The Real Differences Between the Generations with Dr. Jean M. Twenge
There are currently six adult generations living and working together in the United States! Today Jay is joined by Dr. Jean M. Twenge, author of the brand new book Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents – and What They Mean for America’s Future. Dr. Twenge brings insights from analyzing over 38 million people from 21 different datasets to share how technology is the driving factor for the great differences between generations.
As we consider the radically different world our parents and grandparents grew up in, Dr. Twenge also gives advice to parents on how to best set their own children up to avoid the higher rates of depression, anxiety, and isolation so common in the youngest generation.
Jean Twenge has spent her entire academic career – 30 years – studying generational differences, and this book, Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents – and What They Mean for America’s Future (978-1-9821-8161-1, April 25, 2023), is her magnum opus. Its analysis is derived from 21 huge datasets that go back to the 1940s and are as recent as this year, spanning some 38 million people. Jean is the gold standard in decoding and unpacking massive data sets.
Resources mentioned:
Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future: https://amzn.to/3GZ4emV
https://twitter.com/jean_twenge
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Let's Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Creating a Fun Summer Theme For Your Family
At best you’ll get around 18 summers before your children are out of the house. Today Jay shares fun and creative ideas for how to make the most out of your summer by creating a summer theme. With a summer theme, you can focus on a particular area of discipleship in creative ways that will deepen your family’s faith while making sweet memories.
With the help of his new A.I. Assistant Chat GPT, here are some fun summer themes Jay talks about:
"Summer of Faith" – Focus on growing your family's spiritual life through daily devotions, prayer, Bible study, and attending church events or retreats.
"Summer of Service" – Engage in community service and mission projects, both locally and globally, to demonstrate Christ's love and compassion.
"Summer of Creation Care" – Emphasize environmental stewardship by participating in eco-friendly activities, learning about sustainable living, and caring for God's creation.
"Summer of Fellowship" – Strengthen bonds with other Christian families and friends through regular gatherings, potlucks, and group outings, while also welcoming new people into your community.
"Summer of Discipleship" – Mentor and guide your children in their faith journeys by exploring different aspects of Christian living, such as prayer, worship, and evangelism.
"Summer of Gratitude" – Encourage your family to recognize and give thanks for God's blessings, keeping gratitude journals or sharing daily blessings at dinner.
"Summer of Worship" – Attend different churches or Christian events, explore various worship styles, and incorporate family worship time into your daily routine.
"Summer of Christian Art" – Discover the beauty of Christian art, music, and literature, and encourage your children to express their faith creatively through various mediums.
"Summer of Pilgrimage" – Plan a family trip to visit historically significant Christian sites or meaningful places in your own faith journey.
“Summer of Rest” — Unplug! Do less!
“Summer of Generosity” — Become more like Jesus as you give more, share more, serve more, and learn patterns of habitual proportional stewardship.
Resources mentioned:
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Introducing Generation Alpha with Janine McNally
In this episode, Jay interviews Janine McNally, founder and director of Grace4Kidz, about the latest generation to hit the scene, Generation Alpha. Janine shares insights into the unique characteristics of this generation, how they differ from previous generations, and how parents can best understand and relate to them.
Janine describes Generation Alpha as the first truly global generation, born into a world that is connected by technology and social media. She notes that this generation is highly creative, adaptable, and entrepreneurial, with a strong desire to make a positive impact on the world.
Jay and Janine discuss the importance of building strong relationships with Generation Alpha children, and the role that parents, grandparents, and other family members can play in shaping their worldview and values. Janine emphasizes the importance of modeling healthy relationships, empathy, and service, and encourages parents to cultivate a sense of wonder and curiosity in their children.
Janine also shares insights from her upcoming book, "When You See Fireflies", which is designed to equip parents and leaders to minister effectively to Generation Alpha. She provides practical tips and strategies for engaging with this generation, including the importance of creating safe spaces for conversation and exploration, and empowering children to use their unique gifts and talents to make a positive impact on the world.
Janine's background as a teacher, writer, and non-profit founder gives her a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities of working with Generation Alpha, and her insights are sure to be valuable to parents, educators, and anyone who works with children.
Janine McNally is a writer, professor, and doctoral student, as well as the founder and director of Grace4Kidz, a non-profit that produces gospel-centered resources for children. She has recently completed her first book, "When You See Fireflies", which provides practical insights and strategies for ministering effectively to Generation Alpha.
Resources mentioned:
https://www.facebook.com/Grace4Kidz/
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Practical and Scriptural Tips for Discipling Your Kids with Rene Christensen
Jesus calls us to make disciples, and the first disciples we should seek to make are the members of our own household. Rene Christensen has over 24 years of obeying Jesus’ command with her seven children. Through the years she has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience of how to simplify and normalize discipleship practices that will grow our children’s love of God, love of others, and heart to obey Jesus.
Rene joins Jay to share scriptural and practical tips on discipling our children. As you listen, you will pick up on fun and easy practices you will want to make a part of your own household rhythm.
Jay and Rene discuss:
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The biblical command to disciple our households from Deuteronomy 6
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Instilling scripture in our children’s hearts through song.
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Establishing a daily quiet time for each child.
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Various ways to pray for your family, neighbors, and church.
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Practical acts of service to grow our children’s love for their hurting neighbors.
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Practices to point to Jesus’ command to love one another to resolve family disputes.
Rene Christensen is an author and speaker (formerly Budget Saving Mom) whose passion is to help Christians disciple others, have a biblical worldview, and become biblically literate. She and her husband Eric are the parents of 7 kids ages 4-24 years old. Her new book Training Them Wisely - Discipling Kids is available on amazon.com.
Resources mentioned:
Training Them Wisely with Rene Christensen: https://amzn.to/3lPK5Z8
Hide ‘Em In Your Heart Bible Memory Melodies: https://open.spotify.com/album/58kaa7tWGiebuNc1f4KjzR?si=S-ng1XWZSCCEqMoO-NjzhQ
Seeds Family Worship: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5kV2pC0biCYFh3y9HxgNkS?si=4wHGS2ZEQk-K_S6VNV7Edg
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Let's Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Communicating With Your Teen Involves More Than Just Talking
It can often feel like our teenagers hear the exact opposite message from what we intend. Teens are likewise frustrated that their parents don’t understand them. Jay shares insights that can help you bridge the gap with your teen and enhance true communication. We don’t want to just exchange words, we want to understand and be understood.
Our discussion includes:
The importance of seeking the Lord in prayer for wisdom and understanding.
How teens are hypocrisy radars and why this will shut down their ability to hear what you are saying.
Limiting inputs in their life that are increasing insecurities.
Learning to be consistent in affirming elements our teens can control.
The power of paper notes and text emojis.
An encouragement to give the Lord time to do his work in each of our lives.
Resources mentioned:
If you like this check out the first episode of my Communication And Conflict Series: Know Your Enemy
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Are Youth Sports and Extracurricular Activities Enslaving Your Family?
Youth sports have become a multibillion dollar business in the United States. In search of the tantalizing promise of a college scholarship, many parents sacrifice years and thousands of dollars to keep their child competitive on sports teams. Even the casual sporting family must make difficult decisions on how much they are willing to commit to sports or other extracurricular activities. In this episode Jay walks parents through a list of questions to help them determine the level of involvement their family is willing to invest in ever consuming culture.
Questions to ask when considering how involved your family should get in youth sports or other extracurricular activities:
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Why are we wanting to do this?
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Is this something the child wants or something the parent wants?
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If it’s something the child wants, does that mean its the best thing?
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What are the short term costs of getting involved in this activity?
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How much money does it cost to sign up?
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How much does it costs in equipment or other gear (including shoes)
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What are the expenses involved per event?
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Tickets to watch
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Travel costs - food, hotel, gas
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Am I going to require private training or tutoring?
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How many days and nights a week?
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What are the things we currently do during those night that we will no longer be able to do?
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Rest
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Homework
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Family time
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Date your spouse
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Church
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What are the long term costs of getting involved with this sport?
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Multiply the short term expenses by the number of seasons per year and years of potential play
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What kinds of sacrifices are you and your family going to have to make to stay committed at this level?
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Am I setting my child up for a high likelihood of injury due to repetitive motion in the same sport being played all year?
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What is the environment of the team and the people involved?
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How much family or spouse time are you missing?
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What am I communicating to myself, my family, my neighbors, my peers, my children’s peers, my church, and God through my interaction in this activity?
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Are we a sports family?
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Are we slaves to our children’s wants?
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What is sacred in our lives?
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Who do we serve?
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Am I playing a form of lottery with my child’s educational future?
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Is my excuse for investing in this activity so heavily that I think they can get a college scholarship?
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What if I calculated all of my anticipated costs for investing in this sport and put it into a 529 College Savings Plan?
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Jesus says “no one can serve two masters. you can either hate one and love the other or else be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
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If someone were to observe our family’s life. Not based on what we SAY but based on what we DO and how we LIVE, who would they conclude that we serve?
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When my child rearing years are done, and the time I had with my children in the home is just a story, what story do I want to tell?
Resources mentioned:
http://thesportdigest.com/2022/06/the-goal-of-youth-sports-is-changing/
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Substance Abuse Warning Signs with Richard Capriola
Can you recognize the warning signs of substance abuse in your child? How do you broach the conversation if you suspect your child has gotten involved with alcohol, vaping, marijuana, or other substances? What can you do to help convince your child that pot is a big deal on a developing brain? My guest Richard Capriola joins me once again to discuss these topics as well as give updated statistics on substance abuse trends during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Richard Capriola has been a mental health and substance abuse counselor for over two decades. He recently retired from Menninger Clinic in Houston Texas where for over a decade he treated both teens and adults diagnosed with substance use disorders. He is the author of The Addicted Child: A Parent's Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse which can be found at http://www.helptheaddictedchild.com
Let's Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Resources mentioned:
http://www.helptheaddictedchild.com
https://www.facebook.com/richard.capriola\
https://www.twitter.com/CapriolaRichard
Episode 248 Understanding and Responding to Teen Substance Abuse with Richard Capriola
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Antidotes to Anxiety with Terra Mattson
What if you could lower some of the sources of anxiety in your children’s lives and build a greater sense of stability and connection? My guest Terra Mattson rejoins me today for a conversation on the digital drivers of anxiety in our children, especially our young ladies. In this episode, you will learn about
- The science behind the wiring of male and female brains and how it contributes to higher female anxiety.
- The various ways our cell phones promise connection but instead bring isolation.
- What are the right questions to ask yourself before deciding to give your children a cellphone?
- How do you walk back cell phone privileges when you see they are causing harm?
- The role of joy in healthy brain development and the simple practices parents can initiate to grow the joy and connection in their home.
Let's Parent on Purpose is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org
Alongside her husband Jeff Mattson, Terra is co-founder and CEO of Living Wholehearted, LLC, a professional counseling and organizational development firm outside Portland, Oregon, and Courageous Girls, an online resource helping moms gather in intentional communities so they can walk with their daughters at every stage of her growing years in a world of confusing messages. As a licensed marriage and family therapist and executive coach, she has spent two decades counseling, coaching, and training leaders around trauma-informed theology and wholehearted leadership. She is co-host of the weekly Living Wholehearted Podcast and the Dear Mattsons YouTube series, bridging the gap between biblical, clinical and relational wisdom to help leaders (who are also parents) build healthy relationships in their home, work, and community. You can learn more at terramattson.com or follow @terramattson
Resources mentioned:
Episode 323 Closing the Integrity Gap in the Hope with Jeff and Terra Mattson
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