It’s almost Christmas time, and gifts are on everyone’s mind. So when was the last time you took a moment to appreciate the gifts in your own life?

First Chronicles 16, verse 34 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Chances are, your list of worries today is long,and growing. Maybe you’re dealing with financial issues, health problems, or strained relationships at work. But today, in light of the Christmas season, I want to encourage you to count your blessings, not your problems.

So the next time you get a quiet moment, let go of your worries and set them in God’s hand. Offer him a prayer of thanks for the blessings He’s placed in your life.

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What’s the atmosphere like in your house during Christmas time? Joyful and relaxing? Or high-strung and stressful?

Over the next couple of weeks, parents of teens all over the nation are gearing up to have their kids back at home for Christmas break. For some parents, this is nothing to fear. But for others, more family time just means an extra dose of bristling attitudes and flaring tempers.

If that’s you, why not do something to change the family dynamics this year? Invest some time into your relationship with your son or daughter. Make meaningful connections by asking good, open-ended questions. Lighten up and laugh a little!

Remember, this is the season when we celebrate how “God so loved the world.” Maybe your teen needs to be reminded of that love!

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Does your family have any fun Christmas traditions?

Traditions are a great way to engage the entire family in a fun time together. Once you establish a few good ones, they become something that your family looks forward to year after year.

They don’t have to be expensive, either. You could go for a drive around the neighborhood and look at all the houses decorated with lights. You could make peppermint bark or decorate sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles. You could even pick a day where you each wear the ugliest Christmas sweater you can find!

It doesn’t really matter what you do, so long it involves the entire family and allows you to relax, have fun, and enjoy being together!

If you listen on a mobile phone or tablet, please download our Parenting Today’s Teens app available for Apple or Android. If you listen on a desktop or laptop computer, press the “play” button above to enjoy daily parenting advice.

You’ve heard me say that no parent should demand perfection from their teen. Yet some parents still expect it from themselves.

Kids are bound to act out, be embarrassing, or behave in a way their parents don’t want them to. And many times, parents feel personally ashamed and discouraged by their child’s actions. They see their teen’s shortcomings as evidence of their own failures.

Mom, dad, only God is perfect! Not your teen. Not you.  So quit trying to attain absolute perfection!

Is there a chance that we’ll mess up? Guaranteed. But when you admit to your teen that you’re not perfect, it might make them feel a little more comfortable in their own imperfect skin.

Let them know they’re surrounded by a family that truly understands, and shares, their flawed condition.

If you listen on a mobile phone or tablet, please download our Parenting Today’s Teens app available for Apple or Android. If you listen on a desktop or laptop computer, press the “play” button above to enjoy daily parenting advice.

Various Student and Parent Stories

Since September 2006, parents and grandparents have been tuning in to hear Mark Gregston’s wise, trusted counsel on raising teens. On this special 10th anniversary edition of Parenting Today’s Teens, Mark and his co-host Wayne Shepherd will celebrate the past decade of ministry by sharing some of their favorite conversations with parents and students.

If you listen on a mobile phone or tablet, please download our Parenting Today’s Teens app available for Apple or Android. If you listen on a desktop or laptop computer, press the “play” button above to enjoy daily parenting advice.

A while back, I was standing in line to go through airport security when a woman next to me pulled a laptop out of her bag, and proceeded to drop it onto my big toe.

It was clearly an accident. But man, did it hurt! I was hobbling around the airport, limping from place to place. I must have looked pathetic.

Later that day, though, I noticed some interesting things. My food didn’t taste as good. Important meetings suddenly seemed irrelevant. I felt angry inside instead of happy. In short, the pain had completely consumed my outlook.

Is your teen always angry or easily irritated? Maybe his unpleasant moods are the effect of pain in his life. Dig a little deeper. Some day, he’ll thank you.

If you listen on a mobile phone or tablet, please download our Parenting Today’s Teens app available for Apple or Android. If you listen on a desktop or laptop computer, press the “play” button above to enjoy daily parenting advice.

Over the years, we’ve watched countless childhood TV stars transition from innocent kids to out-of-control messes. And every time, we stop and wonder, “Man, what went wrong?”

Whether it’s a young celebrity who’s gone rogue, or a teen under your own roof who’s spinning out of control, my reaction is always the same: all behavior is goal-oriented. Whether it’s drinking, drug abuse, or immodest behavior, it always points to something bigger.

Our job as parents is to ask what that “something bigger” is. Is my teen trying to send me a message? Is she trying to declare independence? Is he trying to cover up the pain of an incident?

The answer could be any number of issues. But when your teen starts acting out keep this in mind: all behavior is goal-oriented.

If you listen on a mobile phone or tablet, please download our Parenting Today’s Teens app available for Apple or Android. If you listen on a desktop or laptop computer, press the “play” button above to enjoy daily parenting advice.

As parents, we care a lot about who and what influences our kids. Which is why we raise a red flag when our teens start hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Maybe you’re worried about your son or daughter’s friends. They’re misfits. The troublemakers. They don’t make eye contact with you. Why would your teen be hanging out with them in the first place?

Well, here’s how it works. Birds of a feather flock together. And your teen may be hanging with the “bad kids” because he can identify with them. He relates to their pain. And their mutual dysfunction helps them form a bond.

Does your teen have unsavory friends? My advice is to look past the externals and begin to see the pain that’s hiding underneath.

Don’t alienate them. Engage them.

If you listen on a mobile phone or tablet, please download our Parenting Today’s Teens app available for Apple or Android. If you listen on a desktop or laptop computer, press the “play” button above to enjoy daily parenting advice.

Did you know that you have one of the most important jobs in the world? I’m not talking about your position at work.

I’m talking about your role as a parent. Moms and dads are given a sacred mandate. And we should consider our role as nothing less than a divine appointment from God.

Titus 2, verses 6 through 8 says: “Encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything, set an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned.”

As you carry out your duties as a parent, remember the One who appointed you. He said, “In everything, set an example by doing what is good.” Yours is a very high calling!

If you listen on a mobile phone or tablet, please download our Parenting Today’s Teens app available for Apple or Android. If you listen on a desktop or laptop computer, press the “play” button above to enjoy daily parenting advice.

It’s easy to smile when things are great. But frankly, life isn’t always that great.

Everything seemed so much easier when the kids were younger! They giggled. They ran up and hugged you when you got home. But now they’ve turned into angry, brooding, money-grubbing creatures called teenagers.

Hey, I know things are harder now. But there’s still plenty of room for joy, even when pushing through the hard years. Romans 12:12 says: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (NIV)

In a tough place today? Putting on a happy face to keep it all together? Well, I want you to know something.  It’s okay to fall apart. You’re in good hands. The hands of the Heavenly Father that wants nothing but great things to happen in your life.

If you listen on a mobile phone or tablet, please download our Parenting Today’s Teens app available for Apple or Android. If you listen on a desktop or laptop computer, press the “play” button above to enjoy daily parenting advice.