The teenage years can be a pretty intense season. There’s pressure to perform, pressure to fit in, pressure to look a certain way, pressure to know what comes next, and sometimes even pressure they put on themselves that we don’t fully see. And if we’re not careful we, as parents, can unintentionally add to that pressure by focusing more on outcomes than on the person our teenager is becoming. So, it’s worth slowing down and asking a tough question: What is all this pressure doing to my teenager? Are they learning to grow in healthy ways, or are they simply learning to keep up? As parents, we have an important opportunity to help our teenagers understand that healthy growth isn’t about becoming more impressive, it’s about becoming more of who God created them to be.

In this month’s Online Parenting Class, we encourage you to pay attention to what’s happening beneath the surface as your teenager navigates the pressures of the world around them. The teenage years come with plenty of expectations, comparisons, decisions, and pressure to figure out who they are and where they’re headed. As parents, we have an opportunity to help our teenagers develop a healthy view of growth, not one defined by performance, achievement, or keeping up with everyone else. We really want to help them become the person God created them to be. This video will give you some practical ideas for coming alongside your teenager, recognizing the pressures they’re carrying, and helping them grow in healthy ways.

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