In my last blog post, I shared about the power of Bonus Parents in a teen’s life. In this post, I’d like to share 5 tips for being an awesome bonus parent for the teens around you! The great thing…
The Power of “Bonus Parents”
In honor of Mother’s Day and all the Bonus Parents out there, here’s a flashback to my Junior year of high school, a few weeks before Prom: Sixteen-year-old-me sits in the driveway, trying to pull myself together, still shaking from…
Boundaries: Leaving Room for Teens to Grow
We knew it as soon as we laid eyes on it. This was the dress! Only, someone would have to convince her… (Cue the Mission Impossible music) Last week, Abby and I had the joy of going prom dress shopping…
Hug Them: 7 Ways to Connect with Your Teen (Part 7)
“I DON’T WANNA GO TO BED!” he hollered, tearing out of my grasp and throwing himself onto the couch. The more I tried to reason with my little guy, the more he fought me. My simmering anger rose like a thermometer on a hot day at the beach, until, finally, we were both about to explode.
Taking a step back, I turned and whispered a quick prayer. “Lord, help me love this child well in this moment, because otherwise I just might kill him!”
Facing him again, I noticed his bright red cheeks and his little hands, balled into fists. His body was rigid, like a scared rabbit ready to bolt. Angry tears pooled behind his squinting eyes, and his forehead crinkled fiercely, his tiny chin tucked in defiance.
Something broke inside me. My heart instantly softened with love for my angry little warrior.
Lifting my hands amicably, I slowly moved forward, crouching down on the floor in front of him. He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes, wondering just what his momma was up to…
Be the First to Say You’re Sorry (7 Ways to Connect with Your Teen: Part 6)
It happens to all of us. We are in the middle of what we think is a perfectly normal conversation with our teen, when suddenly voices get louder, tears fall, and all you-know-what breaks loose!
Or maybe we make a promise with every intention of fulfilling it; only, we forget to check our schedule first or something important pops up. We try to explain or justify our predicament, but our words ring hollow to the disappointed ears of our teen.
Sooner or later, we all find ourselves in conflict of some sort with our teenagers, wondering who will be the first to say sorry. Can I give you some advice?
Most of the time, it should be you.
Wait, what?…
Take Advantage of their Rhythms (7 Ways to Connect with Your Teen, Part 5)
One of the first things I learned in Student Ministry is that teens have certain rhythms: patterns and trends of how and when they are willing to talk. Knowing these rhythms can make all the difference in reaching a teen’s heart, which is essential not just for discipleship, but for building relationships in general.
But how in the world do you figure out what those rhythms are? It’s pretty simple, really— we just have to pay attention. Here are some practical ways to help you discover and take advantage of your teen’s rhythms…
Engage in the Hard Conversations (7 Ways to Connect with Your Teen, Part 4)
When is the last time your teen initiated a hard conversation all on their own? Wouldn’t it be nice if it always happened that way?
While we’re daydreaming, what if before they brought it up, they sent us an email outlining all their questions, giving us adequate time to look up Bible verses and expert answers? And once we were ready, what if they sat at our feet, soaking every word of wisdom like it was the latest Marvel movie?
Unfortunately, you and I both know that’s not how it works.
Sometimes, if we’re lucky, our teens do come to us with their questions. More often, though, we sense something is going on with them or notice them wrestling with something in current culture, and it’s up to us to make those conversations happen. How do we do it? Here are a few tips on how to approach these hard conversations…
7 Ways to Connect With Your Teen (Part 2: Time)
This seems obvious, I know. It’s hard to connect with someone if you don’t make time for them, right? Yet, how often do we miss this? When our kids are younger, we naturally spend a lot of time with them because they need us for everything. But as they get older, they become less dependent. They begin to spend more and more time away from us.
If we truly want to connect with our teen, we must be intentional about spending time with them.
7 Ways to Connect with Your Teen (Part 1: Pray)
The “teen years” can be difficult. Relating with our teens on a deep level can be even more difficult. But I believe being intentional about connecting with our teens is the best investment we can make!
While there is no formula for perfect parenting, I want to share 7 practical ways you can connect with your teen. For the next seven weeks, we will talk about each of these areas in more detail and how they can positively influence our relationship with our teens.
Let’s start with PRAYER…
