Welcome to this month’s Rooted Parent Top 10- a list of parenting articles from across the web for the Rooted community. This list represents ten articles we believe will encourage and equip you as you parent your kids. At the end of the list we have included all of the parenting articles that ran on Rooted last month. If you have an article you’d like to contribute to the next edition of the Top Ten, please email Anna at anna@rootedministry.com.
Gospel- Centered Parenting
When Motherhood Feels Like Death by Courtney Reissig, TGC
“Instead of hyping motherhood (or parenthood in general) to the point of perfection, we should be willing to call it what it is—a form of death. Jesus says we will have to give up something to gain something better… And the work of parenting requires us to do just that.”
Parenting and the Cultural Pressure to Conform by Albert Mohler, www.ligonier.org
“Somehow, Christian parents had to be faithful in Rome, and Israel’s parents had to be faithful in Canaan, and now Christian parents have to be faithful in the Rome/Canaan we live in today.
God is up to this. I’m not saying we’re up to this, but God is up to this.”
Correcting Joy at Swimming Pools and Pulpits: Do Y’all Need a Hug? By Sarah Condon, www.mbird.com
“I wish I knew why joy and relief are so often met with suspicion and correction.”
Discipling Our Kids
Why You Should Teach Your Kids about Racial Reconciliation by Jarvis Williams and Curtis Wood, TGC
“The reality of racial division in our country means that Christian parents of all ethnic backgrounds must teach their kids about the gospel, race, racism, ethnic difference, and discrimination. Like it or not, the reality of racism means we’ll be forced to have these uncomfortable conversations with our children.”
The Overprotected American Child by Andrea Peterson, WSJ
“For children who are already anxious, overprotecting them can make it worse. It reinforces to the child that there is something they should be scared of and the world is a dangerous place and ‘I can’t do that for myself…’”
The Kate Spade Conversation by Janet Denison, www.christianparenting.org
Set aside some time to read this article and the links Denison provides. She talks about why and how to converse with your kids about suicide, drawing from the Bible and counseling resources to provide a comprehensive look at how to begin these conversations with your children. In light of recent tragedies, parents need to pray, summon their courage, and prepare to meet these issues head on.
Teen Culture
How Fortnite Captured Teens Hearts and Minds by Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker
“In terms of fervor, compulsive behavior, and parental noncomprehension, the Fortnite craze has elements of Beatlemania, the opioid crisis, and the ingestion of Tide Pods.” disclaimer: This article includes some objectionable language, but it is worth a read.
I Wish Mum’s Phone Was Never Invented by Georgina Rannard, BBC
The kids quoted in this article aren’t teens, but it’s an insightful look into how kids really feel about their parents’ phones- which is surprisingly similar to how parents feel about their teens’ phones. “I don’t like the phone because my parents are on their phone every day. A phone is sometimes a really bad habit.”
Cheap Sex and the Decline of Marriage by Mark Regnerus, WSJ
“My own research points to a more straightforward and primal explanation for the slowed pace toward marriage: For American men, sex has become rather cheap. As compared to the past, many women today expect little in return for sex, in terms of time, attention, commitment or fidelity.”
6 Ways to Avoid Delayed Adulthood by David “Gunner” Gunderson, TGC
One to share with your older kids. “Maturity follows this basic path: desire, commitment, faithfulness, humility, courage, and resilience. So if you want to grow up, then start by waking up, signing up, showing up, shutting up, stepping up, and then getting up when you trip or tumble or get knocked down.”
And on Rooted:
HTH: Be Prepared for 13 Reasons Why Season Two
Parents of teens need to be informed about the second installment of this series because the kids will be talking about it.
2018 Rooted Conference Parent Track: Workshops I and Workshops II
These conferences feature great preaching, engaging biblical teaching, practical workshops, sincere worship, and the most intimate atmosphere you’ve ever encountered at a conference. Just the Gospel, relationships, and conversations.
Parenting the Older Brother by Carolyn Lankford
We best love our “obedient” children by being attentive to their behavior and fixated on their hearts as they relate to Jesus Christ and to one another.
Redeeming Summertime With Our Kids by Kristen Hatton
While this season can get away from us, I urge you right now at the beginning to think through redeeming summertime for the spiritual nourishment and overall well-being of your child and family.
The Ever- Elusive Best Friend by Gordon Bals
Teenagers can convince themselves that they are doing something wrong if they don’t have that special friend, when in fact a best friend can become an idol that obscures God’s desire to nurture our faith through a variety of people.
On Suffering and Friendship: Don’t Miss the Extraordinary by Dawson Cooper
It is our privilege, calling, and mission on this side of heaven to enter into the suffering of our friends. When we fulfill this calling, we glorify God.
This One’s For the Dads, Part One compiled by Anna Meade Harris
Being a dad has revealed how much my hope and joy is fixed to my kids’ behavior and my life circumstances and not to my savior. Fatherhood is continually stripping me of self-reliance and making me dependent on my father in prayer. He is responsible for changing my heart and the hearts of my children, not me.
This One’s Also for the Dads compiled by Anna Meade Harris
Being my children’s father alongside the wife that I have is a privilege beyond words.
