Home Activities to Avoid Residential Care, Part 1

This week on License to Parent with Trace Embry…  Trace Embry and Rich Roszel discuss parenting our children in today’s culture and ways to avoid the need for residential care. Every year American families spend untold billions of dollars on residential care and special schools for their wayward children.  What is it that brings transformation in a troubled teen?  Trace and Rich give parents tools they can use at home to avoid sending their troubled teen to a residential care program like Shepherds Hill Academy.

Trace and Rich share the single most important answer to what is bringing life and fulfillment back into the life of trouble teens.  It is a knowledge of; and a healthy submitted and committed relationship with the God who created them…through Jesus Christ.  He is the author of life and we would do good to follow His directives.  Parents can get things turned around with their troubled teen by first learning God’s Word.

Stimulate your kids with a home environment that is a godly environment which you can begin by implementing these steps:

1. Unconditional Love – Show love regardless of the child’s actions.  Remember the positive and negative side of the meaning of love found in Hebrews 12 and 1 Corinthians 13.

2.  Take Your Faith Seriously – Kids hate hypocrisy.  They will respect you more when they see you commit to an authority greater than self.

3.  Authoritative Community – Consider your friends, neighbors and church as partners in accountability.  This helps kids get a consistent message and fosters security.

4.  Get Rid of Negative Cultural Influences – Be more discerning on what you allow your children see and hear.   Keep them busy with wholesome activities.

5.  Schooling and Friends – Be involved.  Help them to choose their friends, and teach them discernment in this area.  Consider homeschool.

6.  How You Let Your Kids Dress – Be alert and look at this through the lens of a biblical worldview.  How your child dresses may attract him to the wrong friends.

7.  Wisdom of Adults – Kids want someone to look up to.  As we acquire the wisdom of God, we begin living out a biblical worldview.  Kids will submit to our authority much easier when they see us submitting to God.

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