I am pleased to share two resources for parents of teenagers and children. The first resource started out as a booklet to assist parents in strengthening their relationship with their teens and has been converted into an app. The second resource is a website developed for foster care and adoptive families but has been proven to effective with parents of children in general. Here they are:
30 Days: Turning the Hearts of Teens and Parents toward each other. This app provides critical moments of relationship-building with parents and teens over a 30-day period. This tool was designed by Dr. Richard Ross, Senior Professor of Student Ministry at Southwestern Seminary, and Dr. Gus Reyes, former Director of the Christian Life Commission, Baptist General Convention of Texas. My wife and I came across this tool during the time when our sons were teens. The 30-Days resource helped us solidify the relationships with our sons who are young adults today.
Each parent will have to commit to 30 consecutive days with their teen to complete the daily connection time. It is best to introduce this idea to teens when they turn 13 and before they reach their 20s. The app costs about $2.99 to download. You can find it in the app store under "30 Days: Parents & Teens."
HopeConnect is an online tool designed to interject daily portions of Holy Scripture into the everyday life and activities of busy families with children. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (GNB) says: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Never forget these commands that I am giving you today. Teach them to your children. Repeat them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working.” The teaching of Moses suggested the Word of God should be interwoven into the daily activities of life with your children.
HopeConnect provides easy-to-use tips and ideas for how to weave the Word into your lives as you raise your children. The work is already done for you. Just click and use it. The tool also has trauma-informed care principles built into these everyday resources.
The HopeConnect resource is an interagency collaboration developed by Joel Ceballo at 4Kids and is made on a complimentary basis. I encourage you to consider using this resource to introduce God’s Word into your everyday life as a family.
My hope is that these tools will bless you, your teens, and your children for generations to come.
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