Parenting

Just like our relationship with our young adults can’t function without communication, the same is true for our relationship with God. Without prayer, we’re only gaining knowledge and not truly communicating. As parents, we must not only pray for our teenagers, but teach them how to pray as well.

If you’re a parent, teacher, or church minister like me, you’ve worked with children and teenagers and challenged them to share their faith. Because you know how important it is for the world that we share the gospel, and you know that sharing faith also builds the faith of the person who does it.

A parent’s prayer life only gets busier as children continue to grow through the stages of their lives. From the very first day we hold them, and through all of the jubilant highs, meh moments and devastating lows, we can hold onto Jesus’ words like a comfort blanket. As we faithfully pray the Lord’s Prayer for our children, we can trust and know He hears and answers our prayers.

Parenting in the real world is hard. I often felt ill-equipped, and honestly, frustrated with myself. There were times I hurt my daughter. I said and did things I wished I hadn’t, and she did the same. If you have a strained mother-daughter relationship, here are 8 steps you can take toward healing. 

Being aware of how sexuality has been influenced by porn and how that can create a feeling of deep shame within children and young people can be paramount. Breaking the stigma and allowing our children to feel safe to have those seemingly uncomfortable conversations is one step towards prevention.

By explaining worldly patterns to teens, and showing them how Christ calls us to live differently in these situations, we can help them understand the concept of being 'in the world but not of it.'