Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Parenting is often lived in the extremes. It's either Great Joy or chaotic overwhelmed. In one moment you’re nailing it and the next you're losing your cool I want to help you find your way to the messy middle, to a place of balance. You see, balance is a verb not a state of being. it is a thing you do not a thing you are. it is an action a process a series of micro-corrections each and every day to keep ourselves feeling centered. We are never truly balanced. We are engaged in the process of balancing.

Hello, I’m Dr. Laura Froyen and this is the Balanced Parent podcast, where overwhelmed stressed out and disconnected parents go to find tools, mindset shifts and practices to help them stop yelling at the people they love and start connecting on a deeper level, all delivered with heaping doses of grace and compassion. Join me in conversations that will help you get clear on your goals and values and start showing up in your parenting, your relationships, YOUR LIFE, with open-hearted authenticity and balance. Let’s go!

As parents, many of us feel unsure about how to navigate gaming and tech with our kids, especially when it looks so different from our own childhoods. In this week’s episode of The Balanced Parent Podcast, I’m joined by Scott Novis, a video game industry insider, longtime youth coach, and father of three. Scott brings deep experience and a warm, grounded perspective to help us understand what kids truly need to build a healthy, balanced relationship with gaming today.

Here are the key takeaways:

Why kids are so vulnerable to gaming and tech
How tech and gaming companies intentionally hook users (and how to help your kiddo resist!)
Why parents feel overwhelmed and under-supported
Skill-building games vs. “hook” games
How parents can protect kids through smarter game choices
Healthy, social, and skill-building gaming
Balancing gaming with real-life needs and self-regulation

If you’d like more guidance on supporting your child’s relationship with play, games, and life skills, visit our guest’s website at scottnovis.com.

This conversation offers practical insights, empathy, and strategies to help parents support their children’s healthy relationships with gaming and technology.

Remember, staying curious and involved in your child’s gaming can help them learn, grow, and have fun safely.

Laura Froyen, PhD

Laura Froyen, PhD

Balanced Parent Podcast

Laura Froyen, PhD

Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Episode 242: Help Your Kids Build Healthy and Balanced Gaming Habits with Scott Novis