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Remember when we were teenagers? Remember when we thought our parents were morons for checking up on us all the time? Remember
thinking they didn't trust us?
Fast forward twenty five years or so and here I am! Only I'm the parent. Gee, my parents were right after all! If only
I could convince my fifteen year old that he'll understand it someday!
Teens have it tougher today; I think we'd all agree on that. But parents have it harder too. As Christian parents we're
not only fighting against the world's standards of what's right and wrong, but sometimes we have to stand up for Christian
values against the parents of our children's friends. Some don't seem to hold their children accountable. This is often
thrown in our faces by our own children who lament, "Nobody else's parents want to know where they're going and ask for
a phone number."
If you're the parent of a teenager, as many of us are including our former leaders, Ted and John, you know exactly what
I'm talking about. I'm not in the place to give advice--maybe I can when I'm old and wise--but I will offer some encouragement:
Hang tough. It's worth it. Support parents who, like you, insist their children earn their trust. If we stick together,
maybe we'll hear less of: "All the other kids' parents let them do it."
Remember: Some rebellion is necessary and is God's plan for preparing youths for adulthood. Pray without ceasing!
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and
peace for those who have been trained by it" Hebrews 12:11
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