Prepare Your Child
Parenting children and teenagers in today’s world brings challenges that other generations did not have to face until older ages. We see things like drug use under the age of 11, the offer and normalcy of premarital sex as young and common as 11-12 years old, gang recruitment as early as 8-9. The list goes on and on.
These are not things just faced in the inner city or public schools, they are also in the private schools and the everyday life of our children. Try as we might it is becomingly increasingly difficult to protect our children from these things. How do we show today’s children/adolescents that God’s mercies anew every day is enough to sustain without falling back on what the world tells them is necessary to make it through adolescence?
Talk and pray.. When it becomes uncomfortable talk some more and begin before the culture begins talking to your child. The average attention span of a child/adolescent is very small and social media springs to utilize that to capture their attention and utilize small snippet ads leaving out the consequences. “Everyone is drinking and it feels good on the weekends ad with happy popular teenagers.” Play the consequences through for your child and let them know what THC laced with Fentanyl can do to them (as well as other negative behaviors). Help them find healthy outlets where they can talk if they are unable to talk at home, such as counseling or with a small group, or pastor. Taking back a generation from the negative behaviors/grasps of a fast-paced culture is incredibly difficult to do. However, Jesus never promised us an easy life, however he did promise us His Holy Spirit to fight against and overcome the difficulties of this world (John 16:33). Take heart, we may not win every battle for and with our kids, however God has already won the fight against the darkness of this world if we trust in Him.
The Barnabas Center is available for counseling for individual, family, and couples. It is for people who need someone to meet them where they are without judgment and walk with them through what is going on in life exhibiting the love that Christ showed the Church. We are here to help, give us a call for more information.
Rebecca Hodge, LPC
