Shepherding a Child’s Heart #10

I have come to the final installment of Tedd Tripp’s book Shepherding a Child’s Heart, chapters 18 and 19. Meredith and Karen in are in on this too.

Chapter 18, Teenagers: Training Objectives and 19, Teenagers: Training Procedures

In these last two chapters Mr. Tripp discusses the ages from about puberty to adulthood. He makes a natural and east slid into this age group. He doesn’t think that these years need to be feared. If we as parents have had integrity in the previous years of training our children then these next years should continue on smoothly into adulthood. He states that the best metaphor for the parent teen relationship is the relationship adults have with one another. There is a mutual respect for one another. One doesn’t just rush in and tell their friend how and what they should be doing. If there is genuine love it usually guides us to speak with respect and gentleness and lays it in the lap verses shoveling it down the throat. (However, I have not always been a good friend and have done a little shoveling towards my friends at times. Lessons come hard when you don’t pick these things up when you are young.)

I am just embarking into ‘life-with-a-teen.’ I am a little fearful. I know I haven’t done everything right. But I have been as honest with my kids as I know and I place my hope in the Lord that he will continue to guide and lead me (and husband too) during this next phase of life.