Teens

Book Review – Sir Ernest Shackleton’s South
[caption id="attachment_45864" align="aligncenter" width="610"] Photo Credit: Library of Congress[/caption] Before the space age dawned, the great frontiers for adventure and exploration were the polar regions. Sir Ernest Shackleton was part of two expeditions which set "Furthest South" records in 1902 and 1909, striving for the South Pole. After Captain Robert Scott's death on the way back…
iGen: Understanding the Next Generation
This post contains referral links. Thank you for using them! Jean Twenge, iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood* (*and What That Means for the Rest of Us) (New York: Atria Books, 2017) Review by Hal Young Cultural changes tend to be gradual, incremental things,…
Mythbuster: It’s Too Hard to Homeschool Tween and Teen Boys
"Could you talk about homeschooling boys? My son is driving me crazy! And you have six..." Back when we were on the board of our state homeschool organization, we heard that a lot from support group leaders. It's how we got started speaking and writing about boys and it's still something we hear all the time. "Once boys hit puberty,…
The Remarkable Potential of Teenagers
The oncologist looked at Hal skeptically. “Well,” he conceded, “if you feel up to it, you can travel. And you can speak from the platform. But you can’t stand around shaking hands afterward – your immune system is going to be completely shot.” The results had come back from the biopsy – he had advanced…
The Well-Read List
One of our sons has severe dyslexia and didn't read well until he was eleven. Once he got to high school, he realized he'd missed reading a lot of the books his brothers had read. He asked his adult brothers to make a list of the books they thought someone ought to read to be truly…
Transitioning to Spiritual Adulthood
This one is for the teens and twenties. It's hard to write, too. When you're young and healthy, you don't really think about dying. It just seems remote. But two days ago, our sons lost a friend they'd known for years from church and Christian activities. Wilson Brant was just 26 when a car accident…
Q. Should My New Driver Take On Our Big Van?
A friend recently asked, "My oldest is about to get his learner's permit. Should I let him drive our big van in the beginning or just stick to the car? Where should I let him drive? Should we stay away from freeways and things like that?" I have them drive whatever we're driving from the…
Five Things to Do When Your Child is Being Picked On
A friend was just heartbroken, "My preteen son was visibly upset after children's choir last night. When I probed, he said he didn't like his class any more and he wanted to quit. After probing even more, he said, fighting back tears, that when he went to sit down, the kids told him that he…
When You’re Worried Your Son is Going to Go Too Far
A mom asked, We did the hard press for courtship/dating with a purpose. And it worked - sorta. My son is head over heels for his girlfriend. Sex is coming. It just is. They still say they want to wait. They aren't rebelling by going to her apartment, but he's in a battle between his hormones/desires and…
What to Do When You Find Out Your Child’s Been Watching Porn
What should you do? Well, besides cry? It's devastating to realize that the child you've prayed for, taught the Scriptures to, and tried so hard to protect has been looking at degrading and dehumanizing filth. You're not alone. Nearly all boys are exposed to porn before they are eighteen and the vast majority of them,…