9 selfies per week

Posted on: 09/29/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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teenagers-selfieShe holds her phone up at a high angle and strikes a sexy pose.

“Click.”

She inspects the picture. “Nope. Too much arm fat.” She tries again.

After four or five tries she captures the image she wants. Now to apply filters…

Funny… five years ago no one even knew what a selfie was. Now, Millennials average 9 selfies per week, spending an average of seven minutes perfecting each one before posting. That’s adds up to about Continue reading “9 selfies per week”

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Book Cover Winners

Posted on: 09/23/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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52-Ways-to-Connect-MCKEEThanks to so many of you last week who gave me feedback on my blog about my new book cover. I, and my publisher, both really appreciate it! It was great to hear what you all thought.

I turned it into a little contest, prompting you that I’d pick five names out of a hat and give them a free copy of the book once it’s on the shelves in the spring. We picked– and here’s the five names Continue reading “Book Cover Winners”

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Which book cover do you like?

Posted on: 09/17/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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My publisher just sent me two sample covers for the new book I’m writing to parents about connecting with their “Smartphone obsessed” kids.

Which cover do you like better? Use the comment feature below… in fact… anyone who includes their name and city in their comment, I’ll drop your name in a hat to win a free copy of the book when it hits the shelves. I’ll draw 5 names and give away 5 of them!

52-Ways-to-Connect-MCKEE

Or take a peek HERE at the other books I’ve written
(or my Amazon author page HERE).

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Top 10 Things I Learned After 1 Week in an RV

Posted on: 09/15/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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RV-trip-funnyJust got back on a really fun trip, just me, Lori and my parents for one week in an RV, traveling 1,000 miles across four states, from Boise, through the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

We all had a great time. Here’s what I learned:

  1. Farts are twice as loud in an RV.
  2. Each stop at the gas station required a month’s salary! (Yes, this baby drank like a camel at the pumps!)
  3. Always check the connection on your sewer hose before pulling the “black waste” valve. (Can you say fountain o’ feces?) Continue reading “Top 10 Things I Learned After 1 Week in an RV”

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3 Tips to Keeping Connected with Your Kids… without Becoming That Creepy Parent

Posted on: 09/8/15 10:51 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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smartphoneA brand new study asking U.S. teens and their parents about their social media and mobile app use revealed some intriguing insights, not only about teen’s attitudes about tech, but about how connected… er… disconnected parents really are from their kids tech communication. The study discovered:

  • 79 percent of teens indicate they rarely say things online they regret (which one media outlet interpreted as them “not thinking before they post’).
  • 52 percent of parents say their biggest concern is how much time their teen spends on social media.
  • 43 percent of parents admitted they do not monitor their teen’s digital activity.

Interestingly enough, 88% of parents say they are aware of all or most of the social networks or apps their teens engage with, but yet Continue reading “3 Tips to Keeping Connected with Your Kids… without Becoming That Creepy Parent”

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MTV Helps Kids Make Sense of the World?

Posted on: 09/1/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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dancing dirty“No art form in the world captures moments like this more powerfully than music. Music helps us make sense of the world. A song can elevate a movement.”
–Jussie Smollett of Fox’s Empire, in his speech at the MTV VMA’s, 8/30/2015

Jussie is right. It was probably one of the few noteworthy statements from Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards (The VMAs).

Music is powerful. It always has been. In the Old Testament we even read about David soothing King Saul with his music. Perhaps today David would send Saul his newest Spotify playlist (at a safe distance from any spears being hurled his way).

MTV is happy to talk about music’s influence… for good. How come we never see them owning up to the contrary?

After observing the effects of music on young people for two decades, I’ve noticed two observations Continue reading “MTV Helps Kids Make Sense of the World?”

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Miley’s VMA Reprise

Posted on: 08/24/15 7:35 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Miley-VMA-host-censoredThis coming Sunday night MTV will be exhausting all means necessary to garner one thing: ratings.

MTV has a history of stooping to new lows for ratings for their Video Music Awards show. This year’s new low will be Miley Cyrus hosting the show.

Yes, MTV exploiting Miley is nothing new. But this year they’ve been already pushing the envelope, utilizing Miley’s desperation for attention in their TV ads for the upcoming awards show. Maybe you’ve seen them: the topless ad (with little greenscreen dots covering the essentials), the “giving us the finger” ad, or the cloud of smoke ad… Continue reading “Miley’s VMA Reprise”

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Our Empty Nest

Posted on: 08/19/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Ash and Lyssy VanguardThis Thursday Lori, Alyssa and I drive 500 miles and drop off Ashley, my youngest, at Vanguard University in SoCal (Alyssa and Ashley in the pic to the right). We’re so excited for her… but it’s weird to think about how quiet it’s gonna be around our house!

When Alec left for school four years ago our girls were still here. It was an adjustment, but it was still a busy house and full-on parenting mode. Then, come summer, a full nest again.

When Alyssa left for college it was a little more severe. Alyssa went to Continue reading “Our Empty Nest”

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What You Don’t Know about Teens

Posted on: 08/10/15 9:21 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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girl-mom-fightI always find it interesting to compare articles and studies about today’s youth culture and look for common denominators.

Last week, Ypulse posted a noteworthy article about young people titled 5 Things You Don’t Know about Millennials and Teens. That article not only addressed the fact that 1/3 of the young people they surveyed have sexted and ¼ have had a one night stand, but also tackled subjects interesting to marketers like where young people eat (1/3 go to fast food on any given day), where they shop (the growth of online shopping), and how they communicate on their phones.

Earlier this summer, Download Youth Ministry released a ready-made parent newsletter package with 5 of my new “Parent Tips” articles, including one titled 5 Teen Trends That Aren’t Going Away Anytime Soon. Funny, in that article, I also touched on how young people communicate with each other, noting the Continue reading “What You Don’t Know about Teens”

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PG Porn

Posted on: 08/4/15 10:23 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Selena Gomez PG PornLast week as I prepped to talk with parents about their kids’ phones, I browsed through the music video charts and noticed some interesting trends, especially from some of the “child actresses” our daughters grew up recently watching on TV—Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. Their two music videos at the top of the charts are what I call PG Porn—extremely sensual visuals, with scantily clad girls writhing in pleasure… but with no official nudity driving the rating up. It’s the kind of video that drives a junior high boy to either click on something more severe… or to take a cold shower.

And what are these videos teaching our daughters? Continue reading “PG Porn”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Jonathan's Rant, Music, Parenting, Self Image, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment