Marriage & Family: Parenting: Ages & Stages
Help and encouragement for raising the next generation of Christ-followers.
Sort By:
What's Going On with Your Teen?
His door was shut, as usual. It was quiet, which wasn't unusual. If he was on the computer, she could hear it—but if he was listening to music, he'd have his earbuds in, and she couldn't. She wasn't sure which one made her feel better because frankly both frightened her a little. It had started as an uneasy feeling about three months earlier. Jake just wasn't acting normal—nothing Tanya ...
The HPV Vaccine
Sixteen year-old Alaina Reyes sits on the gynecologist's exam table under a poster of girls with different body types that reads, "What's normal supposed to look like anyway?" Accompanied by her mother, Christine, Alaina is here for her first visit with Dr. Dianne Foley, an adolescent gynecologist, as she transitions from pediatric care.
"I don't know how much you've heard about this, but there's a ...
Related Topics: Cancer, Health, parenting, Premarital sex, Teens
More Than Moody
"I hate you," she stated matter-of-factly, staring stone-faced at the floor. Those were the last words I'd ever expected to hear from my daughter, Jaclyn*. She'd been a delightful child—seemingly carefree, with a sense of humor that always brought a smile. But over the past two years, she'd been seething with anger. As I sat across from her bed, beneath the harsh fluorescent glare of a high-security ...
Related Topics: Depression, Signs of
High Hopes for High School
Remember high-school football games, pep rallies, yearbooks, and proms? What about finals, term papers, and college entrance exams? You may have gotten your driver's license, gone on your first date, worked summer jobs, and maybe even bought your first car during these same years. Looking back on the eventful years of high school, I'm glad I was young enough to handle all those changes and challenges ...
Admission Policy
Friends with older teens warned us. Guidance counselors tried to prepare us. But it wasn't until our firstborn reached his senior year that the truth sank in: College was looming, and my husband and I needed to get things in gear.
Our son tackled the tedious job of filling out endless college applications online. Hovering over his shoulder, I offered sage advice—"Honey, don't say that!"—and ...
Related Topics: College, Admission, College, Decision, Preparation, Wise Decisions
(Almost) the Last Lap
A. It would be great if parenting followed a straight trajectory. But the truth is, it's a never-ending series of switchbacks. Just this week, I called my dad for advice and prayerI may be 41, but I still need him now and then.
There's a false sense that our parenting journey starts wrapping up as our children approach their teen years. But there are a whole lot of 20-somethings who have finished ...
The Center of the Universe
Our 11-year-old seems to think the whole world revolves around her. Why is she suddenly so self-centered?
A. This is an almost universal issue with preteens. Kids who were, just months ago, generous and outward-focused turn in on themselves and become seemingly obsessed with their own lives and incapable of noticing the needs of others.
Think of it this way: self-centeredness is a natural fungus on ...
What Your Teen Really Needs
Q. With three busy teenagers, our family life is incredibly chaotic. The stress is impacting the kids and our marriage. How can we get our lives back on track?
A. While it is probably wise to re-evaluate your family activity level and scale back a bit, I find that families often make themselves busy in order to avoid the deeper issues that add stress to the family. So many of the parents of teens I ...
Parenting with A.W.E.
Q. It feels like we're always arguing with our 15–year–old. We're tired of the constant conflict, and I'm sure she is too. What can we do?
A. As parents of teenagers, many of us could find reason to be mad at our kids most of the time. Teenagers are in a stage of testing—not just your authority, but their own judgment and independence. They make decisions that even they know are unwise, ...
Big Questions, Simple Answers
Q. Now that our daughter is 3, she's asking more challenging questions about God. How do we help her understand God when we still have lots of faith questions of our own?
A. When a young child's natural curiosity turns to things of faith—"What color is God's hair?" "Where did I live before I was born?" "Who is God's mommy?"—many parents find themselves stumped. But at this age, children are ...
back to top
