on June 1, 2016in Kids, Teenagers, Adolescence, Adulthood, & Parenting
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I was at a church meeting last weekend where they were transitioning the sixth graders into seventh grade.
The youth pastor asked about what we were excited about.
I raised my hand.
“I’m happy that there will be another adult telling my kids that the rebellion of adolescence is unnecessary.”
Everyone laughed.
Wow.
Are we that discouraged? Have we accepted rebellion as a “reality,” with no hope for things to be otherwise?
Has our culture- a culture of independence, rebellion, commercialism, competition, and war- accepted that a rebellious teen is simply a normal part of “life”, a “normal” representation of our society, and a reflection of our own unresolved adolescence?
It’s so sad.
What have we done?
After a long night of trying to reason with one of my kids, mainly over the “need” to play (violent) video games and have social media, I wrote this letter for them to setup a foundation and ground rules for asking for things in the home.
It’s called, “Statement On Giving Teenagers in the Home What They Want.”
Feel free to use it for yourself or your friends.
It’s a work in progress, but it’s my first set of ground rules, and it’s a foundation that can be used for kids of any age in the home.
As it develops, I’ll keep you updated.
Love,
Dad. 🙂
