Raising Successful TeensIhe Atụ

Everything You Need

God has given you everything you need to be the exact parent your teen needs. And He never would have given you the privilege of being a parent if He didn’t have an awesome plan for you. 

That’s why your greatest parenting strategy is to use His Word. It’s not your responsibility to prop up your teen or to save your son or daughter. Instead, it’s your calling to teach discernment and provide a solid foundation from which your teen will learn to live from a biblical perspective. 

With that in mind, let’s look at five critical foundational truths for parenting in the teen years:

1. You are the most influential person in your teen’s life—more so than any friend, coach, teacher, pastor, boyfriend, girlfriend, or celebrity. 

2. Your teen wants you to be involved in his life. Contrary to the lie of Satan and regardless of the many times your teen rolls his eyes before storming out of the room, he wants you to be an involved parent. 

3. No matter what is culturally accepted, nothing is more authoritative than the truth of God’s Word. It is up to you to communicate His truths to your family. Don’t allow yourself to be swayed by rules, values, and assumptions that come from any source other than the Bible. 

4. You are a parent, not a pal. Teenagers don’t need their parents to be their friends; they need them to be parents. 

5. You have to be willing to enter into discussions that make you uncomfortable. You need to be the constant voice of reason and truth, the adult who is willing to talk about anything and will compromise nothing. 

Parenting is likely the toughest job you will ever have. You need to be equipped. But God has given you the incredible privilege to encourage your teen to live wholeheartedly for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the one who is greater than anything this world can throw her way. 

Father, I thank You for the call You have placed on my life to be the parent my child needs at this moment. I know You have a special plan for my teen and for me in this journey. Please guide me as I work to be the parent You already know I can be. I am thankful that You are here with me every step of the way. Amen.