by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

Deuteronomy 6:6,7 (NIV)
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Yes, I know all about teenagers-their bravado, their "I know it all" attitude. I know they often think their parents are stupid. But regardless of how they act, they still desire to have meaningful conversations with you.

If you doubt that, here's some evidence. A few years ago my church's youth pastors gave the youth group a two-question survey. Here's a sampling of their answers to question one: What subject do you wish you could have someone else ask your parents to discuss with you?

Petting

Marriage

Sex

Grades

Allowance

Dating

Marijuana

Drugs

Using the car

Curfew

God

Drinking

Guys

Friends

Making my own decisions

Their divorce

Dating relationships

Big responsibilities

Bathing suits

Peer pressure

Love

Beliefs of my own

Me

My faults

Boyfriend problems

Girls

Money

College

Overcoming failures in my Christian walk

And you're wondering what you can talk to your teenagers about? What an opportunity to help them learn how to make choices that honor God in the problems they face on a daily basis.

Prayer:

Ask God for His favor upon you, as parents, as you raise teens during these dangerous days.

Discuss: If you have a teenager, give him or her an assignment to answer this question: What are things you would like to talk about with us? Give him the above list and have him circle his top three.

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