Posts Tagged ‘teenagers’
How do we deal with a rebellious teenage daughter?
Question: Dear Mr. Hamilton, We wrote you a year ago with a query concerning the raising of our children. First and foremost, we would like to thank you, as our situation has substantially improved. We are, however, writing to follow up, if you would be so kind. We have gotten things under control with our…
Read MoreWhat One Teenager Can Do
by Dick Blackford The article below was written about 17-year-old Tim Wadlington. Tim died of cancer on Sept. 8, 1989, and I attended his funeral on the 12th at Eddysville, Kentucky. The church at Suwanne, where Tim worshipped, has a bulletin that is published solely by the teenagers, called The River of Life. I knew…
Read MoreDealing with Criticism
by Mike Grushon One of the persistent problems young people must overcome is criticism from adults. Paul exhorted Timothy to conduct himself in such a way that he would give no one a basis of truth for such criticism (I Timothy 4:12). Unfortunately, some choose to criticize the young even if they do not provide…
Read MorePlanning Your Life
by P.D. Wilmeth These seven teenage years are a great adventure in experiences, with all the risks and hazards of unknown paths. They are tremendously important years this is a journey that we make only once. There is no roundtrip ticket, most of us according to the calendar will be on this road for about…
Read MoreI Wish Someone Had Told Me
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/I-Wish-Someone-Had-Told-Me.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 5:7-14 I. I ran across an article by Chuck Lawless about “Ten Conversations I Wish Someone Had with Me as a Teenager.” A. Hindsight generally reveals that mistakes could have been avoided B. I constantly get told: “I wish someone had told me just how bad this could get” C. And…
Read MoreCan Teens Make an Impact?
by Ronald D. Kelly Have you ever wished you lived ages ago? Like in pioneering days? Or during the age of knights and ladies? Or even in Bible times? Most of us have. We’ve read books or seen movies about life long ago and experienced a little of what it must have been like. The Bible…
Read MoreHormones
by Joe Fitch “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Timothy 2:22) Paul reminds and warns young Timothy of the danger in youthful lusts. Not all youthful lusts are sexual, but surely sexual lusts are included — maybe top…
Read MoreYoung People’s Program
by Robert Turner In the small town of Sundridge, Ontario, Ca. 300 miles north of the U.S. — Canadian border, the young folk of a small congregation (45-50) put many of their U. S. counterparts to shame. They are High School and under: with the same love for and participation in sports, parties, etc., that…
Read MoreYou should make videos answering important questions for teen boys
Question: Hello, I wanted to email you because I have a few things to say. I’m looking at these other questions from young men my age and I’m wondering “OK, do we need to stop as a society and talk more about these things?” We need to openly discuss these important issues. Your site is…
Read MoreAdvice to Young Men
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Advice-to-Young-Men.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 2:6-8 I. In the Seattle Weekly, August 21, 2002, Philip Dawdy wrote an article titled “What Little Boys Are Made Of” A. The thrust of the article is that school systems are biased against the way boys generally behave. 85% of the students in the “emotionally and behaviorally disturbed”…
Read MoreNot Too Young
Author Unknown Recent research has revealed what teenagers truly desire from the adults in their lives. The Search Institute study found that teens want parents and other older influencers to do the following: Look at us. Spend time talking with us. Listen. Be dependable. Show appreciation for what we do. Relax. Show that you’re interested.…
Read MoreHow do I start being a good parent?
Question: Hello, I am a babe in Christ. I was just baptized last month. My life has changed very much since then, and I have no desire to go back to the way I was. I still have struggles, but I am trying to live a Christian life. A major problem that I have right…
Read MoreThe Effect of Family Instability
Source: Sydney Briggs, “Family Instability and Children’s Social Development,” Child Trends, 7 Aug 2019. “Family stability can promote positive social behavior in children and adolescents, while instability is associated with social maladjustment, including behaviors such as aggression toward peers, teachers, or parents.” “Adolescents whose mothers were married at birth had higher social competence and lower…
Read MoreYour class on Song of Solomon was one of the most awkward and painful classes I attended, and I really appreciate it years later
Question: Your work constantly impresses me. As a foster parent, I have discovered that there is a large group of brethren that dislike the nitty-gritty situations that come with helping people who are still of the world. It is sort of the “How can you eat with tax collectors and sinners” perspective. We have introduced…
Read MoreI found a wonderful resource for preteens and teens in your writings
Question: I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how appreciative I am to have access to your scripturally sound, open materials. As the mother of two boys and a current elementary principal in our public schools, I see the daily pressure and struggles of preteens and teens. I’m constantly on the…
Read MoreShould we allow our son to get an earring?
Question: Dear brother Jeffrey, I hope you are doing well, and that everything is going well in your work and in the local church. Brother, I wanted to ask about this personal matter. I have a 15-year-old son who is not a Christian. He is generally a good boy and obedient to us like his…
Read MoreWe suspect our daughter is stealing, but she hasn’t been caught. Any words of wisdom?
Question: Hi, I read the article about the family dealing with their two daughters stealing and we are in a similar situation, but the only thing is that, while we have gone through similar experiences, our daughter (14-years-old) has never been caught and denies that she has been stealing (we have been contacted by her school…
Read MoreTeenage Suicide: Its Causes and Its Cure
by Harold Fite Guardian of Truth – June 20, 1985 If the trend continues, 50,000 suicides will have occurred in this country by the end of 1985. Ten thousand of this number will be committed by young people between the ages of 15 and 34. Suicide is the second greatest killer among those between the ages…
Read MoreReaching the Youth
by Terry Partain Forty-five years ago I was hired to work with another preacher to especially reach out to the youth. I was too late. The youth and their parents had separate social lives. The practice of catering to groups according to their age has destroyed the bonds of affection and understanding as well as…
Read MoreMy friends are not content with the church. What can I do?
Question: I read your questions and answers often, and find real, godly, and biblical solace in them. I trust your judgment and wanted to ask you several things. My family has been attending churches of Christ since before we are born, and I could not see myself anywhere else. I’m a teen in the youth…
Read MoreHow do you handle inappropriate talk in a youth Bible study?
Question: I just graduated from high school and started hanging out with my sister’s friends who are the college-age people in our church. Most of them are on our youth staff. They meet together in what they call a Bible study, but we did not touch a Bible once. It seemed like the whole time…
Read MoreHow can I defend the faith as a Christian youth?
Question: Please assist me with this question: “How can I defend the faith as a Christian youth?” Thank you. Answer: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to…
Read MoreMy daughter has taken a dislike to my boyfriend and her grades are dropping. What can I do?
Question: I have two questions concerning my 14-year-old daughter: Question 1: She had her yearly adolescent check-up. She and the doctor talked alone for a few minutes, and then I was asked to come back into the room. The doctor talked about the stress of school and “other things.” She suggested my daughter see a…
Read MoreWhat would you say to a young teenager who “sometimes feels weak” because he lost his mother?
Question: Hello, By way of counseling, what would you say to a young teenager who “sometimes feels weak” because he lost his mum? Answer: Life is filled with difficulties. You can either let them overwhelm you or you can overcome them. God allows Satan to bring difficulties into our lives because people can rise to…
Read MoreAdolescent Alcohol Use
Source: David Murphey, et al., “Alcohol Use,” Adolescent Health Highlight, Child Trends, Publication 2012-34, November 2012. Though continuing a downward trend, alcohol use remains a problem among teenagers despite the fact that the minimum drinking age is 21 throughout the United States. 40% of high school seniors, 27% of high school sophomores, and 13% of eighth-grade…
Read MoreI recently caught my son masturbating. What advice can I give him?
Question: Hello, I recently caught my son masturbating. I wasn’t aware that he had begun to do something like that. I talked with him about it, and he does feel it’s wrong to do it. He feels he is doing it too much and has difficulty resisting it. He has also looked at pornographic material…
Read MoreWhy Teenagers Take Risks
Source: “Teens more likely to embrace unknown,” The Omaha World-Herald, 3 October 2012 An interesting study finds that teenagers are more likely to take risks when they don’t know what the odds are, but if they know the odds are poor will avoid dangerous situations. Adults will do the opposite. They will avoid situations where…
Read MoreDrunk Driving Down Among Teens
Source: “Drunken Driving Down,” Omaha World-Herald, 3 October 2012 It is nice to have some good news once in a while. “In 2011, 10 percent of high school students reported drinking and driving, compared with 22 percent in 1991.” More notable is that this change is attributed in part to enforcing the law. “The legal…
Read MoreDoctors Push for Teenage Girls to Use Birth Control Devices
Source: Lindsey Tanner, “Teenage Girls Should Get IUDs or Hormonal Implants for Birth Control, Says American College of OBGYNs,” CNSNews.com, 20 September 2012 Logic has not been the strong point among liberal policymakers for decades. It seems that whenever it is found that people are ignoring moral common sense, the outcry is for society to give…
Read MoreSexting Is Associated with Risky Sexual Behavior
Source: Eric Rice, et al, “Sexually Explicit Cell Phone Messaging Associated with Sexual Risk Among Adolescents,” Pediatrics, 17 September 2012. Source: Genevra Pittman, “”Sexting” again linked to risky sex among teens: study,” Reuters, 18 September 2012. Source: Genevra Pittman, “Teen sexting: Strong link to risky sexual behavior,” Christian Science Monitor, 17 September 2012. Basic common sense has been once more confirmed.…
Read MoreMy son recently underwent puberty but has suddenly stopped
Question: My son has recently undergone puberty but his growth has suddenly stopped. He has both facial and body acne, hair on his upper lip, and a consistent deep voice. He is of Asian descent. What stage do you think he is at, based on those few details? I’m too embarrassed to ask for more…
Read MoreYou Need Standards and Guidance to Reduce Risky Behavior
Source: “Research Finds Parallels Between Sexual Risk Avoidance Approach and Successful Public Health Campaigns to Prevent Teenage Drinking, Smoking, and Reckless Driving,” House Energy and Commerce Health Committee, 06 July 2012. Source: “A Better Approach to Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Sexual Risk Avoidance,” U.S. House of Representative Committee on Energy and Commerce, July 2012. The Energy and Commerce Health…
Read MoreOver a Quarter of All Teens Send Nude Photos of Themselves
Source: “28% of teens polled send nude photos of selves,” Bloomberg News, Omaha World-Herald, 2 July 2012. Source: “New Study Says Nearly 30 Percent of Teens Are Sexting,” Matthew Grant Anson, American News Report, 2 July 2012. “In a poll of nearly 1,000 students, 28 percent of teens – over one in four – admitted…
Read MoreYour Parents Can’t Make You Go to Heaven!
by Ted J. Clarke One of the greatest miseries of being a child is being made to do things that a child does not want to do. Eating vegetables, brushing teeth, taking a bath, cleaning one’s room, going to Aunt June’s, going to school, attending worship and Bible study — these all rate high on…
Read MoreCan someone there talk to my son?
Question: I am a single mom with a 14-year-old son who is starting to become curious about sex. I caught him masturbating, which was awkward for both of us, to say the least. I decided this was a perfect opportunity to have “the talk” with him, but he doesn’t want to talk with mom about…
Read MoreShould I let my son be in a play that contains a short waltz?
Question: Hello, I am a mom with a particular problem: my son wants to be a part of a play and in it, he would be waltzing for a few seconds. He is a 17-year-old with an aim to preach. He has been raised in the Scriptures all of his life, and we are so…
Read MoreI’m supposed to mentor a young man, but he just won’t talk. How do I make this work?
Question: I have a little friend through one of the mentoring programs that helps young men. The relationship has not been the most encouraging experience as I have tried to connect with him, but he seems to be shy and unwilling to spend time. I understand he has friends, but I can’t even get to…
Read MoreWhat Keeps a Man Sexually Pure?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I ran across several interesting studies the other day dealing with the factors that lead teenage boys to engage in sex prior to marriage. One study is titled “The Transition of Adolescent Males to First Sexual Intercourse: Anticipated or Delayed?” The reason for the title is that the surveyed youths were divided into…
Read MoreYour answers to guys’ questions about things related to sex helped me as well
Question: I recently came across your website when googling issues about sex. The page that opened went to one in which you addressed various questions asked by boys and men. In as much as the information was directed at them, it helped me, too. Being human, we suffer or encounter similar challenges. I could identify with…
Read MoreWhat Boys, Girls, and Their Parents Need To Know
by Wendi Capehart The following is adapted from an old post the good blogger at Wit-nit wrote. He wished to illustrate just how heady and disorienting a brew lust can be, how dangerous in the hands of the immature, but he is not a believer and he wrote an R-rated post. He allowed me to…
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