SPIRIT – FLESH BOUNDARIES – Good parents know that teens need boundaries. But, what many parents don’t know is that teens actually want them! You’re probably thinking, “not my teen.” Well, to make sense of this, we first have to understand that, like St. Paul in Romans 7, adults and teens, alike, are constantly engaging in a spirit flesh war.
No, our flesh doesn’t want boundaries; but, our flesh isn’t the sum-total of who we are. Our spiritual side craves boundaries. Our teens are no different. And when appropriate boundaries aren’t given and enforced, it’s analogous to driving cross country with no traffic lights or speed limits—all security goes away. And when security goes away for a teen, so does his rational thinking in order to find it.