Focus on the Family Magazine - October/November 2021

MEDIA / PLUGGED IN
Couples
UPCOMING
REVIEWS
I know I should be using parental controls
on my kids’ accounts and devices, but I’m
unsure where to start. What should I do?
Great question because, let’s face it, that’s
where a lot of us as parents are today. Yes,
we know—in the abstract—that parental
controls are available. But implementing
them can seem intimidating and overwhelming
because, well, we don’t know where to begin.
The good news is that using parental controls is
actually pretty simple once you get over that understandable
anxiety.
I’d suggest starting with a streaming service you
use, which will give you a quick “win” and boost your
confidence. Let’s take Netflix as an example: First, log
on to your account from your computer. (Note that
the procedure will be a little different if you log on
from a mobile device or smart TV.) Hover over your
profile pic in the upper right-hand corner, and you’ll
see the word “Account” appear in a drop-down menu.
Click on it. At the bottom of that page, you’ll see the
header “Profile & Parental Controls,” as well as different
profiles for your family members (if those are
set up). Click on one of your children’s profiles, and
you’ll see a section for “Viewing Restrictions,” which
takes you to a bar with movie and TV ratings that you
can restrict. Save. Boom. Done.
Once you’ve mastered one service or device, you’ll
have growing confidence to move on to another. The
settings won’t be exactly the same, but they’re all generally
similar. Most importantly, you’ll see that taking
advantage of these content-restricting features is a lot
easier than you may have realized.
—Adam Holz, director of Plugged In
For reviews of these and other
titles, visit PluggedIn.com, <strong>Focus</strong>
on the Family’s media review and
discernment website.
STRAY
Will the cat lover in your
family want to give this
third-person adventure
game a try?
Scheduled release: October
ETERNALS
Are the battle scenes in this
Marvel superhero flick too
intense for younger viewers?
Scheduled release: Nov. 5
ENCANTO
Does the magical backdrop
of Disney’s latest animated
film overshadow the familycentered
plot?
Scheduled release: Nov. 24
(TOP TO BOTTOM) ©2021 MARVEL; WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS; BLUETWELVE STUDIO
JEN LINTS PHOTOGRAPHY
3tips to
live by
A marriage insight
from Sue mellema
TAKING WALKS
TOGETHER has turned into
happy moments for my husband,
Dan, and me. Without the distraction
of cellphones and emails, we actually
talk about what’s going on in our lives.
Recently, we discussed the constantly
changing seasons of life. We’ve
had busy and fun seasons—watching
our three sons marry, start careers
and become the fathers of our nine
precious grandkids. And we’ve had
challenging, heart-wrenching seasons
when we lost three of our parents to
cancer, lung disease and Alzheimer’s.
Dan and I came up with three
golden nuggets that God has
impressed on us to live out through
each season of life:
Love Jesus. Sounds basic and simple,
but if we truly love the Savior,
we’ll want to get to know Him by
meditating on His Word and being
obedient to what it says.
Love others. Dan and I are intentional
about making time for family
and inviting friends over, whether
it’s sending a quick text or enjoying
a game night together. When God
puts someone on our hearts, we try to
bless that person.
Preach the Gospel to yourself daily.
When we stop to think about what
Jesus did for us on the Cross, we can’t
help but be humbled, thankful and
filled with hope.
None of these golden nuggets are
new truths. But when we commit to
living them out, they can change our
marriages and prepare us for the next
season of life God brings our way. •
Sue mellema is a retired elementary school
teacher and now a full-time grandma. Her
husband, Dan, is the chief financial officer for
<strong>Focus</strong> on the Family in the U.S.
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FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
October / November 2021
OctOber / NOvember 2021 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY 11