It’s about that time! Your babies are growing up, and they’re growing out of the pink and blue wallpaper with bunnies and teddy bears on it. They’re climbing out of their cribs, and they’ve outgrown the tiny dresser that used to perfectly fit the tiny clothes they can no longer wear. Or maybe your pre-teens […]
Parenting
Do You Give in Order To Receive?
If you’re like me, you might have felt (more than) a little bit insulted at such a question — or at least you would have been if it were posed to you by someone you know personally. I would have felt the same way a year or two ago, but God used a seemingly small […]
Communicating with Your Teen: Those 4 Longed-For Words
Do you know what those four words are? They’re the ones every person longs to hear from a parent: “I’m proud of you.” Yet so many parents withhold them from their children’s aching ears. I’ve heard adults who have children and grandchildren of their own, along with impressive lists of other accomplishments, bemoan the fact […]
The Truth About Self-Esteem
It seems like anyone who exhibits symptoms of frustration, despair, or self-consciousness is labeled as having low self-esteem. They may be told to love themselves, or we may try to convince them of their worth. Especially during adolescence, when egocentrism naturally guides their behavior, teens need to be presented with their Creator’s view. As with […]
Teaching Kids To Give
Teens have more discretionary income than any other age group, and they spend most of it foolishly. I don’t know of any study that evaluates differences between young people in Christian homes versus secular ones, but I’d guess the spending of teen discretionary income in both types of homes to be about the same. Like […]
Coping with Teen Disorders: Escapism
Escapism comes in so many shapes and sizes and can range from fairly innocuous, occasional behaviors to obsessive behavior patterns or even addictions that interfere with everyday life. Chances are, we all engage in some form of escapism. When we know the types of escapism that can tend toward becoming addictive and the heart issues […]
Playing “Why?” or “What Next?”
In case you haven’t noticed, teens like to talk about themselves. Whether you chalk it up to egocentricity or full-blown narcissism, the positive side is that if you ask a teen to tell you about themselves, you’ll probably be rewarded with an open book. We can’t mistake teens’ self-centered tendencies for conscious metacognition, though: often, […]
Three Types of Parents That Make Teachers Cringe
Teachers are often forced to deal with different kids in their classrooms based on something other than fairness. And I’m not talking about favoritism, here. I’m talking about repercussions from parents. More significant than the issue of equality within the class is the damage some parental reactions can cause to their own teenagers. Before you […]
Is Your Parenting Style Putting Your Teen at Risk? (Part 2)
In Part 1, we looked at three parenting styles that can put your teen at risk: authoritarian parenting, overprotective parenting, and permissive parenting. When raising their children, most parents default to either their experience in how they were raised by their own parents, or they revolt against their upbringing and instead employ the polar opposite […]
Is Your Parenting Style Putting Your Teen at Risk? (Part 1)
Do you know the name for your parenting style? More importantly, do you know how it affects your teenager? Even if you’ve purposefully chosen how you interact with your child, you probably demonstrate traits of more than one of the three basic parenting styles described below. Regardless of your unique parenting style hybrid, purposefully altering […]
Becoming Your Teen’s Emotional Coach
When children are small, parents are often reminded to serve as an emotional coach to the child, helping him understand his emotions and how to best respond to those emotions. Sadly, when children do not perfect these skills in their younger years, they grow into teenagers who do not have adequate abilities to handle their […]
A Home Away From Home at New Creations
New Creations is a safe haven. It’s a home away from home for your children. We not only instill discipline within your children, but we also teach them how to have respect for others, themselves, and God. We want your children to recognize and understand that Jesus can be the answer to their life problems and […]
Five Rules for Fighting Fair
Sometimes, family conflict cannot be avoided. Disagreements and frustrations are normal parts of family life and almost all human relationships. Unlike interactions outside the home, family feuds often catch us at our worst and have the greatest potential for unfair fighting. If all family members can agree to fight by a pre-determined set of rules […]
Therapeutic Boarding School for Troubled Teens
New Creations Christian Boarding School began in 1969 as a talented choir comprised mainly of teenagers. In fact, Rich Mullins, a respected Christian music artist with songs such as “Our God is an Awesome God,” was part of the initial group of teens, but at the time, not all of the choir members seemed to […]
New Beginnings At New Creations
New Creations Chapel offers children of all ages four unique avenues to learn and grow in Christ. They begin from pre-elementary age with their childcare program all the way up to teenagers and young adults in the Boarding School. New Creations serves children from all over America with a goal of surrounding them with the […]