My wife and I are currently contractors for the United States Army in Germany. We are contracted to provide religious support for the military youth. When their parents are deployed we have a great opportunity to stand by these youth and help them through these trying times. We had almost fifty of these military youth at a summer camp that we hosted here in Germany. We taught them hip hop dance, drama, comedy and theater.
Something new happened in me as I worked with these youth, and as I began seeing the struggles that these teens face on a daily basis. Whether at home, in school, or hanging out with their peers, this one struggle shows it s face in many different ways. Teens struggle with finding acceptance. This acceptance must first be found in the home, but more importantly they want to know how the world views them. Now, the world doesn t matter, but to a teen wanting to look cool and grow into a fine adult, it does.
There are a lot of reasons as to why teens struggle. The one struggle that all teens face is to find acceptance in their peer group. Acceptance that says You re cool, you re one of us, come chill with us. That s all they want.
At this summer camp, I learned so much about these teen s struggles to find acceptance. That one struggle showed it s face in many forms. To find acceptance in peer groups today, there is sometimes some sort of initiation process. This process could be having sex, abusing illegal drugs or substances, or dressing and acting a certain way. Athletically, your teen might struggle because they just aren t good enough.
Where does your teen struggle? As you see, it can be anywhere, but the root reason is because they want to find acceptance. I m glad that you are here, because that means that you want to help your teen through their struggles.
So, how can you help you teen? As your teen seeks acceptance, which is a struggle in and of itself, how is that journey going? Are they doing things they wouldn t normally have done, but they really want to be accepted so they do them?
Your teen should feel accepted in their own home. It must start there. Does your teen like to do things that aren t socially or academically accepted in your home? That begs the question, if your teen cannot find acceptance in their home, where can they? There friends are going to be a lot meaner, for the most part.
You can help your teen s struggles simply by using your words. Use words of love, encouragement, acceptance, and simply words that build them up, that make them feel better about themselves.
I find myself in a constant struggle with taking the time to tell my son good things about him. Things that I ve noticed yet I don t say. As you are admiring your teen, do you see many things about them that you appreciate and love? Well tell them a couple of those things! It will definitely make their day!
Author Resource:-
Jordan Adams, CEO of ResourceToLife, is a youth pastor, teacher, husband and father. Having worked with struggling youth for years, he now provides cutting-edge resources for parenting troubled teens. http://www.resourcetolife.com/mom.html
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