St. Paul Lutheran Church 701 Washington Street THEPARENTLINK Grafton, WI 53024 August 2013 FOR PARENTS OF TEENS HELP KIDS INVEST TIME WISELY THE VIEW Adolescence offers many kids their first opportunity to manage their own Take a quick look at the lives of schedules. Unfortunately, with all the obligations they must juggle, “free today’s teenagers: time” can become a foreign concept. Teenagers’ waking hours are packed with school, homework, sports, clubs, work, and church activities. So much Only 8% of teenagers get the for the myth that the teen years are a time to just hang out! 9¼ hours of sleep that’s recom- mended for their age group. Time-management guru Stephen R. Covey said, “The key is in not spending (National Sleep Foundation) time, but in investing it.” Because the world’s priorities are often skewed, it’s up to parents to model healthy, godly ways to manage the gift of time. Today’s teenagers spend an av- erage of 7½ hours a day con- Alex and Brett Harris, twin brothers who wrote Do Hard Things suming media. In addition, kids (Multnomah), compare adolescence to a diving board. Both are supposed “to spend an average of one hour launch us, with purpose and precision, into our futures,” they write. “We will and 35 minutes every day send- either make a successful dive into adulthood or deliver something closer to a ing and receiving texts. (Kaiser belly flop—a failure to launch.” Family Foundation) Remind your teenagers that time-management is an important form of stew- 90% of preteens report feeling ardship, or the wise use of God’s resources. Instead of trying to “out-busy” stressed because they’re too one another, kids (and adults) can strive to use their time and talents produc- busy. (KidsHealth.org) tively and to make themselves available for fellowship with God and with one another. PONDER THIS TIPS >>> Psychology professor Robert 2. Next, have kids come up with 10 What would you list as your Emmons and his research team “strivings” that fit their day-to- top priorities? Are these evi- found that being busy isn’t a bad day goals. dent by how you spend your thing, in and of itself. Instead, time? problems arise when kids face 3. Have kids rate each of their “conflicting strivings.” When activi- strivings on a scale from 1 to 10, How would you rate your ties revolve like spokes around a from “least meaningful” to “most stewardship of God’s gift of time? What would you do hub, such as faith in Christ, teenag- meaningful.” ers are likely to thrive. Day-to-day with more hours in a day? 4. Then help kids identify and cut goals that center around faith allow out activities that don’t align with What time-management ad- young people to experience more vice would you most like their most important strivings. harmony, less stress, and even less your teenagers to follow, illness. Teenagers may not be consciously and why? aware of how their strivings conflict, To help your teenagers discover if yet they crave meaning and coher- their goals and activities are harmo- ence. Kids hate being conflicted, frag- nious and productive, lead them mented, and stressed. They want to through this exercise: know that the stuff packing their 1. Ask kids to consider what they schedule is worth doing—and worth typically try to accomplish on doing well. And they need help from most days. parents to figure that out. Make Kids’ Busyness Work Expert Insights for Parents of Teenagers By Dan Webster By surveying teenagers before commit their lives to God, once them if given a chance. After all, kids and after they attended a Christian their eyes were opened about crave meaning as well as coherence. camp, we made these discoveries what’s really important. And those who struggle the most are about their time management and also the most likely to make a commit- priorities, or “strivings”: When kids commit to a relation- ment to follow God. ship with God, it simplifies and Kids who’d already made a “untangles” their spaghetti-mess Even the most apathetic teenagers commitment to Christ had fewer of conflicting goals. A deeper are striving for something, and these conflicting strivings than those commitment to God doesn’t make strivings have big effects on kids’ who hadn’t. Christian teenagers life harder or more complex. The stress level, quality of life, and were more “single-minded,” fruit of the changes God makes is overall well-being. Notice what’s with daily goals that reinforced all good. These include unifying stressing a teenager and you’ll shed each other rather than worked day-to-day goals and diminishing light on her strivings. When you against each other. inner conflicts. give kids with conflicting strivings a unifying purpose in life, they’ll Teenagers who needed clarity Although teenagers make stupid thrive like never before. and meaning for their life decisions at times, they will (Group magazine) jumped at the chance to choose what’s best for RESOURCE BIBLE FOCUS In 10 Minute Moments: Renew (Simply Youth Ministry), James Be very careful, then, how you live—not as Grout and Ben Stewart offer 30 de- unwise but as wise, making the most of votions that help teenagers refocus every opportunity, because the days are on God. Kids will examine real-life evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but under- experiences of renewal and dis- stand what the Lord’s will is. cover how God offers renewal for Ephesians 5:15-17, NIV them, as well. MEDIA SPOTLIGHT MAINSTREAM MUSIC CHRISTIAN MUSIC MOVIES Movie: The Mortal Instru- ments: City of Bones Genre: Action, Fantasy Rating: PG-13 Synopsis: A young girl finds out she’s part angel and must help rid our world of demons. JAY-Z RELIENT K But to defeat them, she might have to join them. Background: This band, named Background: Rapper Shawn after a car, has been around for Our Take: This film, based on Carter, better known as Jay-Z, is 15 years and sold more than 2 a hit series of YA books, will one of the most influential hip-hop million records. Their pop-punk likely be popular with teens. It artists ever. He’s also a successful style and tongue-in-cheek humor messes with the truth of angels producer and entrepreneur, with a have kept them popular. Relient and demons, so prepare to de- reported net worth of $500 million. K has had crossover success, brief afterward. Jay-Z holds the record for the most touring with secular bands. Their #1 albums by a solo artist on the latest album has created contro- Billboard charts. He’s married to versy because many songs were Movie: Percy Jackson: Sea of R&B singer Beyonce, and they had co-written with secular artists Monsters their first child last year. Jay-Z is and include what some people brutally honest about his pre-music Genre: Adventure, Fantasy say are simplistic lyrics. life, and his songs contain plenty of Rating: PG cursing and course subject matter. Albums: Collapsible Lung Synopsis: Percy and his (2013), Five Score and Seven friends must brave the Ber- Years Ago (2007), Mmhmm Albums: Magna Carta…Holy muda Triangle-like Sea of (2004) Grail (2013), The Blueprint (2001), Monsters to find the Golden Reasonable Doubt (1996) Fleece and save the world. What Relient K Says: Guitarist What Jay-Z Says: “I’m not really Matt Hoopes says, “You’re not Our Take: The books and the type of person who can sit and promised that you won’t have to films posit that gods and demi- talk about how they feel. You deal with tragedy and pain and gods are real, so some discus- know, I’m bad at that and so is my loss…. But there’s that balance sion is probably in order. whole family. We were raised to of hope and trust and really, actu- hold a lot in, so for me making mu- ally having to put that into prac- sic is like therapy. It gives me a tice and really, actually having to chance to express my emotions and say, ‘I believe this,’ even through the things I have going on.” this storm.” Explore: He’s on music services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Explore: They’re on music ser- Last.fm. vices such as Spotify, Pandora, and Last.fm. VIDEO GAMES Lost Planet 3—Your character explores a harsh, wintry planet full of strange, deadly creatures who are desperately trying to survive. There are rumors this game might receive only a T rating, rather than an M. (Rating pending; Xbox 360, PS3, PC) Saints Row IV—This open-world game has you complete missions in a sandbox, just like the “Grand Theft Auto” series. But this series is, unbelievably, even more sex-filled and twisted than the “Grand Theft” series. (Rated M; Xbox 360, PS3, PC) .