Thursday, May 8, 2014

Parenting Millennials/Generation Z



Friends, the last two weeks have been, hands down, the hardest parenting days of my life. Christian or not, the peer pressure to have sex, the temptation, the foul language, the bullying, the opposition, the need to "fit in" in the middle school/high school years is so very real, so raw. It's not just drugs and defiance anymore. It's a whole new culture in this digital age. Even the kid who makes straight A's. Even the track star. Even the one who seemingly makes good choices most of the time. It is happening, whether we choose to believe it or not. None of us is immune. Over the last two weeks, we have had some of the HARDEST conversations that we've ever had to have with anyone else in our entire lives. This generation has so many more pressures with access to so much social media like SnapChat and WhatsApp etc. Hard, hard stuff, friends. Thankful that God has us right where we are supposed to be during these years and thankful for a community of believers, mentors, teachers, leaders and other parents who pour positively into our children when we can't always be with them. If you have friends who are not on board with your values, your beliefs, your style of parenting, get new friends. If there are family members who aren't aligned with you, have some healthy boundaries. The opposition is always there. We can't protect them from everything, forever more. Hope in Jesus Christ makes ALL the difference. We can not "fix" our children. We can only guide them with the help of the One who turns chaos back into order. We are not called to perfection in this thing called parenting. We're all figuring it out as we go. One size does not fit all. Let's encourage each other today...
Romans 5:2-5
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Very encouraging words from a wise mentor of mine who raised 3 girls who are now grown and raising their own families : "Keep the faith and continue to be a STRONG parent. Being a STRONG parent isn't always the most "popular" thing to be even among our adult peers."






 Parenting Millennials

 Christian Answers To Parenting The "Net" Generation

 The Heart of Screen Time

 Internet Safety Dot Com


From: todayschristianwoman.com "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" (Ps. 32:7).

Nuclear Prayer

I'm not able to handle this one alone, Lord. The dangers that lurk behind the computer monitor are too dark for me to face alone. Please help me. Help me to be the parent I need to be, to make the time it's going to take to keep my family safe, and to be wise about all of the activities in my home. Help me to do the difficult things in the face of my teen's frustrations and confusion—let any rules I implement be received well and honored. In the end, it's about the safety of my kids, Lord. So please protect them and use me in every way possible in the carrying out of that task. Amen.
Adapted from Hot Buttons: Internet Edition. Copyright © 2012 by Nicole O'Dell. Used by permission of Kregel Publications.



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