Parent Top Ten of May 2024 - Rooted Ministry

Welcome to the Rooted Parent Top Ten, a curated list of resources from across the web that we believe will be helpful to parents raising teenagers. Here you’ll find articles, podcasts, and videos to support you in gospel- centered discipleship and interpreting youth culture. While most are gospel focused, others are included because they include a message of common grace. (The opinions presented in these articles do not necessarily reflect the position of Rooted Ministry.) At the end, you’ll find Rooted resources compiled from the last month’s new offerings. We hope this resource is helpful!

Gospel- Centered

How Should I Engage My Rebellious Child? by Margy Tripp, Ligonier Ministries. “Remember God’s agenda for us as parents. He is making us like Christ. He is always at work to refine us through our trials, whether they are trials of our own making or foisted on us by others or the circumstances of life. You are never at a place where your work has been in vain.”

Graduation: The Right Time for Ambivalence by Christine Gordon, pcacdm.org. “Take heart, mom, aunt, big sister, family friend. This child you love is loved more by her Maker…

He has chosen her friends, her jobs, her homerooms, her roommates, and the number of her days. Entrust her to Jesus as she walks over the stage of her graduation and into her next adventure.”

5 Prayers for Fighting Perfectionism in Motherhood by Faith Chang, Risen Motherhood. “If you struggle with perfectionism, you may find yourself coming to the end of your day with a litany of how you’ve failed. But be comforted knowing that your heavenly Father is delighted in your efforts to please him today.”

Help Teens to Own Their Faith by Steve Eatmon, TGC. “Don’t fear opposing viewpoints to the gospel—they can’t hurt us—but rather see them as an opportunity to patiently teach your kids to interact with them in the Spirit’s wisdom.”

If You’re a Christian, You Should Probably Thank Your Mom by Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today. “A 2019 Barna Group survey found that Christian teenagers who say their faith is very important to them are 20 points more likely to talk to their moms about religion than their dads.”

A Spiritual Battle for Our Children’s Hearts by Jeanine Sanchez, New Growth Press. “Faithful parenting engages us in a spiritual battle for our children’s hearts, which must be undergirded by faith-fueled prayer. This is war, and I can’t do it in my own strength, with my own determination, focus, and fancy checklist.”

Teen Culture

The Kids Are Not All Right: A Review of Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation by Clare Morell, thepublicdiscourse.com. “Parents are, and always will be, on the frontlines of helping their children navigate cultural challenges.”

How to Talk to Your Teens About Taylor Swift’s New Album by Cara Ray, cararay.com. “For Christian parents, with Swifties in the house, we have to thoughtfully and prayerfully decide if her music aligns with our beliefs, promotes our values, and squares with Scripture.”

How To Reduce the Sexual Solicitation of Teens on Instagram by Arturo Bejar, afterbabel.com. ““Instagram hosts the largest-scale sexual harassment of teens to have ever happened.” This post is dense, offering great suggestions for parents and further links so you can do a deep dive into his findings.

You Can’t Outsmart Phones with Teenagers by Patrick Miller, endeavorwithus.com. “Of course, we could just take away the devices, but many of us are convinced that the positive uses for teenagers outweigh the devices’ toxic effects, and that with the right filters and controls, we can keep things under control.”