Rooted Parent Top Ten April-May 2023

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 Parenting

What to Do When Your Child Is Addicted to Video Games by Melanie Hempe, TGC. “I shifted from thinking in terms of parental limits—like setting a curfew or not allowing R-rated movies—to understanding the deeper emotional and spiritual implications of a child lost in the virtual world.”

Autism in the Church- A Parent’s Perspective by Sophie Killingsley, Evangelical Magazine. “Rather than seeing those with neurological difference as somehow ‘less than’, we need each other to see the world from another’s eyes, for opportunities to learn from one another and to be sanctified as we serve each other.”

Parenting Ahead When You Cannot See the Forest for the Trees by Kristen Hatton, New Growth Press. “…as parents, there are foundations we can put in place during the early years—when we can barely see through the forest—that help smooth the path to the teen years.”

God Delights in You by Lara D’Entremont, laradentremont.com. “While I’d never articulate to someone that I believed God merely tolerated my presence for the sake of his Son, that’s how my heart and mind operated as I thought of God’s love towards me. How could God, holy and perfect and majestic, like sinful, weak, puny me?”

What I’ve Learned About School Choice by Winfree Brinsley, TGC. “Each time we’ve reassessed our school choice, I’ve had to remind myself that where we send our boys to school will not determine where they spend eternity. Christian school will not save our kids. Homeschool will not save our kids. Public school will not separate our children from the love of God.”

Hard Days Are Good Days: Why Kids Are Worth the Cost by Jessica B., Desiring God. “The Bible says kids are gifts from God, even a reward (Psalm 127:3), but if we’re honest, some days they feel more like leeches, sucking us dry of all time and energy.”

Youth Culture

Ep. 246: Kids and Phones Deep Questions with Cal Newport. “Are smartphones bad for kids? Cal walks through the data on this question, including how researchers came to be worried, their findings, critiques of their findings, and where we are today. He then gives recommendations for how to think about technology when it comes to your kids.”

Teen Sexting and Sexually Explicit Music by Christine Lee, IFS.org. “ It is easy to dismiss the lyrics and messages in a three-minute song as inconsequential, but our research, published in Computers in Human Behavior, suggests that listening to highly sexual music influences teenagers’ sexual risk-taking, specifically sexting.”

How to Help Teenagers Stay Motivated at School by Lisa D’Amour, Time Magazine. “Consider a common scenario: A teenager who strongly dislikes a class and as a result is significantly underperforming in it. Though our instincts might tempt us to tell such a teen to “fix his attitude,” it’s usually more helpful to start with a matter-of-fact conversation about the nature of school.”

To Share With Your Teenager

Young People, Church is Not Optional by Jared Wilson, For the Church. “To grow in one’s relationship with Jesus, in fact, is to grow in one’s relationship with other Christians. And while you can make lots of friends in a campus ministry or other parachurch organization, and even learn a lot in those places that can benefit you spiritually, God’s design for optimum growth according to His Word is a local church.”