Advice on Rearing a Teenager

And on that day, your life will be complete.

by Rod D. Martin
December 19, 2011

An old friend wrote today on Facebook, saying: "In ten days, my son will officially become a teenager. Call me crazy, but I am optimistic that he will be a pleasant teenager and grow into a fine young man."

You can imagine some of the responses, of the "Good luck with that!" variety. But mine was as follows:

You are by no means crazy. All three of our teenagers honored their parents, loved the Lord, and behaved themselves with dignity and honor. They were certainly kids, but they were not the rebellious monsters society mythologizes, if not idolizes, not by any means.

Best advice I can give you?

1. Pray without ceasing, and remain constantly in God's Word.

2. Remember that children -- teenage or otherwise -- are persons, not objects or pets. They want to be heard, and if you genuinely listen to them in love and respect, explaining yourself clearly and kindly when you disagree (or need to teach), occasionally reminding them that you're doing certain things n…