Getting Them Through the Teenage Years Word for Today by Bob & Debby Gass Use wisdom and understanding to establish your home. Proverbs 24:3 CEV When youre the parent of a teen in transition, its important to find the right blend of correction, instruction, motivation and praise. Instead of focusing on behaviour you dont want, praise and reward behaviour you want more of. If your child feels like youre always on their back instead of on their team about how they dress, their friends, their music, etc., theyll resist you at every turn. The Bible says about parenting: (a) Children, obey your parents (Ephesians 6:1 NKJV). (b) Do not exasperate your children (Ephesians 6:4 NIV). Use the carrot and stick approach. If youre all stick and no carrot youll provoke them into rebelling, going undercover and cutting off communication. And if you grew up in a home where you were never praised or rewarded, youll have to work harder to break the cycle. Exploding at your teen just teaches them to handle their own anger explosively. Expect to be shocked and be prepared to respond constructively. If you take their mood swings and inconsistencies personally, youll end up reacting in ways you regret. Do you remember your own adolescence and how you felt about your parents opinions, tastes and rules? Mark Twain said: When I was fourteen my dad was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have him around. But when I got to be twenty-one I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years! If youre raising a teen, here are two Scriptures worth remembering: Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV); Use wisdom and understanding to establish your home (Proverbs 24:3 CEV). IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM SENDER: Please note that as of December 1st, 2014, if God wills, I will no longer be sharing The Word for Today to individual groups as per normal. I am currently sharing to a very large number of groups which is very time consuming. I have created a group named THE WORD FOR TODAY BY BOB & DEBBY GASS. I will be posting these messages there for all to find. Please therefore join this group to further receive these posts. Thank you for your understanding.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 10:34:04 +0000