My360 Helper


You’re not wearing those shoes—they have holes in them!

When have you EVER heard THAT come out of your child’s mouth? Believe it or not, a friend of mine posted a picture of some tattered gym shoes with the following: “So, parents...say you have a son who’s in 3rd grade who has a ton of shoes but has one pair that he absolutely loves. That pair is totally beat up. But he gets irrationally upset at the t…read more

Why are you hanging out with adults?

That’s a frequent question my daughter gets when her friends discover how much time she’s spending with adults. Why does she do it? First, she seems to enjoy the attention these ladies give her. Secondly, a few of these gals are mentors—providing wisdom she can’t get from any teenager. And, thirdly, I think she values them as sounding boards. Fortunately, all of her adult friends are close friends of ours—so they keep us in the loop if needed. The downside is sometimes she tends to value their opinions over ours. If your son or daughter is spending a ton of time with an adult, make sure you know them well. Communicate with them regularly. And, make sure these adults are helping and not hurting.

Don’t forget, your family wants to see you, too.

Our kids’ high school days are FULL of activities. Athletics, clubs, student council, music, and the list can go on and on. At church, there’s youth group, small group, worship team, babysitting, and more. It’s easy to lose those intimate moments with our kids. Let me suggest scheduling family time. Some teens don’t like it. Others crave it. But unless we’re intentional about it, our kids can turn into people we don’t even recognize. Sometimes they’re influenced for the good AND the bad. Time in God’s Word, talking about events of the week, and not letting them get away with saying one-word answers will go a long way in influencing our teens. Oh, and don’t worry, your teens will grow out of this stage.

He just won’t listen. What am I going to do?

I sat in the back of church one Sunday and watched a family struggling. One of their boys was being defiant at EVERY turn. He was told to stand while singing with the rest of the church. He wouldn’t. Finally, Dad intervened and, with anger in his eyes, PHYSICALLY made him stand. The wobbly-legged, defiant child was standing, but then he fell to the floor. Mom and Dad had about had it. Been there? Me, too. I remember getting so angry, not because they were sinning, but because they were disrespecting my authority. That’s more of an idol in our life than disciplining our kids to be Christ-followers, right? Their defiance is sin—sin separates us from God, which is why we need a Savior. Explain that to them.

Kids need to know Jesus. Do yours?

There’s something ALL Christian parents are called to do: lead our kids to Christ. Today, there are a lot parents who really aren’t actively pointing their kids to Christ. But, why? There are a lot of reasons. Maybe they’re not confident. Maybe they’re afraid of not being able to do a good job—and then leave it to the local church. Do you want to do a better job? We have a tool that will help you have devotions every day with the kids in your life—our brand new Keys for Kids mobile app. Do you struggle teaching about anger? Keys for Kids can help there. Do struggle with describing saving faith? What about tough topics? We have true-to-life stories that will help point kids and families to Scripture. It’s free at the Google or Apple app stores. Get a free one-year subscription to the Keys for Kids print devotional here: https://www.keysforkids.org/subscribe Download the free Keys for Kids app here: https://www.keysforkids.org/Apps

It’s green. I ain’t eating THAT.

There are a lot of finicky kids … and adults, too. I was kind of picky when I was a kid, too, and I still have a hard time eating anything green. How do we get our kids to try new foods? Well, there’s bribery. Or there’s leading by example. I’d suggest once in a while—maybe once or twice a month—find something YOU’VE never tried before and make it a part of your lunch or dinner and call it “Try-Something-New Tuesday” (or something like that). Be honest, though, about your opinions. “Oh, I don’t really care for that.” Or, “Wow, that’s a lot better than I thought it would be.” Or, “I want THAT again.” Training kids to try new things is more than just putting it in front of them. Modeling that behavior can make all the difference.

My daughter is an amazing singer. But she knows it.

Humility. That can be difficult to teach sometimes. A lot of times the lack of it is a learned behavior. False humility can also be wrong. How can we teach our kids that it’s okay to be confident with their talents and abilities God’s given us and yet be humble about it? The Bible’s the best place to start. 1 Peter 4 reminds us that we should use our gifts to serve others. James says every good and perfect gift is given from God above—and it’s not our own. And Paul tells us in Romans that we shouldn’t think of ourselves more highly than we think of others. When they understand that they’re nothing without God, humility will be a byproduct.

My 15-year-old is dating a basketball player.

Dating. It’s not a good word for a lot of families, including mine. Everybody has their own set of values, and I understand that. But at a time where our culture has sexualized just about every facet of life, dating at such a young age can be dangerous. While many people my age did it and have great marriages, there are a lot of negatives. Have you thought about them? First, they have their whole lives to be married and in a relationship. Let them be kids. Second, spending alone time at that age can lead to more temptation sexually. And, last but not least, my 17-year-old daughter says, “Dating is for marriage.” Are our teens ready for that?

There is a spiritual lesson riding a motorcycle.

The open road. It feels so free! But, there’s also no protection. There’s nothing between you and other vehicles, the ground, or other objects. How is motorcycle riding a biblical message? Great question. When we’re in Christ, we’re covered by the blood of Jesus. Our salvation is protected by Christ alone. Apart from Him, we’re slaves to sin. We’re unprotected from God’s wrath. Our job as Christian parents is to help our kids understand our relationship with Christ. Perhaps this motorcycle analogy can help your kids understand the armor of God in Ephesians 6 which helps us as believers when we face evil. Simple life lessons can provide a platform for their faith later in life.

Missions. Is it a bad word in our families?

While many of us parents would be thrilled to hear that our kids want to be missionaries, do we really mean it? I overheard a family talking about their oldest son who had just graduated with a degree in engineering—who now wants to use his abilities serving Christ with a mission agency. “We’re a little disappointed. We didn’t spend all that money just to throw it away.” Throw it away? Serving Jesus? Frankly, it doesn’t matter where any of us work. We all should be doing our job for Jesus. I hope we’re teaching our kids to practice what the Bible says: “Do everything as we’re doing it unto the Lord.” We’re not just honoring God—it’s pointing others to Him.

I’m not good at anything!

Have you ever felt that way? Well, when I was a kid, I did. My older sister was a great student, musician, and an amazing runner. My younger sister was really outgoing and a great musician. I didn’t really do ANYTHING very well. I wasn’t a very good student (because I didn’t apply myself). I was only average in sports. But, you know what? My parents helped me figure it out. Let me encourage you to do the same with your kids. Help them find something they’re good at and encourage them. Maybe it’s helping them discover their spiritual gifts. The reality is we as parents can influence our kids by being encouraging and positive, not negative and condescending. Do they excel with their hands—or maybe baking, communicating, or working with computers? Point out these abilities and then help foster them.

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