Appetite for the Future (4-30-2010)

PODCAST SCRIPT:

It’s up to parents to build excitement for the possibilities of the future for their kids.

Most teenagers today have little excitement for the future, or perhaps never even thought about it. Parents can help by encouraging them to dream big dreams for tomorrow, next week, next year and ten years from now. Talk about your own dreams, and the steps you took to reach them. Ask for their help in planning future events and outings. And don’t belittle their ideas or dreams, no matter how crazy they may sound.

When a teen catches a positive future mindset, they’ll be more willing to prepare for their own future and less willing to waste it on short term thrills.

The Final Cure (4-29-2010)

PODCAST SCRIPT:

There’s no psychological cure for a sinful mindset. Only God can change a heart.

Inappropriate teenage behavior can be improved, but a change of heart is something only God can do. A spiritual conversion will bring about a change from selfishness to caring for others…from pursuing evil to pursuing good…from having everything in common with the wrong crowd to having nothing at all in common with them.

Outside of mental illness, most problems of defiance and rebellion are helped when a teen accepts Christ as their savior and lives according to His word. God loves your teen and stands ready to change them as no one else can.

Worst to Best (4-28-2010)

PODCAST SCRIPT:

The teenager who brings the most heartbreak today is usually the one who will be the closest to your heart tomorrow.

Teenagers who cause the most difficulty for their parents often come around to loving and appreciating their parents in the adult years. Through the hard knocks of life, they eventually realize that their parents were there for them all along. It may not be until they become parents themselves, but sooner or later, their conscience will drive them back to their parents with sorrow for the trouble they caused as a teen.

So, stand your ground and don’t burn your bridges with your teen. Eventually they’ll want to come back across the divide they created as teenagers.

Don’ts of Parenting (4-27-2010)

PODCAST SCRIPT:

Some parents haven’t learned the “Don’ts of Parenting.” So let’s go over some of them…

Here is when a parent is out of control:  When they ridicule their child in front of others…when they call their child names…when they physically bully their child …when they say “no” for no reason…when they gossip about their child …when they scream, shout or threaten…and even when they give the silent treatment.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but any of these “Don’ts of Parenting” will devalue a child and push them into the arms of the wrong crowd, where they will feel valued.

The point is this, watch your words. Negative words lead to negative, deflated and insecure kids.

True To Your Word (4-26-2010)

PODCAST SCRIPT:

Your principles are the road map for your teen, so be sure not to change them.

Teenagers can be relentless when it comes to pushing their parents to back off of their principles. But I’ve found that compromising confuses kids. They begin wondering if every other principle and lesson you taught them is true.

Teens really don’t want their parents to change their principles. It’s the one thing that’s stable and dependable in their life. They need those principles to be a road map for their decisions. Even if they choose the wrong path, at least they can find their way back.

So, parents, don’t change the road map, no matter how lost your teen becomes.

WEEKEND: Parenting Anxiety (4-24-2010)

HALF-HOUR PODCAST SUMMARY:

As a parent of teenagers, what worries you the most? On this edition of Parenting Today’s Teens, Mark Gregston gives wisdom and peace to parents who are anxious about raising kids.

www.turbulenceahead.org

Isolation Can Lead to Experimentation (4-23-2010)

PODCAST SCRIPT:

How is it that kids can use drugs for 2 or 3 years before their parents ever find out?

Teenagers these days spend more time away from home and family. And even when they are at home, they often isolate themselves in their bedroom. All of this can conceal a teen’s experimentation with or growing dependency on drugs or other methods of self-harm, like Bulimia or cutting. By the time parents find out about it, it may already be a habit that’s difficult to break.

Parents need to create ways to spend more time with their teenagers. Not only will it help build a stronger relationship, but it can reveal or prevent dangerous habits or even addictions as well.

Teen Privacy is Not a Right (4-22-2010)

PODCAST SCRIPT:

Teenagers need to know that their privacy is an earned privilege, not a right.

When a teen shows signs that they may be doing what they shouldn’t, a parent needs to look for clues, even if it means invading the teenager’s privacy.

Talk to their friends, teachers, and other parents. Find out who they’ve been spending time with, and what they’ve been texting and writing. Let them know that violation of your policy means loss of their privacy.

Most parents don’t want to intrude on their teen’s privacy, but as in any other privilege, when they choose to abuse it, they should also know that they’ll lose it. Their safety is always a more important consideration.

The Wrong Crowd (4-21-2010)

PODCAST SCRIPT:

Parents would be wise to know their teenager’s friends.

Friends can spread bad attitudes like a virus. Sometimes the bad crowd is made up of kids who put on a good face in front of adults, but are demons otherwise. They can turn your teenager against you, and everything you hold dear.

Talk to other parents and teachers about the kids your teen is befriending. Have them over so you can get to know them. If they are a negative influence, then find ways to introduce your teen to better kids. But that’s not all – seek to discover issues and insecurities in your teen’s life that could have attracted them to the wrong crowd in the first place.

Maturity Untangled (4-20-2010)

PODCAST SCRIPT:

Parents can help a teen move toward maturity by holding them accountable to untangle their own entanglements.

When kids are young, their parents will protect them at all costs. But in the teen years, parents need to back off on fixing their problems. For instance, if they get a ticket for driving too fast, they need to pay the fine on their own. If they spend their allowance foolishly and run out of gas money, then they need to take the bus. If they are ever put in jail for something they did, they need to know they’ll not be quickly bailed out.

The point is this…teens who deal with their own mistakes tend to make less of them.