Daly Focus Blog
“What were you thinking?”
If you’re a parent of teenagers, you’ve probably asked that question a few times. I know I have. On more than one occasion, Jean and I have looked at each other and asked the same question about one of our boys: “What is going on in that brain of his?”
Well, according to Dr. Jeramy and Jerusha Clark, our guests on today’s and tomorrow’s broadcasts, there’s an avalanche of change going on.
Last week I blogged about “13 Reasons Why,” the controversial television series from Netflix that, while rated TV-MA, targets the teen demographic.
As you may know, “13 Reasons Why” tells the story of a teen girl who commits suicide and blames others for what happened.
I explained that our parenting team and counselors here at Focus on the Family agreed with the experts who are concerned the show glamorizes suicide and might influence copycat behavior – and that our recommendation to parents is to not allow their kids to watch this series.
You remember Clark Kent. He was a mild-mannered man … until he pulled open his shirt and revealed the superhero outfit underneath that announced his true identity. He was Superman, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Dads don’t wear a superhero’s outfit under their clothes, but don’t let that fool you. They have true heroic power. Their mere presence can have a dramatic influence in the lives of their children.
No one has children because it’s easy.
Quite the contrary, really. Raising children – especially nowadays – is hard work. That’s probably why parents want to know if they’re doing an acceptable job.
And if we’re being honest, we would admit we want to be doing more than just “OK.” Most of us want to measure up to some sort of perceived ideal. We want to be the perfect parent and have the perfect family.
So we read books by all the “right” experts, and we try to follow a formula, and yes … we might even listen to the Focus on the Family Daily Broadcast.
In anticipation of Mother’s Day weekend, I want to share a sweet video with you that celebrates moms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjWoRd4OMZw
You know, as Christians, we should all be living lives worth emulating, because our lives should reflect Jesus Christ.
But that reality – that others are watching us – is especially true for parents. Our children (yes, including the older ones) watch our every move and even tend to mimic our words and behaviors.
And that’s one reason why I thank the Lord for godly moms.
It’s never been easy to be a mom, but social media is pressuring them in unique ways. Women are inundated with radically different ideas about what it means to be a mom. The image of perfection is everywhere.
But that’s all it is: a picture.
There’s no picture-perfect mom, and that’s a good thing. There’s no such thing as the picture-perfect dad, either. We’re all falling short. God’s grace is what brings us through, not our perfection.
It’s a new series on Netflix that’s causing a lot of controversy – and if you have a teen in your life, you need to know why so many mental health professionals are concerned.
The series is called “13 Reasons Why,” and it tells the story of a 17-year-old girl, Hannah Baker, who commits suicide – and who blames others for what happened. The story unfolds through the cassette tapes Hannah posthumously leaves for the 13 people she blames for her decision to end her life.
Over the past couple of decades, more studies than you can count have been done to pinpoint the most crucial factors for raising emotionally strong, well-balanced kids. Almost all of them have arrived at the same conclusion: Eating together as a family is one of the most significant influences in fostering healthy child development.
A mountain of research indicates that the more families eat together the less likely a child will engage in drug use, suffer from depression, develop an eating disorder, or succumb to a host of other behavioral problems.
A lot of you know my story. My mom died when I was nine years old, and my dad wasn’t around, so I spent a year in foster care.
That time could have been a bright moment in an otherwise dismal period of my life, but things didn’t turn out so well for me. Instead of support and compassion, I mostly remember feeling lonely, afraid, and desperate.
My past is one of the reasons I’m so passionate about God’s call on believers to care for “orphans and widows” (James 1:27).
Ask a 20-something a few generations back what their religious affiliation was, and chances were the answer would fall within predictable lines: Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, or Jewish, for example.
Ask the same question of today’s young adults, otherwise known as “Millennials,” and you might hear something new.
“I’m spiritual,” they might say, or “I believe in a higher power, but I’m not religious.”
That’s because Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) are more comfortable than any other generation in identifying their religious affiliation as “none of the above.”
In fact, about 35 percent of adult Millennials are religiously unaffiliated, according to Pew Research Center.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
