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
A Community for Broken Homes by James Coffield, Ligonier. “The church is not for the well put together or the “righteous” but for the dysfunctional families that we interact with each day. We may be asking the wrong question. It’s not, ‘How can we incorporate ‘struggling’ families?’ The question is, ‘How can we call ourselves faithful to the purposes of Christ and not include them?’ The church is for the broken.”
No Confidence? No Problem! By Melissa, YourMomHasABlog.com. “He doesn’t rely on me. He is God, and I am their mother. So I will imperfectly rely on Him.”
Diapers of Glory by Sophia Lee, Christianity Today. “Who is great? What is success? I’ve been asking the wrong question, just as the disciples did, because I missed God’s heart.”
Her Children Arise and Call Her #Blessed by Ashley Hales, Christianity Today. “ If we’re parents, we’re likely guilty of wedding ourselves so tightly to the successes and failures of our children that we forget that children are not math equations where a particular input results in a specific output.”
Wisdom Principles for Christian Parenting by Marny Kostenberger, Ligonier.org. “Humility and dependence on God are the proper disposition as we recognize that God has privileged us to procreate children.”
3 Misconceptions Parents Might Have About Their Children’s Salvation by Champ Thornton, Crossway. “…from the earliest days, guide your child in prayers of repentance and faith.”
Teen Culture
You Don’t Need AI. You Can Just Tell Your Kids Stories by Alan Noble, You Are Not Your Own. “The reality is that your children just want to hear you tell them a story.”
Listening is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do by Simon van Bruchem, writtenforourinstruction.com. This is not an article for parents, but it does contain some great practical guidance about the art of listening well (a skill parents don’t always know they need). “…in many cases, feeling truly heard and understood by someone else is way more important than the advice we might give, especially in the middle of a crisis.”
To Share and Discuss with the Whole Family
How I Kicked My Phone Habit by Clement Harold, First Things. “Being faithful disciples in the twenty-first century means re-immersing ourselves in the world of real things and real beauty. It means blocking out the noise that surrounds us and rediscovering the still, small voice of the Spirit.”
To Share With Your Student (especially if she’s leaving for college)
Spiritual Formation and Artificial Intelligence by David M. Shaw, TGC Australia. “…shortcuts are not only academically risky, but they also short circuit one’s personal and spiritual formation.”
On Rooted
Trusting in Our Limitless God (Rooted Parent Podcast)
The Experience of Hitting Our Limits (Rooted Parent Podcast)
Parents of Teenagers, Don’t Forget to Maintain The Connection by Connie Nelson
Encouragement for Parents: When Kids Ask Tough Questions by Steve Eatmon
Why Does God in the Old Testament Seem So Different from God in the New Testament? Answering Your Teenager’s Questions About Faith By Jonathan Lilley
How Can a Good God Allow Evil to Continue? Answering Your Teenager’s Questions About Faith by Mike Ruamthong
How Do I Know the Bible is Reliable? Answering Your Teenager’s Questions About Faith by Katie Polski
Why Do So Many Christians Seem Like Hypocrites? Answering Your Teenager’s Questions About Faith by Jonathan Lilley
