Teens and Sleepovers

I think as  a mother of growing girls we need to be vigilant to help them apply Scripture to the struggles they face. Moving from a child to an adult takes a lot of time, and with that time come real problems, pain, confusion and uncertainty--for the 'transitioner' (ie teen) and the parent. I'm reading a terrific book called Age of Opportunity (by Tedd Tripp's brother and I can't recall his name and am pressed for time so am not looking it up) that my beloved friend sent me a few months ago. This friend has a rare gift of mailing me books as a surprise, and I LOVE it!! The book is a MUST read for a parent of a teen--don't delay, you'll wish you'd tapped in to the wisdom sooner rather than later. My friend is a few years ahead of me on the parenting path and I really appreciate her insight.

Applying Phil 4:8 to one's thoughts, especially teen girls', is critical--the parts about thinking on what is TRUE and REAL are particularly poignant. I won't share my children's issues on this blog, but here are some examples of where we as moms need to direct our kid's thinking--future events like marriage, infatuations with boys, obsessing over college or future work or one's body. It is not healthy for a young lady to feel empty or dissatisfied with her life, thinking a boy or being a size smaller will solve her problems. It is Christ alone that fills us, or should fill us, and we adults need to be on the alert for these cues to help our kids think rightly (according to Scripture).

This brings me to the topic of sleepovers as kids age. I've never been a huge sleepover fan--no surprise to any regular reader here I'm sure. There are a very limited number of years we'll even allow them and as girls enter the teen years, it is time to start putting on the brakes. Why is this? Well, any woman who has stayed up late in the wee hours with a bunch of other women should really understand this. The conversation downward spirals, people are tired and the emotional equilibrium tends to be 'off'. It is easy to say what shouldn't be said, easy to feel more upset about certain things in life than we ought. Is it really going to be helpful for teens, who are dealing with tons of changing emotions, to have closed conversations with each other under these circumstances? I don't think so. Our child could put undue burdens on another, or another could introduce struggles our child hasn't actually dealt with. As my kids age, I'm more convinced than ever about this.

Another verse that I highly recommend for sharing with our aging kids is 2 Cor 10:5. It's one I learned many years ago and was used of God to help me cast off bad habits in my thinking. We can open the door to wrong thinking and before we know it, there is a stronghold--something we think on excessively and which takes up space that should go to prayer, serving the Lord, learning, or a productive hobby.

"We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking EVERY thought captive, to the obedience of Christ."

Mom, please teach your daughter's to take every thought captive so that it adheres to Phil 4:8. What is true is what is happening now. What is real is not what is wished for or imagined. What is right is what is pleasing to one's parents and the Lord (for children). Pure  things are pure in God's sight...honest, just....we know what these mean. Don't let opportunities pass to reach your kid's heart!