Please Note: This weekend’s podcast was changed to “Top 10 Reasons Christian Kids Rebel”

You raised your child in a Christian home, taught him Christian values, and brought him to church every week. Now, he’s become rebellious and disrespectful. What happened? This weekend on Parenting Today’s Teens, Mark Gregston shares the top ten reasons why Christian kids rebel.

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.

Rebecca grew up in a Christian home and trusted Jesus at a very young age. But the teenage years brought doubt and turmoil to that budding faith. Maybe Rebecca’s story sounds familiar to you!

As Rebecca got older, doubts started nagging at the back of her mind. Those questions, along with an attitude from her parents that she described as “judgmental,” led her to conclude that this whole faith thing, was actually bogus.

That’s a conclusion no parent ever wants to hear from their child. But Rebecca’s story is all too common among teens today.

Ultimately, God is the one who will plant the seeds of lasting faith in our children’s lives. As their parents, we can still do our best to prepare the soil by being constant sources of love and support.

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 receive an eye roll, a turned back, or cutting remark from your teen? You can always sense when you’re being disrespected, and your teen knows exactly what she’s doing, too.

Disrespect is one of the biggest problems I see in families today. Which is why one of my rules for every teen that stays at Heartlight is this: “Disrespect is never appropriate.”

Respect is the foundation for any successful relationship. I realize that if a teen treats others with disrespect now, they’ll hurt themselves in the long run with bad habits by disrespecting future spouses, supervisors.

Is your teen in the habit of being disrespectful? Don’t let it go by today without consequence, because the future consequences could be much more severe.

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.

Is your teen pushing against the rules you’ve set up for your household? Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate them.

When it comes to rules, there are two important things to keep in mind: privileges, and consequences.

Consequences should be fair, and in proportion with the infraction. I recommend giving your number one priority rule the most severe consequence, and working down from there.

Privileges are a way to balance out rules with positive reinforcement. Is your child showing responsibility and maturity for a change? Video games, parties, or other motivators might be a good reward for your teen.

Consequences and privileges are a delicate balancing game. But you can make them work by planning carefully, and following through with appropriate action.

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 think up tough comebacks when you’re alone. But when you’re standing face to face with an opponent, you wouldn’t dare say a word!

Many teens who are not typically bullies are using the internet as an outlet for their mean-spirited words. Because online identities are anonymous, kids are discovering what I like to call “digital courage”, and using Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites to say things they wouldn’t otherwise say in person.

You’ve probably heard the term “cyber bullying.” And this virtual phenomenon can have very real consequences, sometimes as severe as suicide.

Even the most loving parents can be blindsided by their teen’s cyber bullying habits. Do you know what your son or daughter is up to 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.

When we hear about bullying, it’s our tendency to focus on the bully and the victim. But in reality, we need to start focusing our attention on a third party: that’s the bystander.

Bullies are performing for an audience. Research shows that eighty-five percent of bullying takes place in front of other people. That means every day, our children are sitting back and watching while others are getting teased and bullied.

But listen to this: a recent study found that bullying stops in less than ten seconds when someone intervenes.

Moms, Dads, it’s crucial that we teach our children the importance of standing up for others. I sincerely believe that the only way to end this bully epidemic, is to engage and encourage the bystander to become involved.

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.

When we witness bullying at school, we often think of bullies as merely the culprits. But many times, bullies can be the victims, too.

Intimidation is a learned trait. A child who is victimizing another child most likely had the same thing done to him or her sometimes by other children, and sometimes by adults.

Hey, even bullies need our love and encouragement. And while we certainly don’t want to condone their actions, we should still seek to understand what’s behind them. It’s what I recommend doing in response to any behaviors: uncover the true source.

As we work together to eliminate this growing problem in our children’s schools, let’s remember to love both the bullied, and the bully.

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.

Bullying continues to be a serious issue in today’s schools. But parents, you and I both know that it doesn’t stop at the playground.

The sad truth is that bullying exists in the adult world, too: in the workplace, at PTA meetings, at home. But no matter what age, there’s something that all bullies have in common: they’re predators. They focus on a weakness they see in others, and deliberately look for ways to exploit it.

One way to undercut bullies, then, is to project confidence. Someone with their head down and shoulders slouched looks like a prime target. But someone who’s standing tall? A bully’s gonna think twice before messing with them.

If you or your child is the victim of bullying, remember this tip: project confidence, not weakness.

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.

When I say the word “bullying,” what picture pops into your head?

When I think of bullying, I immediately imagine a small kid cowering in a corner, about to get beat up by a bigger one. And while it’s true that physical harassment and intimidation is one mode of bullying that takes place—especially among boys—there are other tactics to be aware of.

Girls in particular like to inflict emotional and psychological pain. They’ll exclude their victims from the lunchroom table or birthday parties. And while boys like to sling insults and verbal abuses, girls prefer the cold-shoulder method.

Bullying comes in various forms, so keep your eyes and ears open. It’s often a lot more subtle than you expect, but just as hurtful.

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.

Once, I simply asked a young girl in our counseling program about how she was doing. In response, I got an earful about her lifetime accomplishments, talents, travels, you name it!

Man, it was like taking a small drink from a fully opened fire hydrant.  Pretty quickly, though, I realized that her monologue was merely a cover-up for some deeper problems going on inside.

She wanted someone to value her.

See, when dads are missing, problems sometimes follow. Moms can instill a sense of value, but it takes a dad to validate it.

Dad, have you been too busy lately to spend meaningful time with your daughter? She needs you now more than ever.

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.