MFP 306: What Teens/Tweens Really Need with Mark Hart

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

“It’s important that we remember to talk ‘to’ our kids, not ‘at’ them” - Mark Hart

Summary

Parents are rightly concerned today about the influence of the culture on their teens. As much as we would like to put our kids in a teflon bubble to shield them from the false fake culture of the world, it is just not possible! What do our kids need from us to prepare them for life? Join us in this podcast for a conversation with Mark Hart of Lifeteen - a speaker, author, and parent himself of teens and adult children. Mark gives us some great insights (and laughs!) on how to talk to your kids, what they are REALLY looking for, and what not to be afraid of. We were blessed in this conversation and we are thrilled to be able to share it with you!

Key Takeaways

• Keeping teens in a “teflon” bubble and trying to shield them from the world their whole lives doesn’t work. We need to teach them and get them ready.

• Kids need space to ask questions and have conversations with their parents without feeling judged. Pushing back is a natural part of maturation.

• Teens demand authenticity! They challenge us to be real and that is good for us and for the Church.

• Talk “to” your kids, not “at” them.

• Significant conversations with our teens allow our lives to re-echo across the generations. Take time for conversations.

• For parents, the 20 minutes you spend focused on your child and not on yourself is as spiritually beneficial as a Holy Hour!

• Parents should be less concerned with WHAT your child knows and more concerned about WHO is teaching them and where they are getting their information from

• God entrusted these souls to you for a season. They will not be living under your roof forever.

• See your child as a whole person. You need to spend time with them and really “see” them.

• A successful home has three altars: the dinner table to share life and food, the coffee table to gather with family and friends for ideas and fun, and the marriage bed that forms the foundation of the family.

• Parents often think of themselves as a hose that ideas and prayer comes through, but we need to be like a fountain - filled up so much in ourselves that we spill over onto our spouse, children, and everyone around us.

Couple Discussion Questions

• Do we take time to have significant conversations with our kids? How can we do this more?

• Looking at the maturity of our children, are we protecting them too much? Not enough?

• How are we doing in using the “three altars” of our home? Are all three of them places that are giving life to our family?

Links:

• Ascension press - Bible Heroes

• Register for the Family Board Meeting

• WWM On Demand course

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