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
Have I Failed My Children? by Amy Medina, amy-medina.com. “Our home doesn’t mirror the classic Christian parenting books I read 20 years ago. We have often stretched our boundaries to safeguard our relationship with our kids. Other times we have given grace instead of consequences because we are trying to build trust. I can guarantee that we haven’t always gotten it right.”
Gospel Hope for the Littlest of These by Ashley Anthony, Gospel-Centered Discipleship. (Not just for parents of little children.) “Our children’s sinful states are impossible to overcome in our efforts alone; the path to life is impossible to achieve in our efforts alone. Only God is the One who transforms (Eph. 2:8–9). When we lay aside our own desire to control God’s work of salvation, we can begin to cling to the hope of the gospel through prayer, faith, and enlightened eyes that show us that only God can bring the spiritually dead to life.”
My Son, Give Me Your Heart by Joe Rigney, Desiring God. “Ask yourself: When you’re setting the rules, are you after their heart? When you instruct them in God’s laws, are you after their heart? When you enforce the rules, whether God’s laws or house rules, are you after their heart? When you say yes to their requests, are you after their heart? When you say no to their requests, are you after their heart?”
Parent, Meet Your Teen by Paul David Tripp, TGC. “Don’t squeeze important wisdom or correction into busy moments or attempt it on the fly. By taking time, you’re saying, You’re important and what God says is important. I’m willing to invest the time to be his instrument of correction.”
Harriet the Spy and Jesus: What kind of examples do kids need? By Joey Goodall, mbird.com. “Kids don’t need to be shown examples of how society wants them to be, they already know. What kids really need are mirrors like Harriet, multifaceted characters who contain all the contradictions they see in themselves and those around them, and they need to see illuminating goodness.”
Finding God in High School, College, and Beyond: An Interview with Author Izzy Koo, Soojin Park, SOLA Network. Speaking about her book, Finding God, Finding Me, How I Met God As an Ordinary Teenager, Koo says, “It’s for middle schoolers who want to hear a cool story about how a kid like them encountered Jesus or for high schoolers, figuring out their faith for themselves, but it’s also for college students who need to be reminded and convicted and challenged and missed everything going on in their lives and kind of everyone in between who just needs encouragement, because there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that no matter what age you are, God is the same God who needs us.”
Youth Culture
A Surprising Remedy for Teens in Mental Health Crises by Anya Kamenetz, Washington Post. “Teen Mental Health First Aid is adapted from Youth Mental Health First Aid, a training designed for adults who work with or care for teens… In teens, the training has been shown to increase mental health literacy and reduce reported psychological distress. In one randomized controlled trial, teens reported a significantly higher level of confidence in helping a friend who was anxious or suicidal, as well as a lower stigma around mental illness, and were also more likely to choose the correct, helpful course of action.”
Putting Parents in Charge of Social Media Could Help Gen Z Mental Health, Experts Argue by Shelby Kearns, campusreform.org. “If legislation based on the policy priorities were enacted, minors would need parents’ permission to open social media accounts. Parents would also maintain administrative access to monitor their children’s accounts, which they would not be able to open until age 16.” (see related: Lawmakers Should Give Parents Control Over Kids’ Social Media | Opinion from Newsweek)
Habitual Checking of Social Media Linked to Altered Brain Development in Young Adolescents by Eric W. Dolan, psypost.com. “The use of social media can have important implications for the psychological adjustment of adolescents because it can shape their social experiences, affect their self-esteem, and influence their identity formation.”
To Share With Your Teenager
Saved and Kept By God by Kristen Hatton, New Growth Press. “This is why we need gospel glasses to understand that if you obey and keep my commands is not a conditional clause. God’s love is not based on us being worthy.”
On Rooted
Is It Time for a Phone? Practical Guidance for Parents of New Smartphone Users by Rooted
Right Turns Only: Smartphone Guidance for Parents of Older Teens by Katie Polski
The Challenge of Consistency in Parenting by Hannah Dow
Fuel for a Faithful Future: How Parents Can Use National Nutrition Month as an Opportunity for Discipleship by Melissa Powell
Ask Rooted: How Are You Talking With Teenagers About the Movement At Asbury? by Rooted
When Parenting Worry Takes Our Eyes Off God by Meredith Exline
