingness to deviate from their party norms should not be taken as a newfound embrace for free speech and open dialogue. Rather, this shift among certain Democrats seems to be simply an opportunistic form of damage control in response to America's overwhelming rejection of their party platform.
"Pete Buttigieg and James Talarico have showed up on programs like 'Pardon My Take,' 'Flagrant,' and 'Rogan' now that cancel culture is over, and Democrats are desperate to get back their momentum with young voters, especially men, by looking like regular people," Jashinsky added.
"Ceding these spaces to the right for fear of offending progressive mobs gave the right way more power to define the left because the left would refuse to even enter the arenas, let alone by criticizing the Democratic establishment," Jashinsky said. "Now, they're trying to do both."
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Ronald Reagan famously cited the Roman maxim, “If it was not for the elders correcting the mistakes of the young, there would be no state.” That wisdom rings hollow when you’re on the mistake-making side.
Generation Z hasn’t exactly earned a reputation for excellence. As we wrote this, professional activist Greta Thunberg was in Paris, pausing her carbon-shaming campaign to weigh in on the war against Hamas. Here at home, Gen Z Democratic influencer Olivia Julianna is trying to rebrand her party’s image among young men by championing abortion access and highlighting its supposedly deep, hidden love for groups like Black Lives Matter.
Being ‘Christian first, conservative second’ isn’t political surrender. It’s the basis for cultural authority.
That barely scratches the surface.
A quick scroll through X reveals countless under-30 users with enormous followings and the “influencer” label — despite having little real influence. Their mistakes aren’t just frequent. They’re embarrassing.
So what’s a Christian Zoomer supposed to do?
The extreme of ‘influencerdom’
At a high level, the answer is simple: Build systems that reflect Christian values, and challenge the ones that don’t. But real influence won’t come by copying the warped incentives pushed by our generation’s loudest voices.
The skills needed to go viral online rarely match the skills needed to drive real-world change. In fact, they often clash. Posting about the dangers of corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion is one thing; using influence to force lasting change in corporate policy is something else entirely. Both matter — but they aren’t the same.
The other extreme: Apathy
But political “influencerdom” isn’t the only problem. Gen Z also suffers from a serious apathy problem. Between the aftershocks of the COVID economy and apocalyptic climate narratives — why bother thinking seriously about policy if the sun’s going to explode in 10 years? — Zoomers have earned a reputation as, in the Wall Street Journal’s words, “America’s Most Disillusioned Voters.”
We’ll show up to vote — maybe. But posting on Instagram takes less effort, so we’ll do that instead. One analysis summarized the challenge this way: “Campaigns must focus on converting robust online advocacy into real-world voter turnout.” That’s the kind of strategy you get when no one really cares.
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A Christian Zoomer response
As Christians, our duty is the opposite of apathy. We’re called to care. Rejecting our generation’s default indifference is just the beginning. “Christ is King” isn’t a license to coast — it’s the foundation for action.
Here are some practical ways Christian Zoomers can avoid the traps of both performative activism and total disengagement.
Seek wisdom from the right sources. Don’t look to influencers for answers. The people most worth learning from probably don’t have a million followers on X. Avoid the echo chamber of “onlineness.” Instead, find expertise from unglamorous sources: people with “lived experience,” technical know-how, and hard-earned wisdom.
Join a local church. Every Christian needs the weekly rhythm of worship, sound teaching, and community. But for young believers navigating a secular world, the church is especially vital. Find a congregation that preaches the gospel clearly and offers intergenerational support. This isn’t about socializing — it’s about growing in conviction and courage through regular contact with people who live by “Christ first, culture second.”
Vote locally. You don’t have to be a political junkie, but you should know what’s happening in your county. Local and state policies affect your daily life far more than most federal debates. National politics is often a circus; local politics is where things actually get done. Caring about what happens five miles from home is a Christian habit worth cultivating.
Think before you post. Virtue-signaling comes in all forms — left, right, and “based.” Whether it’s a black square or the latest meme, pause before jumping in. Ask: “Am I actually doing something about this issue in my community?” If the answer is yes, then post away. If not, maybe start with action before broadcasting your opinion.
Keep a few friends who disagree with you. Yes, surround yourself with faithful Christians — but don’t retreat into an ideological bunker. Having friends with different views helps you resist tribalism. You may not see eye to eye on politics, but they probably aren’t your enemies. Humanizing your opponents is a discipline, one that fights against the hyperfixation and outrage that dominate our age.
Serve somewhere. Whether you care about the unborn, the incarcerated, or victims of trafficking, find a local organization doing the work — and show up. It’s easy to have strong opinions about cultural decay. It’s much harder to give your time. But service grounds us. It reminds us of God’s blessings and our call to be His hands and feet.
Our generation veers between two extremes: obsessive political engagement and total apathy. Both reflect a flawed attempt to wring meaning from a system designed only to support human flourishing — not define it. And both fail.
The politically apathetic pride themselves on floating above the fray, looking down on those who care enough to engage. The hyper-engaged believe their passion sets them apart — morally superior to the so-called “normies” who sleepwalk through civic life.
Both attitudes are wrong.
If we, the rising generation of Christians, want to engage the culture meaningfully, we must refuse to measure our success — or define our mission — by worldly standards.
Being “Christian first, conservative second” isn’t political surrender. It’s the basis for cultural authority. It doesn’t excuse disengagement. It demands engagement.
We act because we believe every person bears the image of God. That truth drives our pursuit of justice, mercy, and truth. Our theology shapes our politics, not the other way around.
And if pagan, anti-Christian values fall in the process? So much the better!
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