Real World Blog
Mom Doesn’t Want Kids to be Happy
Mommy blogger: “. . . several years I saw a story on a TV show about how the latest trend was for parents to give their daughters boob jobs for high school graduation. . . . When interviewing one of the moms, she said, ‘I just want my daughter to be happy.’ And as I tossed a throw pillow at the television, this really huge thought occurred to me: I don’t want my children to be happy.”
The Wisdom of Sleep
Our conventional wisdom says, “They’re young; they can take it.” But newish studies suggest that lack of sleep in teens can lead to moodiness, depression, underperforming in academics and athletics, and even more dire health concerns. But sleep is more than a health issue. It’s a wisdom issue.
Does Screen Time Make Teens Pull Away?
One 2004 study says yes, but a 2009 study of Web-using adults says we’re more engaged in the world than others. The real question is how is your student responding to their interface with the data stream.
Real World Parents, the Book
We’re really excited to announce that Mark Matlock’s latest book—which builds on and expands all the big ideas covered in the Real World Parents seminars—is now available for purchase and, you know, reading.
Olympic Purpose
I don’t know about you, but those P&G commercials really nailed me as a parent (even though I’m not a mom). Part of the reason they’re so effective is that they have everything to do with that idea of purpose—fulfilling our purpose as parents and giving our kids big goals to aspire to.
What’s Their Purpose?
What are some of the ways we can help our kids find God’s purposes for their lives? Mark Gregston offers one idea.
How to Talk to Kids about Sex and Marriage
Blogger Tim Challies recommends a series of six posts by Jay Younts at the Shepherd Press blog on the topic of Talking with Your Children about Marriage & Sex. Younts encourages parents to A) enter into that conversation and B) to be careful not to separate the mechanics of sex from its place in marriage as secular sex ed is likely to do.
Study: Abstinence Education Works
Study: “Only about a third of sixth- and seventh-graders who completed an abstinence-focused program started having sex within the next two years, researchers found. Nearly half of the students who attended other classes, including ones that combined information about abstinence and contraception, became sexually active.”
Teens Thrive with Limits
The USA Today story sites results from three studies, actually, in which it was found that teens did better when their parents set limits on their behavior. The studies include one on media consumption limits, one on bedtimes, and a third on teen driving rules.
Building on Strengths
Matt Perman: “One reason focusing on strengths results in the greatest growth is because it is motivating. People like to do what makes them feel strong (the definition of a strength — note, a strength is not merely what you are good at), and so they are intrinsically motivated to do it more.”
