There is much depravity, immoral technology, and evil-intent modernism seductively waved in the face of today’s adolescents. Parents need to exercise caution.
Catholic parents are called to help steer their preteens and teens away from the easy-to-enter, wide gate that leads to destruction (Mathew 7:13) toward which many of their peers are heading. This is not to say Catholic parents should be “helicopter parents.” But common sense dictates that parents need to be authoritative while not being authoritarians.
A recent national survey asked parents to rate their level of concern on the biggest problems their age 18 and younger children face. The top four concerns were:
- Overuse of screens/devices;
- Exposure to social media;
- Safety on the internet;
- Depression/suicide risk.
Moms and dads raising 10-to-18 year-old children a century ago did not have the worries that modern parents do. Your great-grandparents’ concern with raising kids came down to fundamentals like were they eating enough, learning, and handling their fair share of chores.
Authentic Catholic parents constantly hope that their children will have the ability to always act counter-culturally, to strongly resist peer pressure, and to never succumb to the seductive deceits of the world. Realistically speaking, this is nearly impossible in society these days.
The Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids born in the 21st Century are enticed by sinful and risky behaviors that are readily attainable in today’s culture. Whereas in the past, a high number of teens and even preteens would drink and smoke, modern youth are unique in that they do so much more. Notably, they use social media to engage in virtual bullying and they easily view pornography and violence on screens.
Both Parent-Led and Teen-Initiated Actions
Moms and dads need to counter their preteens’ and teens’ immoral exposure and sinful enticement by the secular society. The first action to take is to commit to the family participating in basic Christian-centric actions. Three fundamental commitments should be attending weekly Mass, praying daily prayers such as Grace before meals, and either enrolling in an authentic Catholic school or homeschooling.
While these acts above are critical, they also are all parent-led. It is vital that youngsters and young adults develop the intrinsic motivation necessary to engage independently in healthy and pious actions. Before parents know it, their adolescent kids will be young adults moving out of the house. Therefore, youngsters learning how to positively and spiritually grow on their own volition needs to be the parents’ goal.
Presented as ideas to consider and not “required chores,” following are some simple, daily routines Christian parents can suggest to their preteens and teens. Choosing themselves to partake in these routines could provide the reinforcement and boost modern kids need to fight off the world’s temptations and be able to resist peer pressure.
There are four practices that parents can present to their 10-to-18 year-olds as consideration to adopt as daily routines quick to complete – taking only 100 seconds a day. Also, they are easy to remember as they all begin with the letter “s.”
Start
Start the day with prayer. (Time needed: 30 seconds.)
A good suggestion is to pray a “Morning Offering.” The Morning Offering prayer is traditionally prayed first thing in the morning. However, it can be prayed anytime between just waking up to right before starting school or chores.
In its simplest form, the Morning Offering is a brief prayer that recognizes the presence of God. It recharges your soul as you get ready to take on the day, knowing the events ahead are in God’s hands.
Your child can memorize the traditional Morning Offering, which was written almost 200 years ago. Alternatively, it might be more understandable and relevant to utilize this helpful resource and choose from a variety of morning prayers.
Spend
Spend at least a minute each day reading Scripture. (Time needed: 60 seconds.)
Opening the Bible and reading it can seem boring and/or daunting to most kids. But if the task is to only read for one minute, and if there is an organized structure to what to read, it becomes an easily attainable routine.
A suggestion could be to read one psalm a day from the Book of Psalms. There are 150 psalms, so that plan would take almost half a year. The next 200 some days could consist of reading a half-a-chapter a day from each of the Gospels. Another tip is to make sure your child possesses his or her own Bible. And if it is sitting on the nightstand, it will be hard to forget this one-minute Scripture reading before going to bed each night.
Sacrifice
Sacrifice in one small way each day by forgoing something or offering up some discomfort or setback. (Time needed: 0 seconds.)
Sacrificing helps to release us from our attachments to worldly things. Giving up something or doing something that is uncomfortable reminds us there are more important things in life than our creature comforts. It also prompts us to recall how Jesus made the uttermost sacrifice for us and remember that He counseled that everything in this world is passing.
Parents can encourage their teens and preteens to make their own list of small sacrifices. These should not be acts that are extremely difficult or uncomfortable, like fasting from food all day or sleeping on the hardwood floor. If the sacrifices are extreme, kids (and even adults) won’t keep up with them. Instead, start with these examples:
- Abstain from sugar/sweets for one day;
- Only drink water as your beverage throughout one day, including meals;
- Forgo all condiments on one day’s meals (no salt, butter, sugar, etc.);
- Deny oneself dessert after dinner one day;
- Fast one day from any screen-time, social media, and/or music.
Say
Say Grace before dinner. (Time needed: 10 seconds.)
Right before digging-in to eat, it is beneficial to outwardly give thanks to God not only for the food but for the little blessings that have occurred over the day. All it takes is to pray the simple “Bless Us, O Lord” grace. Praying grace unscripted is another option. Merely thank God for His blessings and add any intentions.
Praying grace before meals is a good way to remind ourselves that everything we have comes ultimately from God. Besides praying at dinner, parents can suggest – and model themselves – praying before breakfast and lunch, and even saying grace quietly yet publicly at a restaurant.
Conclusion
The probability is high that an adolescent will consider partaking independently in these four everyday practices if his or her parents do two things. First, mom and dad need to point out how it is not asking too much to spend just one minute and forty seconds in deference to their Almighty Father who created them.
Secondly, both parents need to have their own similar daily routines of independent, prayerful actions. When parents of preteens and teens sincerely model everyday practices of piety, they will more likely be successful at motivating their children to engage in faithful habits themselves unassisted.
