Welcome to The Connected Family!
Hi! I’m excited to welcome you to The Connected Family. My name is Emily, and along with my husband, John, and our family, I’m so happy you’re here.
I have been blogging since 2008 (!) and find great joy in chatting with readers about things that matter — and as a parent, few things matter more than raising kids who thrive. We believe building a strong family culture and navigating technology well is a key part of that. So, together, we’ll focus on laying the foundation of a connected childhood so that when the time comes, you can navigate technology as a family with agility and grace.
Thank you so much for reading — I can’t wait to get to know you!
What is The Connected Family?
Technology can feel scary, especially when it comes to our kids. It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of overwhelming statistics and alone when your middle schooler wails, “but I’m the only one without a phooooooone!”
WELCOME! We believe you are not helpless, and you’re not alone.
We believe you are capable of leading your family’s tech use in a wise and healthy way — that, in fact, you’re the very best one to do it.
Hi! I’m Emily Thomas, a wife, mom to three, and writer passionate about play-based childhoods, life-giving family cultures, and teaching kids and teens to navigate technology well. In my professional life, I’ve helped thousands of people uncover what matters, set goals, and create meaningful lives they love through developing products and live teaching at Cultivate What Matters for over a decade.
If you want to feel more equipped to grow a vibrant family culture and have good conversations with your kids about technology, you’re in the right place! We (me and my husband John — he’s a big part of this, too!) would love to come alongside you in two ways:
First, we’ll empower you to create a connected childhood for your kids — one that encourages them to fall in love with the big, beautiful world and that is rich in meaning, connection, and joy. This is not about doing more (you’ll find I’m very practical!), but is often about doing less.
Then, as you move into the tween and teen years, we’ll equip you to lead your family as you navigate on-the-ground tech conversations and decisions with grace and agility.
We’ll explore both of these topics right here in this newsletter and in more resources to come. Stay tuned!
Why subscribe?
I love how the community of a newsletter gives us space to thoughtfully discuss things that really matter.
Paid subscribers ($5/month or $50/year) get access to every post and my eternal gratitude. I don’t drink coffee, but I hear $5 is less than the cost of a latte :) You’ll also get the ability to comment on posts, ask questions, read and search the archive, and join the community!
Free subscribers get one post a month and my eternal gratitude. (Seriously! I am incredibly grateful for every person who thinks our kids are worth protecting and investing in, and who is doing the good, hard work of navigating tech in their own community and family.)
Paid subscriptions allow me to continue improving The Connected Family, to keep some posts free for everyone, and to equip more parents to navigate technology well. If you value what we’re building here, I hope you’ll consider a paid subscription!
What else?
I’ve been writing since 2008 on my personal blog, Em for Marvelous. There, I write about the people, places, and things I love. If you like reading about financial freedom, organization and simplicity, goals, love and marriage, and everyday adventures, come on over!
Finally, I am a member of several affiliate programs, including Amazon Associates and LTK. Through these, I sometimes earn a commission on the sales of products I link to. I feature only items I genuinely love and want to share, and this is an arrangement between the retailer and me (readers never pay more for products). Thank you for reading!
