One day while doing some research, I typed in the words “1 in 4 teens” into a Google Internet search. The following result choices popped up: 1 in 4 teens.... girls have an STD; are not physically active; see no risk in using the drug meth; drive intoxicated; has experienced dating abuse.
I was shocked at the alarming stats that this brief and simple search showed. Just for curiosity sake, I typed in the words “1 in 5 teens”, and received these results: 1 in 5 teens…use the web to cheat at school; misuse prescription drugs; report having tried oral sex; report having tried prescription painkillers; have abused prescription drugs; are using blogging; have experienced teen dating violence; smoke cigarettes; took a weapon to high school (boys only); admit having eating problems; will try inhalants.
A few other alarming current stats were that 46% of teen drivers text while driving; 38% of teens carry over poor grammar from texting lingo into their schoolwork; 22% of teens have been asked to engage in sexual activity through text messaging; 10% of teens have been physically threatened through texting online chat rooms; 79% of teens have been exposed to unwanted online pornography while at home.
Scary, isn’t it? If you are like me, you are probably thinking to yourself, “but that would never happen to my child. My child would never do those things. My child would never be the one”. We cant imagine the unimaginable ever happening to us.
Let’s face it – no mom would want to admit that their teen might be "the one".
However, we all know, that teens will be teens, and without the intervention of parents, good role models, good friends, and the benefit of positive discipline in their lives, even a good kid can fall prey to the temptations of society.
Maybe some of those 'unimaginables' have happened despite your tireless efforts. Maybe your teen, or a teen you know, has been "the one". I want to encourage you today to remember that God is bigger than any statistics, and He alone knows the future. In fact, He can grab the heart of a teen so fast and so hard that they wont even know what hit 'em! So if you find yourself in this situation, do not give up hope. Keep on praying, tirelessly, and believing that as your pour your heart and soul into theirs, that God will work in mighty ways.
The Bible has so much to say about parenting, that I cannot even begin to reference it all. It seems that God took parenting pretty seriously, and I believe it is His desire that we do the same - even when the going gets tough.
This week I have touched on the subjects of how tiring it can be to be a mom at times - physically and spiritually. No matter how much we love our kids, they can still make us weary, in more ways than one!
My last thought that I wanted to share this week, is that being a mom can also wear us out emotionally. Women are built with more emotions than we probably would have ever asked for if God had given us a say in how females were put together! But all those emotions can work to our advantage, as we invest them into the hearts of our children.
No one ever said parenting was easy. It is a hard job, and it only gets harder as kids get older. I once heard that parenting was not only hard work, but heart work – so true!
I used to think parenting was hard when I had three children under the age of six - and it was! But as my children have grown, I have gleamed a new understanding of the 'seasons' of parenting.
The first tens years or so are physically draining as the needy demands of little ones seem infinite. The next five years or so are emotionally draining, as we pour our energies into trying to give our kids a strong foundation for life. And I can see how the years ahead can be spiritually draining, as we pray for our kids and for God's protection over them; for them to make good choices and to continue to live according to the beliefs they have been taught.
All different seasons, with different types of weariness, but all with the same goal in mind - embracing the challenge of Godly parenting.
As a result of living in the digital age, and a growing liberal society which enforces the “do whatever makes you feel good and forget everything else” mentality, Christian parents are faced with an increasing obligation to be more than just a parent, but to be the parent God called them to be.
If you ask me, I think it is a lot easier to be a Christian, than it is to be a Christian parent. Even devout and faithful Christians can grow so weary of parental challenges, that they begin to back off of when the job gets too difficult. Not because they are bad parents, but because they are tired parents - physically, emotionally and/or spiritually tired.
I have found myself telling my children before, that my job as a mom would be a whole lot easier, and less exhausting, if I didn’t care about their well being!
It’s because I love them so much, that I am willing to be hated for a few days after grounding them for breaking the house rules. It’s because I love them so much, that I take away their cell phone if they are involved in inappropriate text messaging. It’s because I love them so much, that I cut off computer privileges if sites are visited that are not meant for their age group. It’s because I love them so much that I monitor the clothes that they wear, keep up with who their friends are, and have strict rules about who they can date.
It’s because I love them so much, that I set rules at all.
Maybe these rules don’t help me win the parent popularity contest in today’s society, where independence and lack of supervision seem to be the norm for most teenagers, but I truly believe God has called Christian parents to a higher calling than the “anything goes” message that society is trying to teach our kids.
Being a parent today is a privilege, and a huge responsibility - a responsibility that sometimes we want to lay down when we are tired in more ways than one, but one that God calls us to give our best. In fact, being a parent is probably the highest calling of a moms life, and in my opinion, a divine calling as well.
A divine calling that might bring on emotional, physical and spiritual weariness and 'worriness', but one that will reap great rewards.
Today’s Christian parents are fighting a battle against the supernatural enemy like never before, and the souls of our children are at stake.
Sisters, we have been given a huge responsibility, and privilege, for building the next generation. Lets keep up the good fight of faith.
(Have the posts this week touched your heart in a special way? Is this a subject that you interested in reading about? I would love to hear your comments. If you receive my posts in email, will you hop over to my blog and let me know your thoughts? Thanks friends!)
I was shocked at the alarming stats that this brief and simple search showed. Just for curiosity sake, I typed in the words “1 in 5 teens”, and received these results: 1 in 5 teens…use the web to cheat at school; misuse prescription drugs; report having tried oral sex; report having tried prescription painkillers; have abused prescription drugs; are using blogging; have experienced teen dating violence; smoke cigarettes; took a weapon to high school (boys only); admit having eating problems; will try inhalants.
A few other alarming current stats were that 46% of teen drivers text while driving; 38% of teens carry over poor grammar from texting lingo into their schoolwork; 22% of teens have been asked to engage in sexual activity through text messaging; 10% of teens have been physically threatened through texting online chat rooms; 79% of teens have been exposed to unwanted online pornography while at home.
Scary, isn’t it? If you are like me, you are probably thinking to yourself, “but that would never happen to my child. My child would never do those things. My child would never be the one”. We cant imagine the unimaginable ever happening to us.
Let’s face it – no mom would want to admit that their teen might be "the one".
However, we all know, that teens will be teens, and without the intervention of parents, good role models, good friends, and the benefit of positive discipline in their lives, even a good kid can fall prey to the temptations of society.
Maybe some of those 'unimaginables' have happened despite your tireless efforts. Maybe your teen, or a teen you know, has been "the one". I want to encourage you today to remember that God is bigger than any statistics, and He alone knows the future. In fact, He can grab the heart of a teen so fast and so hard that they wont even know what hit 'em! So if you find yourself in this situation, do not give up hope. Keep on praying, tirelessly, and believing that as your pour your heart and soul into theirs, that God will work in mighty ways.
The Bible has so much to say about parenting, that I cannot even begin to reference it all. It seems that God took parenting pretty seriously, and I believe it is His desire that we do the same - even when the going gets tough.
This week I have touched on the subjects of how tiring it can be to be a mom at times - physically and spiritually. No matter how much we love our kids, they can still make us weary, in more ways than one!
My last thought that I wanted to share this week, is that being a mom can also wear us out emotionally. Women are built with more emotions than we probably would have ever asked for if God had given us a say in how females were put together! But all those emotions can work to our advantage, as we invest them into the hearts of our children.
No one ever said parenting was easy. It is a hard job, and it only gets harder as kids get older. I once heard that parenting was not only hard work, but heart work – so true!
I used to think parenting was hard when I had three children under the age of six - and it was! But as my children have grown, I have gleamed a new understanding of the 'seasons' of parenting.
The first tens years or so are physically draining as the needy demands of little ones seem infinite. The next five years or so are emotionally draining, as we pour our energies into trying to give our kids a strong foundation for life. And I can see how the years ahead can be spiritually draining, as we pray for our kids and for God's protection over them; for them to make good choices and to continue to live according to the beliefs they have been taught.
All different seasons, with different types of weariness, but all with the same goal in mind - embracing the challenge of Godly parenting.
As a result of living in the digital age, and a growing liberal society which enforces the “do whatever makes you feel good and forget everything else” mentality, Christian parents are faced with an increasing obligation to be more than just a parent, but to be the parent God called them to be.
If you ask me, I think it is a lot easier to be a Christian, than it is to be a Christian parent. Even devout and faithful Christians can grow so weary of parental challenges, that they begin to back off of when the job gets too difficult. Not because they are bad parents, but because they are tired parents - physically, emotionally and/or spiritually tired.
I have found myself telling my children before, that my job as a mom would be a whole lot easier, and less exhausting, if I didn’t care about their well being!
It’s because I love them so much, that I am willing to be hated for a few days after grounding them for breaking the house rules. It’s because I love them so much, that I take away their cell phone if they are involved in inappropriate text messaging. It’s because I love them so much, that I cut off computer privileges if sites are visited that are not meant for their age group. It’s because I love them so much that I monitor the clothes that they wear, keep up with who their friends are, and have strict rules about who they can date.
It’s because I love them so much, that I set rules at all.
Maybe these rules don’t help me win the parent popularity contest in today’s society, where independence and lack of supervision seem to be the norm for most teenagers, but I truly believe God has called Christian parents to a higher calling than the “anything goes” message that society is trying to teach our kids.
Being a parent today is a privilege, and a huge responsibility - a responsibility that sometimes we want to lay down when we are tired in more ways than one, but one that God calls us to give our best. In fact, being a parent is probably the highest calling of a moms life, and in my opinion, a divine calling as well.
A divine calling that might bring on emotional, physical and spiritual weariness and 'worriness', but one that will reap great rewards.
Today’s Christian parents are fighting a battle against the supernatural enemy like never before, and the souls of our children are at stake.
Sisters, we have been given a huge responsibility, and privilege, for building the next generation. Lets keep up the good fight of faith.
(Have the posts this week touched your heart in a special way? Is this a subject that you interested in reading about? I would love to hear your comments. If you receive my posts in email, will you hop over to my blog and let me know your thoughts? Thanks friends!)
5 comments:
Your posts this week have spoken aloud my very 'heart' thoughts. The pressures of being a Christian mom are so difficult at times and it can be all too easy to throw in the towel when it gets too hard. Now add in the mix of being a single mom. With split custody between their father and I, it's hard to ensure they are receiving the right guidance at times. Prayer has truly been my saving grace. I have learned alot about 'letting go' and allowing God to be in control. I trust that where I may fall short, God's already filling in the gaps. I would love to read more and I will be sharing these posts with dear friends of mine. Thank You!
I enjoyed reading your posts about parenting. It is definitely a big job to be a parent. It's nice to know that we have some of the same issues.
I am a "reformed" worrier too. It used to be worse but I realize I really don't have control over all the things that could go bad. Trust God and let the rest go.
Thanks for a great blog! God bless you!
Teresa
I have been enjoying this so much. I know that God is using you because I have been battling with my teens now and need to learn that God is in Control. I need to not worry but just pray for them and let God be God. Thanks so much for posting these and I would love to hear more.
I think these are excellent blogs and the actual conversation you shared with us regarding your daughters weekend activites was very helpful. I feel like I am in the minority when it comes to parenting my child and I am continually shocked at the freedom teenagers have today.....they are not mature enough to handle these situations and it helps me to know that there are other Moms struggling with the words/direction to give their children.
Thank you, Tracie, for once again sharing your heart with us. You are such a source of inspiration and encouragement!
Natalie :o)
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