Parenting Today's Teens

Most parents are devastated when they learn that their teen has been drinking booze, experimenting with sex, or participating in some other destructive behavior. But how you react in that moment has the power to define your relationship in years to come.

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

Any time a child’s misbehavior is exposed, their greatest fear is that they will no longer be loved. So if you catch your teen red- handed … don’t withdraw your affection.

Instead, slip a note under her door. Stick a letter in her notebook. Or send her a text message that says, “We love you just as much today as the day you arrived in our family.”

Because what she needs right now more than anything else are words and actions that affirm your relationship. She needs your unconditional love!

Ever watch a baby bird leave the nest for the first time?

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

Baby humans go through a similar process… though you wouldn’t recognize it at first. It typically involves things like staying out late, pushing boundaries, or hanging out with the wrong crowd.

So if your teen is making some poor choices with their newfound freedom … take comfort in knowing that it’s sort of a good thing. It means they’re stretching their wings and preparing to fly.

Sometimes these “first flights” are painful for parents to watch, especially when they make several failed attempts. Just be sure you’re there to offer encouragement for a better flight next time … whenever your wounded teen wobbles back to the nest.

No amount of after-school activities, social clubs, sports programs or music lessons can replace the education and life skills gained at work. But most kids aren’t terribly eager to start punching the clock! This weekend on Parenting Today’s Teens, Mark Gregston discusses the importance of teen jobs.

Take some dirt, drop in a seed, add some water … and wait. Eventually, you’ll grow a harvest!

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

Now, I don’t make a living growing food … but I do know the basic process. Plant, tend, wait, harvest. And you know what? That’s a great process for parenting, too.

Mom and Dad will spend years planting seeds of truth and character in their children. They’ll continue to “water” the good values throughout the seasons.

But during the teen years … after the sowing but before the harvest … parents are easily discouraged. That’s when I want to point you to Galatians 6:9. It says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

So, parents … don’t give up! Your harvest will one day come … in healthy, well-adjusted adults.

One time, a dad asked me why his discipline methods had stopped being effective. He said, “They worked on me when I was a kid. I mean, you train horses the same way you did a hundred years ago, don’t ya?”

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

Well, he had a point. Except horses haven’t changed much over the last ten thousand years. But teens have … because the world they live in is completely different from the way it was even twenty years ago.

Culture has changed. Styles have changed. Technology has changed. Opportunities have changed. Relationships have changed. Need I say more?

Our kids are growing up in a different world than the one we knew. And what worked for us back then just doesn’t work anymore.

Are you relying on outdated parenting methods? Always be ready to adapt to your child’s changing needs.

Today’s moms and dads are so worried about being friends with their kids … they’ve forgotten how to be parents!

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

I’ve seen parents get so lax with their kids that they look more like buddies than parents. I like to call them “peer-ents.” But in my experience, their children grow up to be selfish, demanding, and aggressively controlling adults. Good luck finding friends then!

So how can we be parents … not “peer-ents”? Being a parent means you’re willing to exert some authority. You still know how to have fun … but you’re not afraid to put your foot down when needed. Because if you won’t fill that parental role, your kid will look for a role model elsewhere.

Hey, your teen has plenty of friends—they don’t need any more! Mom, Dad … be a parent!

Wouldn’t it be nice if all the problems you have with your kids would disappear at the snap of a finger?

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

I hate to be bearer of bad news … but there’s no quick fix to family problems. Instead, I’ll suggest a plan of action to making gradual—but effective—changes in your home.

First, identify the problem areas. What exactly do you wish were different?

Second, communicate the change. Make sure everyone at home knows what needs to change and how they’re going to get there.

Finally, implement the plan.

Your course of action may at first cause pain, discomfort, or uneasiness. But don’t give up! On the other side of these changes … you’ll find deeper relationships and healthier people.

Susanna came from a great home with Christian parents. She grew up attending church, playing sports, and going to youth group. But by the time she turned 17, she was selling drugs, abusing alcohol, and using meth at a rate of 500 dollars a day.

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

Susanna’s parents knew their daughter needed intervention, so they gave her a hard choice: get care and recovery at Heartlight Ministries … or leave home. Thankfully, she decided to get the help she needed.

I had the privilege of watching this troubled teen blossom into a beautiful and confident young woman. And after a year in our program, Susanna graduated clean from drugs and with a new perspective on life.

Could your teen’s life need intervention? No matter how bad things get … it’s never too late to turn them around.

Parents who battle their teens over every little thing are bound to foster an atmosphere of anger and resentment.

So which battles are worth fighting—and which ones aren’t?

This weekend on Parenting Today’s Teens, Mark Gregston encourages moms and dads to let go of the little things and choose their battles wisely.

For parents whose teens are spinning out of control, it can often feel like a tornado that’s bearing down on your household.

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

I’ve heard moms and dads describe the struggle with their teen as a violent twister. There are calm days. Then, out of nowhere, there are gusty days. And there’s a lot of never-ending rumble in the middle. But with God’s help, they made it through the storm … and lived to tell the story.

So if your family is hunkered down in a crisis right now, I encourage you to sit tight … and to wait as long as it takes for the storm to pass through.

Of this be sure … God will never leave you. Not for a minute. And some day, your family will see His Hand … and His amazing protection on your lives.