Episode 35: Helping Parents Prepare for the Teen Years (Kristen Hatton)

Parents are often fearful and overwhelmed as their kids approach the teen years. Yes, there are new challenges and struggles. But God is faithful and the gospel really is good news. How can youth workers understand and encourage parents of teenagers through these stressful years? 

• What's the central message of Parenting Ahead and tell us why you wrote it? 
• How can youth workers help parents keep the long-range in sight? 
• Youth leaders sometimes see tendencies in youth that seem to be rooted in either over-parenting or under-parenting… could you explain what you mean by those terms, and how might a youth leader be able to help a parent embrace a different approach? 
• It could be easy for a youth pastor who’s unmarried or who either doesn’t have kids or whose kids are still very young to think they don’t have much to offer parents. How can those youth leaders have a meaningful role in the lives of the parents of students in their ministry? 
• What’s one way that every youth worker can encourage and support parents? 

Kristen Hatton is a Christian counselor in Dallas, TX  and the author of multiple fantastic books for teenagers. Today, we’ll talk about her latest book, Parenting Ahead: Preparing Now for the Teen Years, and about how youth workers can be encouragers to the parents in their ministry. 

Instagram: RedemptiveParenting 

Website: kristenhatton.com 

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