I think we can all agree that parenting is so difficult, but parenting in 2024 can be even more so. While some things never change, there seems to be much more pressure in different areas than when I was in school! My 13 year old (she’ll be 14 near the end of the month) daughter just started her freshman year of high school, and needless to say, it hasn’t been the easiest experience. Don’t get me wrong, her 7th and 8th grade years were pretty rough, and it seems to just have followed her into 9th. There’s not one right way to parent through 2024, and I am definitely not claiming to be an expert at all. I fail every day, but am so thankful that the Lord continues to bless me with a new day to try again, and to turn to Him! But here are some suggestions that I’ve learned throughout the time of parenting my kid through 2024.

1. Be a parent that they will tell anything to.

I cannot stress this one enough! I am so thankful that my daughter knows that every time she gets home from school, she can come up to me and say “I’ve got tea for you”! Do I care about all the “tea”? Nope! Do I care about who sat where at lunch or who was caught walking the hallway together? No, of course not! But do I love her? Yes! Will I listen to her because it’s important to her? Yes! She needs to know that I’ll be right there ready to listen to anything, even if it had nothing to do with her.

2. Talk them through everything.

What I mean with this one is to be there to talk every situation through with them. If they come home with some issue going on with them, or with someone they care about, then be there to help talk them through it. They need to know that you care, and that you’re not always going to get mad at every little thing. So be there to talk through situations with them, but also keeping your status as their parent and not friend. Especially if it’s something that they know is something you disagree with, they need you to help talk them through it, not lecture them or yell at them.

3. Sometimes it’s okay to just LISTEN!

You know how sometimes as wives we want to talk to our husbands about something going on, and their main focus is to figure out how to fix whatever issue we’re talking about? Then we just tell them, “I don’t want you to fix this, I just want you to listen”! That’s one thing I’ve noticed my daughter wanting more from me. There are times she doesn’t want me to give advice, my thoughts, my opinions. She just wants me to listen, and I need to respect that! We’re not being bad parents if we just stay silent and listen to them talk. We’re not being bad parents if we just let them learn on their own, because it could be a lesson that they need to learn. They just want us there because they know that they always have us to talk to. They want to know that we love them, and that even if they’re handling a situation in a way different than how we would, we will still be there to help them pick up the pieces, or celebrate with them if it all turned out okay! But just listening can be an encouragement to them.

4. Pray, pray, pray!!

This is by far the most important suggestion that I can give you! We truly cannot do the job of parenting well if we do not have the Lord. Honestly, if I didn’t have the Lord to turn to and ask “God, please help me with the words to say to her”, I don’t know what I would do!

“If any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” James 1:5

Asking the Lord for wisdom is one of the smartest things we can do. Like any situation in our lives, He’s waiting for us to just come running to Him! For parents, moms especially, it’s so easy to let our “mama bears” out. I know I’ve done that more than I’d like to admit. We get used to defending our children, then blaming it all on our “mama bear”. While yes, the Lord has put that desire to protect our children in us, we also need to turn to Him to tell us when we need to get involved or not.

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:16-17

Praying for our children is so important, especially the times when they really don’t want us to get involved! We need to pray and ask the Lord to put His wisdom on them, and to help guide them in the way He wants them to go. But then we also need to pray and ask the Lord to let our children open their hearts to His wisdom, and listen to what He is calling them to do in the situation.

Prayer is such a powerful tool, one that we tend to forget about pretty easily. We have this amazing, mighty God who loves our children more than we do! He wants us to be able to turn to Him for wisdom to help them, and also asking Him to give them the wisdom they need.

Parenting is hard, and honestly these 4 suggestions are just that–suggestions. But these are also suggestions that I have seen work with my oldest, and I pray that they will work for you as well! My friends, I know it’s hard, and I know it’s hard to see our kids struggling in school, and then bringing that struggle home. But I pray that the Lord’s arms will just wrap around your home, and that He will give you the wisdom to speak to your teen!

Until next time!