Can you remember the last time you had a power outage at your house?

As soon as the lights go off and the appliances power down, things get really quiet. It makes you feel uncomfortable, maybe even a little vulnerable.

And asking a teen to turn off his cell phone for a night, or close the laptop for a few hours, might ignite the same feelings of apprehension. But making one evening each week a time to “unplug” from technology can actually be a healthy way to teach him moderation. And instead, you can play a fun family game and engage with each other in conversation.

You’ll probably hear groans the first time around. If you make the experience fun, your teen might start looking forward to the weekly break from the web.

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.

Have you ever been in a corn maze? Acres and acres of corn stalks. No wonder it’s so easy to get lost!

The Internet can be a dangerous and unfamiliar place. Giving our teens unlimited access to the world wide web is like setting them down in the middle of a corn maze on fire. And there’s nothing more important than giving your son or daughter some clear-cut rules.

Things like, “no more than two hours a day on the Internet, unless it’s for homework.” Or let them know that “Mom and Dad are allowed to put up filters and check Facebook pages.”

The Internet boundaries in your home are up to you. But don’t walk away from this one! Taking these firsts steps can help protect your teen from getting lost in a maze of danger online.

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.

Student Story: Izac

An “attitude of entitlement” has become a pervasive complaint about the next generation. So what can we as parents do to combat it? This weekend on Parenting Today’s Teens, Mark Gregston shares four ways that parents can counter feelings of entitlement by fostering a generous and grateful heart.

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.

Like margarine and butter, or sweeteners and sugar, there’s a big difference between communication, and connection.

We tend to think that our kids are part of one of the most sociable generations ever. They’re constantly texting. They have more friends on Facebook than days in the year. And sure, while Skype and social media have led to a boom in adolescent communication, it’s also led to a breakdown in meaningful connection.

Mom, dad, show them what a meaningful connection looks like. Let your daily, face-to-face interactions be a model they can use for building personal relationships. When a teen sees the real thing, they’ll never be satisfied to settle for a substitute.

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.

Mom, dad, do you know the one thing that your teen needs from you the most?

It’s not a car. It’s not guitar-lessons. It’s not permission to get a tattoo. What kids today need more than ever is a relationship. A real, genuine, face-to-face relationship.

The average child spends about ten hours a day staring at a screen, like computers, phones, TVs, and tablets.

Have you taken time today to sit down and have a face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball conversation with your teen? Try setting the example, and put your phone away first.

The relationship with your teen is something that can never be replaced. Your son or daughter is simply too valuable.

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.

With WiFi, smart phones, laptops, and tablets, we have more access than ever to the world wide web.

Now, some parents go to extremes to protect their sons or daughters online. They try to monitor every mouse click. Or they just turn everything off.

But by keeping the boundaries so tight, we put all our energy into policing our kids, rather than coaching them how to survive.

Instead, let’s have honest conversations with our teens about healthy Internet boundaries. We should talk about cyber-bullies, discuss the dangers of porn, and explain why it’s important to protect private information online.

The reality is, we can’t control the Internet. So mom, dad, let’s invest plenty of time coaching our kids how to use the Internet with discernment and restraint.

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.

Ever grab the lid on a steaming pot or pull a hot tray out of the microwave too soon? Ouch!

You don’t have to attend a weekend seminar on kitchen safety, or watch a ten-part DVD on high-tech ovens. You already know that hot things cause pain.

You get my point? It all comes down to a basic survival principle. When we experience pain, we avoid it in the future. In the same fashion, our teens learn from consequences, not from lectures, tirades, or angry outbursts.

So the next time your son or daughter steps out of line, take a moment to calm down, and resist the urge to give a speech. Instead, let the consequences do their wonderful work. When they feel the pain, they won’t touch it again!

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.

Most parents know that when their sons or daughters cross the line, they need to show some grace. But how far should you go with the grace thing?

First, let me tell you one thing grace isn’t. It’s not lettin’ ‘em off the hook! Taking back the consequences for rule-breaking isn’t showing grace at all. It actually hurts your teen in the long run.

So here’s what grace is: moving toward your child, regardless of what they’ve done or how badly they’ve behaved. Let them suffer the consequence of their actions, without letting your relationship suffer.

Next time your teen blows it, work extra hard to let them deal with the consequences. The rules still apply. But make sure your son or daughter knows how much you care.

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.

Student Story: Paige

Cell phones have become our teens’ primary connection to friends and family. But every parent knows that these mobile devices are both a blessing—and a curse! This weekend on Parenting Today’s Teens, Mark Gregston shares his views on cell phones and coaches parents on how to set up house rules to safeguard their teen.

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 sure as the sun rises, teens are gonna break the rules!

“Well, thanks, Mark, but I already knew that!” Yep. It’s obvious. But so many parents are completely blindsided and unprepared when their son sneaks in past curfew, or comes home with beer on his breath. Parents are caught off guard and start reacting in anger, rather than responding with a workable plan.

The better alternative is to communicate consequences before the bad stuff happens. If your teen knows the punishment beforehand, they’ll think twice before crossing the line!

You know your teen’s gonna blow it sooner or later. So ready yourself by outlining a clear list of rules and consequences before they get broken.

Planning ahead is the best safeguard for responding in love.

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.