Helping or Hurting? Setting Realistic Expectations for Your Teen

Mark Gregston joins Wayne Shepherd to discuss the dangers of teen substance abuse and how parents can respond. Mark emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries, seeking counseling and keeping teens engaged in healthy activities while also allowing natural consequences to take their course. Most of all, he reminds parents to continue showing love through the struggle, offering support when its needed most, even when its hardest to give.

For more guidance from Mark on raising your teen, check out Whats Happening to My Teen? at https://bit.ly/ptt-whats-happening.

Parenting Today's Teens 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 parentingtodayteens.org.

Today's devotional on 2 Peter 1:12 emphasizes that the foundation of parenting is listening and maintaining strong relationships with your children. Mark Gregston reminds us that life is short, and embracing its brevity helps us focus on what truly matters our impact on those closest to us. True legacy is not found in achievements or recognition, but in the love, influence, and wisdom passed down to children and grandchildren. Even when kids make poor choices or hold different beliefs, maintaining a relationship and unconditional love gives parents the chance to guide and shape their hearts.

Would you like to ask Mark's advice? Visit markgregston.com to ask him your parenting questions!

Parenting Today's Teens 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 parentingtodayteens.org. 

Every family faces seasons where connection feels out of reach, especially with teens wrestling for independence or struggling to find where they belong. In this episode, Mark sits down with a couple of Heartlight residents who open up about the challenges behind their conflicts at home. Sixteen-year-old Joey shares how his adoption and early family experiences left him questioning his place, often pushing others away even as he longed for connection. Both teens reflect on the importance of breaking down walls whether built by hurt or by habit to find healing with their families.

Need some more tools for your parenting toolkit? Check out our full range of parenting resources at our online store! Go to parentingtodaysteens.org/shop today.

Parenting Today's Teens 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 parentingtodayteens.org. 

Mark Gregston and Wayne Shepherd highlight the steep rise in teen depression and suicide, with more than a third of teens reporting persistent sadness. They note depression can be hard to spot and may show up as isolation, sudden changes in sleep/eating or school, risky behavior, substance use or self-harm. Parents should make steady, deeper conversations a priority, take any talk of dying seriously, and involve medical and counseling support when needed. Bottom line: Trust your gut, intervene early, and keep teens engaged in care with clear boundaries and compassionate support.

Mark's residential counseling ministry, Heartlight, is designed specifically to help struggling teens. To learn more and see if it's right for your teen and family, please visit heartlightministries.org

Parenting Today's Teens 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 parentingtodayteens.org. 

In this episode, Mark Gregston tackles complex questions that listeners have been asking about their teens. He offers practical wisdom rooted in empathy and real-world experience on everything from setting boundaries around teen dating and managing entitlement or technology use, to addressing self-harm, family conflicts and challenging ideological phases. Mark also discusses the importance of open communication, self-reflection and pursuing relationship over control, while exploring the emotions that often drive parenting responses. Whether youre a parent, grandparent or caregiver, this episode offers hope and actionable advice for building stronger, more connected relationships with the teens in your life.

Have a question for Mark? Submit it here: markgregston.com

Parenting Today's Teens 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 parentingtodayteens.org