P.O.D.- Parent Open Discussion

***Please note the change of date.  P.O.D. Meeting will take place Saturday, March 15th at 10am instead of originally scheduled Friday, March 14th.***

I always find it interesting that youth pastors are expected to help parents raise their teenagers biblically, when in truth, most youth pastors either have no kids or toddlers.  I feel like I am not qualified to give you parenting advice, however I can offer biblical assistance for raising children.  But on the practical side of parenting teens, that is where I lack experience.

Which is why we are starting P.O.D.- Parent Open Discussions. 

What is P.O.D.?
P.O.D.’s are going to be a roundtable discussion of sorts, soley for parents of teens.  In a effort to help you handle the issues your teen is facing, we want to facilitate discussion with other parents who may have already dealt with the same issue, are currently dealing with the same issue, or may be at the point where they know they will face this issue. P.O.D. is designed to let parents of teens help, comfort, encourage, other parents of teens as we go along this journey together.
Why P.O.D.?
Because no parent has all the answers.  Let’s face it, there is not a class you take before you become parents, it’s kind of a learn on the job type of thing.  So who couldn’t use some assistance?  This is a practical way for parents to get help from other parents.  And who knows, youmay just help someone else in the process.  And I believe we call that biblical community.
How’s P.O.D. work?
As we gather, you will have a chance to write out topics, questions, issues, that you would like to discuss.  We will put the cards in a basket and select one at a time, discussing the issue drawn.  If you are not comfortable putting your name on the card with your question or issue, you can leave it anonymous.  Remember, we are just starting this so we may tweak the proces as we go along.

Our first P.O.D.- Parent Open Discussion will take place on Saturday, March 15th at 10am in foyer room 1 at SCC.  Please let Scott know if you are planning on attending.

Is your teenager lying to you?

Right now, answer that question.  You either answered yes, no or i’m not sure.  Let me ask you this question, Do you lie?  If the answer is yes, then what makes you so sure that your teen doesn’t lie?  We talk about little white lies, like telling the telemarketer on the phone that you are not the owner of the house, or teaching our kids to swallow their dissapointment and act like they like that gift from grandma(because it is the polite thing to do).

Let’s face it- Most Teens lie.  And it doesn’t start in the teenager years.  My 3 year old daughter lies.  I have proof.  But where do they learn to lie? 

I found this interesting article about why teens lie. It’s a good read- I suggest every parent read it.  Let me give you a few facts that they point out in the study that the article is written about:

- 98% of teens surveryed agreed that trust and honesty are essential to healthy personal relationships- with parents, friends, family, etc.  (That’s good news)
- Depending on their age, 96% to 98% of teens surveyed said that lying is morally wrong (That’s more good news- the message is being understood)
- Of the students surveyed, 98% of teens reported lying to their parents about one of the 36 topics covered- what they spend their allowances on, if chaperones will be at a party, who they are hanging out with, what movie they went to, alcohol or drug use, etc.
- On average, a teen was lying to their parents about 12 of the 36 topics discusse
- The survey discovered that being an honor student in school did not change the numbers significantly

Obviously we have an issue here.  The question is how do we address it?  I would love to hear suggestions from parents.  I have a few ideas, but I want to see what you as parents are thinking right now.  Let’s start a conversation…leave a comment