In this episode of We Made This Political, hosts Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall interview Grace Pate Pouch, author of Savoring Childhood: Practical Wisdom for Slowing Down and co-founder of Upstate Unplugged, about why childhood is “for being a child” and how modern life rushes kids (and adults) through it. They discuss instant gratification, fragmented attention, and disembodiment driven by phones, on-demand purchasing, and ed tech, arguing for intentionally “adding friction” through small, incremental choices that build patience, self-control, agency, and purpose.
Grace connects slowing down to spiritual formation and civic life, emphasizing practices that develop the capacity to love, contribute, and respond well rather than merely knowing the right answers. She ends with optimism about Greenville County Schools’ new classroom tech limits and leaders publicly acknowledging overreliance on technology.
00:00 Meet the Hosts
01:12 Introducing Grace Pouch
01:57 What Childhood Is For
03:52 Why Life Feels Too Fast
08:25 Adding Friction Back
11:04 Attention and Presence
15:15 Embodiment and Phones
18:36 Analog Comeback
22:47 Ed Tech Skepticism
26:22 Institutional Pressures
28:25 Culture and Agency
30:27 Local Screen Advocacy
31:46 Small Wins Mindset
33:26 Spiritual Formation Focus
37:11 Discipline Builds Freedom
40:23 Slow Consuming Culture
43:05 Participation Over Consumption
48:16 Savoring Faith Through Play
49:37 Struggle Grows Agency
51:47 Counterpoints For Balance
53:19 Where To Find Grace
55:15 Optimism And Policy Wins
56:24 Closing And Farewell
Additional Resources
“Mothers Are Not Machines” by writer Lindsey DeLoach Jones
Renovare Institute for Spiritual Formation
“Greenville County Schools Working to Reduce Screentime in Classrooms” — newspaper article on Rule 1A that Upstate Unplugged advocated to adopt
