What Every Parent Needs to Know:

For the past month our Retreat has been reaching out to teens and we have uncovered something every parent needs to hear.

Teens have been sharing the big pressures they feel. The list includes pressure to excel in school, having friends, concerns about dating/sex, image, body image drugs… the list goes on. We have also been asking the teens to pinpoint what helps them get through the pressure. They have shared things like having self esteem, hanging out with friends that make good decisions, finding fun activities to fill their time, but the biggest solution we have seen written over and over is

“it would help if I could talk to my parents about this stuff”

Sometimes parents don’t know how to start the conversations, or worry that your kids aren’t paying attention anyway. Talk to your kids. They are listening! They are craving your leadership and counsel.

The Power of Music

I had the great opportunity last month to share a presentation along side singer and song writer Amy VanWagenen. I am continually amazed at the power music has to help convey messages words can not share alone. I just wanted to take a minute and thank Amy for writing such powerful music. You can rock out to her music and get more information at http://www.amyvanwagenen.com/ (my favorite song of hers is “Tiny Graces”)