Daly Focus Blog
I proposed to Jean the old-fashioned way. I asked her mom and dad for permission to marry her. Honestly, I think they were shocked with me. They weren’t a Christian family, so they didn’t fully appreciate the rich view of marriage offered in the Bible.
So, when I went to them and said, “I really want to marry your daughter. Would you give us your blessing?” they were slightly befuddled and didn’t quite know how to respond.
A teenager’s world can be chaotic. The question is, how can parents help their teens not only survive, but thrive, in the face of peer pressure, social media dangers, and challenges to their Christian faith?
One of the greatest examples of a teenager who stood strong was David. Before he became king over Israel, David was a shepherd. Culturally, he was insignificant. He was the youngest member of his family, who wasn’t afforded much respect. His older brothers would have inherited most of his father’s wealth and reputation.
Deep in their hearts, most guys want to be good men. They want to work hard and be faithful husbands and involved dads.
But a lot of guys feel like frauds. We know what to do. (At least, we think we do.) But we don’t always feel capable of doing what we know we ought to do (Romans 7:15).
Some guys feel like a fraud because … well, they are one. They’re hiding something sinful from their wives and Christian brothers, whose love and support they need most.
By: Jonathan McKee
Decades ago the question was, “Do you know where your children are?” Today the question is, “Do you know who is following your children?”
Key word: following
Consider the app Instagram for a moment, the No. 1 social media platform used by teens today. Take a peek at anyone’s profile and you’ll see the word “followers” at the top of the screen with a little number above it. That number has become incredibly significant to today’s teenagers.
“I quit. I don’t want to be a mother anymore.”
Author Sarah Parshall Perry blurted that out one day in a moment of weakness while her husband was travelling for work and she was caring for three children with the stomach flu. She was exhausted after days with little sleep.
Her breaking point came as she was bathing her youngest child even though she hadn’t been able to shower herself. When she brushed against the shower curtain, and it collapsed on them both, she cried, “I quit.
You may have read “The Fox and the Crow” when you were a child. As you’ll recall, the famous story from “Aesop’s Fables” warns us to be wary of flattery.
Or, you may have read about Christian’s journey to the Celestial City in “Pilgrim’s Progress.” On the road to the Celestial City, Christian meets a giant named Despair. Just as Christian must overcome the giant, Despair is a reality many Christians face in their spiritual lives.
A father who came to psychologist Michael Anderson’s office for counseling illustrates the shift in thinking many moms and dads need to make.
The father said, “In the last 90 days, my daughter has completely changed. She’ll do anything her friends tell her to do. She’s smoking. She’s drinking. She’s shoplifting.”
Michael asked him, “What was she like 90 days ago?”
The father said, “She was an A-student. She was in the church youth group. She’d do anything we told her to do.”
That last phrase caught Michael’s ear.
Have you had “The Talk” with your child? You know, the one about sex?
If so, how did it go?
If not, why not? Maybe you feel nervous because you don’t know what to say.
I don’t blame you. The talk I had with one of my boys didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. I’d planned a weekend long father/son getaway. We had a good time, and I did my best to explain everything in a way he’d understand.
Amy Rienow says she and her husband Rob got married … then dated for 10 years.
It was just a few months from first their first date to their wedding, which meant the years that followed were filled with surprises. They both loved the Lord, but they were clueless about the purpose of marriage and family.
Their crisis moment came 10 years into their marriage. Rob was a dedicated youth pastor. His number one passion was passing his faith to other people’s children.
There’s no one way to raise children. Discipline that works magic with one child may be completely ineffective with another.
At the bottom of every effective parenting strategy lies a universal foundation to good parenting: relationship.
Author Josh McDowell says, “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” That means your child’s primary concern in life is not your rules.
What matters most to your teen or young adult is knowing that you love them.
That sense of intimate connection won’t come through your instruction, lectures, or rules.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
