Blog Archives
Parents: 5 Absolutes about your Teen
Dear Parents,
Here are 5 absolutes that our Student Ministry absolutely “gets” about your teenager.
1. There will be amazing moments.
2. There will be difficult durations.
3. God loves your teenager more than you do.
4. God made your teenager for a great, the greatest purpose (His purpose).
5. God desires that your teen know and love Him.
Be encouraged that God made your child, that God made you, that God made you your child’s parent, and most importantly God is in control.
Crazy Parents
In student ministry I always hear things like, “If it wasn’t for the parents student ministry would be great.” I have to admit, there are a lot of wacky parents out there, but honestly if it wasn’t for the parents youth ministry wouldn’t exist. There are all kinds of parents out there. Super involved parents, totally uninvolved parents, and everything in between.
Today I met with a parent who is “all over it,” I mean wants to know all of his kids business, what’s happening at school, church, with friends, bullies, girlfriends… I mean everything. Sometimes it’s these parents that drive us crazy. On the other hand, I had to step back today and cheer on this dad. A parent that cares, who worries, who loves his child.
Often I get the opposite. Parents who have been so disengaged that by the time their teen has his or her parents attention it’s because he/she was arrested, or in trouble at school. Often I get so frustrated at these parents because of their lack of interest, but in all honesty you don’t know what you don’t know.
Maybe it’s a single parent that’s working multiple jobs to stay a float, maybe the parent(s) have any of numerous distractions that we all know life can throw at you. What a great opportunity for us as Student Pastors, Youth leaders, or even youth mentors, to be able to be a help. That God would see us fit to share advise, to give Biblical direction, to share encouragement, to love this family.
I’m not sure I know a parent who doesn’t feel like they’re crazy from time to time. Thankfully God has called us to step into struggling families lives and be a cheerleader, a coach, their student’s Pastor.
What is your craziest parents story?
The Pee Dance
You remember being a little kid and having to pee, but not wanting to go take care of business? I mean, obviously peeing was important, but other things like watching tv, playing Nintendo, or talking about… pretty much anything was more important at that given moment, and instead of finding a toilet or a bush, you would just start pee dancing. You know the magic pee dance that keep you from doing #1 for just a few more minutes.
Why is it that so many times in our lives we dance around the most important stuff? It’s crazy, but I see families doing that very thing all the time. Things like talking about God, spending time together, talking to their kids about “sex, drugs, and rock n roll” (all of which can be very good or be very, very bad), and so much more. It’s like parents are doing the pee dance, hoping that the dance will let the side step some the most important things in their child’s development.
The major problem is that the pee dance doesn’t actually help. As a matter of fact it leads to other problems: you can’t concentrate, your bladder begins to hurt, and sometimes you soil yourself. PARENTS, THE PEE DANCE IS NOT HELPING YOUR FAMILY!
Matt Boone 