Parenting Principle #1: Put God First
See Also:
Parenting Principle #2: Discipline With Love
See Also:
Parenting Principle #3: Affirm Your Kids
See Also:
8 Tips for Parenting Teens
Talking Points:
- Tip #1: Remember, you’re the parent. Your teen is fighting for independence-but they need to earn it along the way.
- Tip #2: Lead with a plan. Transfer your values and establish goals for the family and lead toward those things. Proverbs 22:6
- Tip #3: Listen to your teens. Have conversations, not lectures. You can learn a lot about your teens by simply listening.
- Tip #4: Have clear expectations. Establish their role in the home with chores, siblings and social time. Colossians 3:21
- Tip #5: Discipline when needed. Have a plan for when expectations aren’t met and rules are broken.
- Tip #6: Allow for some self-expression. Choose your battles and allow your teens to express some individuality.
- Tip #7: Have clear expectations with social media. Agree on which apps they can use-and check in on those apps regularly.
- Tip #8: Teach them to earn trust. As they earn trust, you reward them with more freedom.
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What were you like as a teenager? How did your parents handle you?
- What are your biggest challenges parenting your teen right now?
- Read Proverbs 22:6. What are some of the values and goals you want to establish in the home? How will you help your family to accomplish those goals?
- Of the 8 tips, which one is most helpful for you right now? Explain.
- Read Colossians 3:21. How can clear expectations regarding rules and freedoms help you to avoid conflict with your teen?
- What are your views on discipline for your teen? Do you agree that it’s necessary?
- Has your teen wanted to wear things that make you uncomfortable? Are there ways you can meet your teen halfway?
- How are you currently monitoring social media? How can your teen earn trust with you in this area and in other ways?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
The Importance of Structure in the Home
Talking Points:
- The key to keeping kids safe and parents sane is structure in the home.
- Creating a home life that values structure leads to more freedom for everyone, not less. Proverbs 13:24
- Structure will vary from family to family, but everyone needs it at every phase of life.
- God has consistently employed a structure even from the beginning of creation. God created a structure then placed mankind into that structure. If he values structure, so should we. Genesis 1:1-5,31 Romans 7:7
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Share your observations of a family you know who are free-spirited and unstructured. What are some positives you see in their family? What are some negatives?
- Describe your household currently as far as it pertains to structure. What structure exists and how does it work?
- Read Proverbs 13:24. How does this proverb apply to developing and maintaining structure in the home?
- How can structure actually create more freedom for parents? What about for kids?
- If you have younger kids, how can creating more structure even around sleep and play help your family to function better?
- If you have teens at home, how will clear parameters around their social lives and screen time help your family to function better?
- Read Genesis 1:1-5,31 Romans 7:7. What structures did God put in place to keep us safe? Why does the environment matter for growing healthy people?
- How can a set of rules in your home help to bring peace and stability to your family? Create a list of rules you need to start implementing today to accomplish more structure.
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
Count the Cost of Competitive Sports
Talking Points:
- Competitive youth sports is a booming business for one primary reason: parents are convinced to see their kids’ athleticism as a commodity with a future payout.
- Only 2-7% of kids will end up with an athletic scholarship which means 98% of kids go on to do other things than sports. It’s good to keep the right perspective.
- 3 Tips on counting the cost:
- Be honest about your own motives. Jeremiah 29:11
- Be honest about the financial cost.
- Give your kids room to be honest.
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What role do sports play in your child’s life and in your family’s life?
- How have you been encouraged to see your kid’s athleticism as a commodity? Have you been promised things by coaches in the past? Explain.
- What is the cost of sports on your time? Your child’s time?
- What is the financial cost of sports for your family? Is there a need to reduce this cost to be more fiscally responsible? What are some ways to do this?
- What are the emotional costs of sports for your child? How are they handling the pressure right now? How are you handling the pressure?
- Evaluate if sports are helping or hurting your family. What adjustments do you need to make so that sports are a healthy addition to your family?
- Read Jeremiah 29:11. How should this verse help you as a parent? How should this verse help your kids?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
Blending Families: Co-Parenting in The Home
Talking Points:
- Tips for co-parenting in the home:
- You have to be a united front. You can’t let the kids divide and conquer. As the parents, you have to be on the same page and communicate to the kids that both adults are in a parental role in the home. Ephesians 6:4
- Have regular family meetings. This provides everyone the opportunity to share how they are feeling about things and it gets everyone on the same page. It’s also the place where expectations are set and rules are established.
- Step parents, be patient and develop a relationship with your step kids. Don’t jump right into a disciplinary role. Work at building trust and just get to know each child.
- Parents, don’t talk about your struggles in front of the kids. If there is conflict, be sure to discuss that privately and come up with a plan before involving the kids.
- When kids disrespect the step parent, the biological parent has to confront that right away. Kids need to understand the boundaries and the spouse is to be respected.
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Do you feel like you are a united front in the home? Explain. How can you improve?
- Read Ephesians 6:4. How could family meetings help your kids to not feel frustrated? What topics need to be discussed?
- Step parent, describe your relationship with each kid. What has been most challenging so far?
- Read Proverbs 28:26. Step parent, what can you do to better understand the heart of each kid?
- Bio parent, how do you think the step parent is doing at building relationship with each kid?
- Step parent, how is bio parent doing at supporting you? Where can they improve?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
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