Urgent Need: You have only 24 hours to be part of the Giving Tuesday movement to Help Deliver Hope and Joy! Will you be one of the 550 compassionate donors needed by the end of the day to reach families in crisis with biblical resources?
Urgent Need: You have only 24 hours to be part of the Giving Tuesday movement to save lives. Will you be 1 of the 550 life champions needed by the end of the day to help rescue mothers and babies from abortion?
Families urgently need your help. Hurry to see your gift go twice as far to help deliver hope and joy this Giving Tuesday!
Don’t wait to see your gift DOUBLED to SAVE LIVES and help deliver hope and joy this Giving Tuesday!
July 28, 2016
Learn what teens most value. It may surprise you!
What do kids really want — parents or a gift certificate? Many parents want to know. When T. Suzanne Eller, author of Real Issues, Real Teens: What Every Parent Needs to Know, asked teens to choose between a $200 gift certificate and a weekend with one or both parents, she received hundreds of fun, introspective and sometimes sad answers. In the end, nearly 98 percent of the teens chose the weekend with parents.
Teens who spent a great deal of time with family presented a mixture of responses, but almost 100 percent of teens whose parents were absent due to work, responsibilities or other reasons opted for the weekend.
“As a normal teenager, I would choose the gift certificate. But now that I think about it, the last time I spent a whole weekend with my parents was … NEVER, so I would like to spend the weekend with them.” —Diana C., age 16
Your presence and time are valuable to your teen. However, the reality is that families struggle with a myriad of demands. A culture of busyness has produced a nation of overworked, fatigued parents. Sometimes these demands cause parents to “check out” once they arrive home.
“I wish my dad would spend more quality time with me and not worry so much about work. I wish we would have more in-depth conversations without him watching TV while I’m talking.” —Michelle H., age 17
Define the significant things in your life, and rate them in order of importance. Then take inventory of the past month and the percentage of time spent on each. The actual time spent reveals true priorities. If you say that family time is a high priority, but it’s minimal or inconsistent, then perhaps this is an opportunity to restructure those priorities.
“I think it would be really fun to hang out, plus my mom is worth more to me than a $200 gift certificate any day.” —Adam D., age 18
You don’t have to do it all. You are not required to give your kids every material thing or every opportunity. Perhaps the best gift will be discovered as you slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures of togetherness, even when the rest of the world is still spinning wildly.
Read More About:
Have you been successful in making lasting changes as a parent? Try these small tips to make a big change in your family.
Family life can be crazy, comfortable, and yes, even complicated. I’m flooded with memories of my own life—and all of these words apply. My nuclear family during my growing-up years
As husbands, our call to adventure takes place the day we stand at the altar with our bride in front of friends and family.
