Is That Normal Parent Podcast

In this EPISODE we explore that elusive experience of helping our families love and know the Bible. We identify some of the big barriers and then move to SIX WAYS to overcome and foster that love for God’s Word.

Here are the SIX WAYS:

1. READ THE BIBLE. We explore the need to read the Bible to our children, read the Bible ourselves, and read the Bible together with our children. Some of the resources we discussed were the Christian Standard Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible, and YouVersion. A couple of great introductory YouVersion reading plans are Deeper into Scripture: Ephesians and Together in Scripture: The Crucified King.
2. MODEL LIVING BY GOD’S PRINCIPLES.
3. TELL THE STORY OF JESUS OFTEN.
4. FIND GREAT RESOURCES TO HELP LEARN AND APPLY GOD’S WORD. We discussed parent components to standardized Sunday School curriculum, revisited YouVersion, and addressed the need for a tool to learn a systemic theology. A few ideas on that lasts part are The Westminster Shorter Catechism, Mere Christianity, and Experiencing God.
5. SERVE TOGETHER IN JESUS NAME. We encourage you as a family to look for ways to be involved in ministry together. This acts as a way to make Scripture come to life.
6. PRAY FOR THEM. Ultimately, we can only offer opportunities. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict our children’s hearts, and the personal decision of our children to accept God’s invitation.

Lastly, we remind ourselves that this is a process and a journey. There will be hard days but do not despair; the fight is worth it! So grab one or two of these ideas and put them into practice.

We are so glad you are checking out our notes page for this EPISODE. If you are new to our podcast, we encourage you to go back and listen to EPISODE 1 – RAISING ABNORMAL KIDS and EPISODE 2 – The Best Youth Leaders….PARENTS where we unpack our heart and vision.

As we try to help and resource parents, we also want you to know that you are not alone, even in those really tough days. Here’s some of our thoughts on what to do when you have one of those days:

1. KEEP YOUR COOL. Look for a way to take a breath, calm down, and not make a bigger mess than you already have on your hands.
2. OWN YOUR PART. We always have to model as well as set the tone of humility by admitting any fault on our part first.
3. HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR PART. We must be willing to hold our children accountable for their actions and allow natural consequences.
4. MOVE TOWARDS RESOLUTION AND RESTORATION. We must always remember the goal is to move towards a healthy place and better choices.
5. LAUGH IF APPROPRIATE. Sometimes the best thing to do is to de-escalate.
6. OFFER AND ENCOURAGE GRACE WHEN THEY ARE READY. While it may not be today, eventually we must help them get to a place of grace and forgiveness.

Join us next week as we talk about helping our children fall in love with the Bible! Until then, Be Abnormal!

In this EPISODE, we discuss the rising occurrence of anxiety and other mental health concerns in young people. This is the third in a series on mental development in young people. You can check out Episode 12 – They’re Literally Losing Their Minds and Episode 13 – Nobody’s Perfect if you’d like more info.

Clinical researchers all agree that depression and other mental health concerns have skyrocketed since 2012, which coincides with a major increase in smartphones. We’ve discussed some great ideas on how to approach and handle smartphones and devices in both Episode 1 – Raising Abnormal Kids and Episode 9 – Much Ado About Devices. But this also isn’t a new problem. It’s the issue of self-regulation.

Here’s some ideas we gave on what parents and adults can do to help foster a healthier approach to these issues:

1. SPEND TIME WITH THEM. An intentional increase in in-person interactions will create a decrease in screen time. And as we do that, watch for clues of deeper issues if you are noticing anxious or depressive behaviors.
2. HELP THEM GET PERSPECTIVE. Asking them good questions to show them that they are currently safe is a great practice. We also shared some Scripture that give good perspective on the fact that they aren’t alone. (1 Peter 5:7 and Philippians 4:4-8)
3. SEEK HELP. We also noted that if symptoms are severe or persistent, you may want to seek professional help. If you think there is an immediate danger you can reach out to the Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or Burrell Mental Health’s Crisis Hotline at 1-800-494-7355. If you are in the Springfield, MO Area there are several Christian based counselors, such as My Counselor and Gateway Counseling Center.

We encourage you mostly to continue investing spiritually and emotionally with the young people in your life. Implement some depression decreasers and Scriptural truth and maybe just plan some fun, stress-free, face-to-face time together this week.

This EPISODE deals with the first of two development pitfalls – Crippling Perfectionism. This is a follow up to Episode 12 – They’re Literally Losing They’re Minds.

We discussed how researchers and educators (and parents) are beginning to notice this phenomenon of young people becoming paralyzed from completing the necessary tasks of life. Many people are proposing this is fueled by increased cell phone use and decreased in-person interactions, resulting in us thinking everyone else’s life is perfect.

In response, we looked at the root issue of identity and talked about how Jesus and the Apostle Paul both addressed this tension. We looked at Matthew 5 and Romans 3 and determined that the only way to address the gap between our performance and the desired perfection was to come to our Creator to find forgiveness and restoration.

As parents trying to help our young people through this tension and move them towards that healthy, biblical response, we need to:

1. Use this as a Teachable Moment. If you have a young person who is struggling in this area, begin the dialogue on identity and value, pointing them to the truths we looked at from the Bible.
2. Be a Good Example. In order to help our young people face their shortcomings and move forward, we as the adults in their lives must show them an example of how we deal with our failures. That starts by being willing to say “I’m sorry.” It also includes us telling them our story and how we found our need for God’s forgiveness.
3. Make a Culture of “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”. We need to make a safe place for our young people to address their failures and their feelings, and then help them to pursue the redemption cycle. We must model this often.

Next week we’ll revisit and build on these concepts as we tackle the next pitfall – anxiety. Until then, Be Abnormal

Today’s EPISODE dealt with some of the science behind what is going on inside the brains of young people. We explored some of the key things we need to know and how to respond as parents and adults in their lives during this stage of development.

If you’d like to read some more about the brain studies we referenced, you can check out the one from the University of Pennsylvania here, the one by Dr. Jay Giedd here, and the one from John Hopkins University here. Some of the big take-aways from these studies are:

1. Their brains are losing mass by about 1% a year following puberty.
2. This is the “Use It or Lose It” time of development
3. This process may not be fully complete (aka their brains aren’t fully developed) until they are 22-25!

Some advice for parents and adults as a result of this information is:

1. Remember they are still developing
2. Emphasis rest, nutrition and healthy habits during this time period
3. Be present and involved as they need a lot of guidance and direction.
4. Also remember they need a lot of grace and patience from you.

We really hope this information is encouraging as you navigate these critical developmental years. Remember they are literally losing their minds so Be Abnormal!