I help teenagers, parents, and mentors live into their
calling and navigate the teen years with joy and purpose.
Are you a parent of young children who is dreading the teen years?
Are you a parent of a teenager who needs help navigating these crazy, stressful teen years?
Are you someone who works with teenagers who desires to have the greatest impact possible as you point them to Jesus?
Are you a teen who wants to follow Jesus but you need help knowing what that means and how to do it?
The teen years are packed with important decisions, a variety of temptations, and an abundance of voices trying fervently to lead students astray. In the midst of our rapidly declining moral culture, teens and young adults are discarding their parents’ faith and values in record numbers. Teenagers are looking for something (or Someone) to anchor them in the storm, and Christian parents are desperate to help their kids grow solid roots before they enter adulthood.
I’m here to help!
Meet Kelly
After working with teens for over thirty years and raising 4 teenagers with my husband, Jeff, I am passionate about helping teens flesh out what it means to follow Jesus and encouraging parents and mentors to make the most of the teen years. I write and speak about biblical faith, spiritual growth, and navigating the challenges that inevitably occur while trying to grow up/parent in a faith-hostile culture. I also love to guide and encourage people who work with teens to live into their calling with clarity, purpose, and joy. I’m glad you’re here!
Resources for Parents & Teens
Kelly loves talking to teens and parents about Jesus and how they can grow in their faith and strengthen their relationships. Check out the Resources section for helpful articles geared towards parents, teens, and young adults.
Workshops & Speaking
Do you need a speaker for your next event? Kelly has over 30 years experience as a Bible teacher and public speaker. She speaks to teens, parents, women, and student ministry leaders. Contact her for your next event or to host a “Cultivating a Circle of Influence” workshop.
Circle of Influence Book
Circle of Influence: Cultivating the Power of Mentorship in Your Teen’s Life helps parents purposefully surround their teens with adult mentors who will shape their teen’s faith and guide their decisions so they don’t have to navigate these crucial years alone.
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Circle of Influence: Cultivating the power of mentorship in your teen’s life
As our children approach the teen years, there is a natural separation that occurs in their attempt to become more independent. Unfortunately, the teen years are also packed with important decisions, temptations, and an abundance of voices trying fervently to lead them astray. In the midst of our rapidly declining moral culture, teens and young adults are discarding their parents’ faith and values in record numbers.
What if parents could more easily encourage their teen’s independence without fearing how it will affect their future? How do we help our teens get the support they need?
Circle of Influence: Cultivating the Power of Mentorship in Your Teen’s Life helps parents purposefully surround their teens with adult mentors who will shape their teen’s faith and guide their decisions so they don’t have to navigate these crucial years alone.
Recent Blog Posts:
Parenting Teens in a Virtual World (Part 2): Guidelines for Staying Safe, Steady, and Sane On-line
I will never forget the first night we brought Sarah home from the hospital. She was screaming her little head off and then doing this weird gagging thing, like a cat with a hairball. As her face turned purple, we panicked and called the nurse line, and all I could think was, “How in the world am I supposed to keep this little person alive?!”
Parenting teens in the technology age can feel a lot like that.
It’s scary and dangerous and there are so many unknowns. It can be hard to know where to start and even harder to control. We want to protect our children and give them independence at the same time, all without causing World War III in our homes. Is that even possible?
In Part 1 of this series, we covered some things you can do before your teens enter the digital world. Today I want to share some things we have learned as we’ve navigated this challenge with our teen girls over the past few years…
Parenting Teens in a Virtual World (Part One): 8 Things to Do Before You Give Your Teen Access to Social Media
I should be honest with you. If it were up to me, our kids would never have gotten phones or texting or social media. Ever. Between the danger and the drama and the addiction, I would have been happy to pick us all up and move to the Amish country. Fortunately for our kids, Jeff is way cooler than I am, and he was able to convince me that technology- and social media- are likely going to be a part of their lives forever.
“We have a choice,” he told me. “We can deny them access now and risk them sneaking it behind our backs or having to figure it out on their own in a college atmosphere, or we can choose to navigate this road alongside them, allowing them to make their mistakes with us by their side to guide them, and if necessary, protect them.”
Yeah, I married a good man. I think I’ll keep him.
So anyway, here are eight things we recommend you do BEFORE you give your teen access to social media…
So You’re Suddenly a Homeschooler… Tips for Surviving (and maybe even thriving!) During the Quarantine
I wish I had a dollar for everyone who has said to me, “Oh, I could never homeschool my kids. I don’t have the patience!” or “I couldn’t do that; I would kill my kids!” The truth is, NO ONE has the patience to homeschool, and all of us get frustrated with...