go sledding and still get that work done.”
Father: “Okay, son. You know what you need to do.”(^) I noticed a few minutes later that Aaron was still at home. “Aren’t
you going sledding?” I inquired.
(^) “Yes, but I decided to do this work first.”
(^) That’s all there was to it. No yelling, no threats, no hurtful talk.
Why did he decide to stay? He thought that I had a valid point, so he
stayed to follow through on our talk. He was willing to be influenced
by me.
(^) I am convinced that there are few times when a parent must
demand that teens do or don’t do something. In the cases where every
day is made up of demanding and requiring, parents have not
practiced biblical principles. The son or daughter who is expected to
respond to demands and requirements is probably circumventing
them and doing what he or she desires anyhow.
Shepherding through Doubt
(^) There will be time of doubt and question in the life of any young
person raised in a Christian home. Part of internalization is becoming
self-conscious of faith. Every young person goes through some period
in which he examines the claims of Christian faith at “arm’s length.”
(^) Every teen must come to grips with whether he has believed for
himself or been swept along by the family. He will have times when
he questions the validity of Scripture. He will need to strengthen his
grip on the cardinal truths of the faith.
(^) Sometimes, parents are tempted to panic when their children have
questions. They respond with things like, “I can’t believe you are
doubting God,” or “You just have to believe it,” or “It is best not to
question those things.”
(^) Encourage your children not to run from their questions. Everyone
does not have to have every question, but everyone must find