Why I’m tearing down every paywall around children’s safety - online, at school, and in the hospital.
—By Abby Brody
Simple: I owe a debt.
It was November 2018 at 4AM when my debt clock started ticking.
It was then that I gave up. I realized right then and there that life was completely out of my control and if anything, my intervention in my son’s cancer care was a hindrance. So I tried something new. I got on my knees and prayed, covered in urine: urine that I had been tasked to collect to test Jacob’s levels of toxicity. And after a successful night of collection, I spilled it all over myself, but more importantly, all over Jacob, who had finally fallen asleep after a horrific day of chemo. Sleep was important. The next day was yet another surgery and he had not slept for many nights before. But instead Jacob woke up soaking wet.
He looked at me holding the urine can and said plainly “You’re making this worse.” Those words broke me.
As I watched the nurses begin to disconnect Jacob to give him a shower, I realized something grave, I am in WAY over my head. I do not know how to fix this. And fixing is my thing, especially when it comes to children and learning. It is what I do best and people even pay me to do it. But this? I was not only not fixing, I was causing even more problems.
I got down on my knees in that cell of a hospital room and prayed. I had nothing to lose. From my perspective, the ODDS of God’s existence were most likely zero: living on a pediatric oncology ward with dying children will do that to you. I was unsure how to even pray, but I do know how to write a contract - and that I did. Right on a hospital coloring book.
GOD SAVES JACOB
ABBY SAVES REST
I told God that if he saved my son, I would devote my entire life to helping children. HOW I’M PAYING OFF THE DEBT—
I see two main crises in childhood: education and healthcare. It is in these two fields that I spend my time. I help craft policy, create resources for both parents, educators, and healthcare practitioners with a goal to bring personalized solutions to complex problems. All for free. My time, any created content and resources, all free. Why? Children’s safety should never hinge on
a parent’s bank balance or search skills. And knowledge should be free and accessible. Parents don’t need another subscription; they need solutions. The stakes could not be higher. We absolutely,100 percent, cannot afford to sit this one out. One missed setting, one unasked question, can change a life forever.
I encourage readers to check out these resources, especially my latest resource FENCE, a tool for parentings navigating the digital reality of their children' s childhoods.
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BUILDING A DIGITAL FORTRESS YOUR FAMILY CAN INSTALL TONIGHT Stop the fight over screentime, because you ain't winning. Instead be smart and build a digital FENCE.
FENCE isn’t software you buy; it’s a playbook you follow. First, we set real filters on every device and network. Then we engage kids in honest, shame-free talks about what they’ll inevitably see online. We negotiate a tech contract they help write, turning rules into shared values. We check in weekly—five minutes, face-to-face—replacing secret surveillance with mutual trust. Finally, I keep parents educated through monthly micro-lessons so no algorithm outpaces us.
WHERE TO FIND IT ALL—FREE, FOREVER
Every video walkthrough, printable checklist, and conversation script lives openly at AbbyBrody.com. No paywall, no email gate, no “premium tier” waiting on the other side of a credit-card form. Just click and take what you need.
MY CALL TO YOU
Parents, guardians, teachers—anyone who loves a child - join me today. Visit AbbyBrody.com. Spend one evening trying FENCE. Share the link with the PTA, the soccer chat, the church bulletin. If you hit a snag, my calendar link is public and my inbox is open. Use me. I have a debt to pay.
And right now, that debt is playing RUGBY with my son:)
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