ENGAGING YOUR TEENS WORLD

Parents often make decisions out of fear, trying to protect their teen from "the world," and may blame the culture for the problems in their family. "Engaging Your Teen's World" encourages parents to move past unhealthy "us vs. them" mentalities and lead their teen to redeem the culture instead.
This conversational book guides parents to become a greater influence in their teen's world without squelching their child's individuality. It reveals which values drive a teenager's motivations and offers practical ideas on how families can together engage the world through service and love.
"Engaging Your Teen's World" includes discussion questions for each chapter, making it a useful resource for small groups or for youth pastors who want to lead parent discussions.
EXCERPT
I've heard many exasperated parents say to me, "If I can just get my kid through their teenage years then they'll be okay." There have been many tiring and frustrating days where I could agree with that sentiment. But I think you would agree with me that "just making it through" wouldn't exactly qualify as a lofty goal. As if somehow the goal of parenting is just to protect or tolerate and then hope for the best. That goal doesn't take into account the sponge effect.
Last year, our daughter got a package of animal bathtub sponges as a gift. Each sponge was the size of a large multi-colored vitamin. She dropped one in the sink and we all watched as it started to grow. Within a few minutes it was the size of her hand. The sponge seemed to just keep soaking and soaking. Once it grew to its full size it never shrunk back again. After we drained the basin, we set the sponge animal on a towel and the water slowly seeped out of it. It took a long time for it to dry out because it had taken in so much.
Teens are like those sponges. They're not just trying to "make it through" these few years. They're soaking up everything in their environment. And they learn first and foremost through their experiences with you. If you have always responded to people in our culture out of fear, your teen will generally tend to do the same. If you respond with anger, so will your teen. If you model a disdain for the people that make up your culture, your teen may also.