July 23, 2026

Why Your Kids Need to Fall Off the Monkey Bars Again

Why Your Kids Need to Fall Off the Monkey Bars Again
Season 1

Only 17% of Americans trust their institutions. Only one in three people feel like they can trust another person. And it's about to get harder to know what's even real.

In this Spark Short, Michele and Liz dig into a Wall Street Journal op-ed by former Senator Ben Sasse — written while he battles terminal pancreatic cancer — about the habits humanity may need to rebuild in the age of AI. They talk about the alarming decline in trust and connection over the past sixty years, why AI-generated fake images, audio, and video are about to make that problem worse, and why real-world experience, travel, and human connection might be the answer.

The conversation moves into some of the most personal territory yet: the "tech sabbath" — putting your phone in a drawer for a day — and why that idea is both terrifying and freeing. Michele shares how her son's two-week phone-free service trip to the Dominican Republic transformed him, and the two reflect on how a generation of overprotected, over-supervised kids may be missing out on the real-world scrapes, bruises, and independence that used to be a normal part of childhood.

In This Episode You'll Hear:

  • The stunning statistics from Ben Sasse's op-ed on trust, loneliness, and institutional decline in America
  • Why AI-generated fake images, audio, and video are likely to make our trust crisis worse
  • Why authenticity and real human connection may become "the currency of the future"
  • A conversation about political polarization, echo chambers, and why crossing the aisle feels so hard right now
  • Why travel might be one of the most powerful antidotes to disconnection and misunderstanding
  • The "tech sabbath" concept — putting your phone away for a day or two — and why it's both scary and freeing
  • A nostalgic (and very funny) conversation about playground injuries, helicopter parenting, and why kids might need more unsupervised outdoor time, not less
  • Michele's son's transformative two-week, phone-free service trip to the Dominican Republic through Global Leadership Adventures
  • A preview of an upcoming guest — Sarah Dusek, co-founder of Under Canvas — and why outdoor adventure might be exactly what we're all missing
  • An update on Spark Me's upcoming parent's guide to protecting kids on their phones

Resources Mentioned:

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