Hot Buttons Posts

  Should teenagers drink coffee? What about energy drinks and other forms of caffeine-like substances? Where should this stop? First, I’d love it if you answered this poll with your thoughts on the subject: QuestionsView Results The polls and quizzes on this site use Flash and will not work on mobile devices that do not accept the Flash player. We are sorry for the inconvenience and invite you to participate in polls by accessing via a computer. Now, we need to think about where all of this can lead.   In the Scenarios for Girls book, Making Waves, Kate struggled to balance the pressure she felt to excel at swimming in hopes of earning a college scholarship. She feared that her natural talent would only take her so far if she didn’t do something to enhance her energy. So, she began to drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, her friends introduced her to energy drinks which gave her even more zing. But there she was, at her championship meet w… [read more]

What do we say as parents when our teenagers flippantly talk about the kids at school with homosexual tendencies? Before you scoff at that question, let me assure you, it’s real. My daughter is in 8th grade and she can name at least three people who claim to be gay and many more who seem to be. It’s a subject we need to discuss with our kids, not ignore it and hope they don’t notice. To help with that, I’ll be posting several upcoming Hot Buttons posts as we address this issue. This is a tough one. Even while writing this post I’m cringing a bit. I know I’ll get a few angry messages in my inbox and a few notes from readers whose feelings are hurt. That is not my intention. Guess what. I LOVE YOU. I don’t define YOU by your sexuality and neither does Jesus. Now that we’ve put that aside, let’s talk Hot Buttons. This is a confusing topic for teenagers who are just beginning to come to terms with their own sexuality and who are ge… [read more]

In the upcoming Hot Buttons: Internet Edition, I quote the following statistic: Forty-two percent of Internet users aged 10 to 17 surveyed said they had seen online pornography in a recent 12-month span. Of those, 66 percent said they did not want to view the images and had not sought them out. I wonder just how many parents are actually talking about the possibility, or, as the statistics suggest, apparently, the probability, of their teens stumbling onto lewd sexual images even without a bit of intent. Clicking a link in an email Mistyping a website url A simple Google search on an unprotected computer Opening an image from a friend You know what? You can put all the blockades, security software, rules, and supervision in place, but unless you strictly forbid any internet access anywhere but in your presence, chance are pretty good it’s going to happen. Sadly. That’s why it’s so important that you prepare your kids. Talk about what’s out … [read more]

He is sooooooo cute! Have you heard that whispered into your teenage daughter’s cell phone lately? Is there a hot boy at school she’s just dying to go out with? Well, what if he asks her out? How prepared is she to maintain her moral ground and honor her commitments to purity and honesty even if HE ‘s the one putting on the pressure. I hope you’re having regular conversations with your teens about how to handle the pressure when it comes from someone important. It’s too easy to let poor choices creep in when the pressure comes from one of those influential people. Better to paved the way with enough self-confidence and self-awareness to prevent it. To help with that preparation, let’s take a look at a Hot Button scenario about something small like one of those “little white lies” that can’t harm anyone. I hope you’ll use this in your home to steer some great conversations with your kids. Now, in true HOT BUTTONS … [read more]

You remember what it was like to want to go tot he big concerts with all your friends, don’t you? I sure do! In fact, one of my first acts of major rebellion was to sneak out of my house to go see Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. I know…I was craaa-aaa-zy! Maybe you’d allow a MWS, Skillet, or Third Day concert, but would say no to some others. That’s great. Use your discernment to decide what’s right for your tweens and teens, and then stick to it. But… I hope you’re having regular conversations with your teens about how to handle the pressure to say one thing and do another. It’s easy to fall into the trap of lying to Mom and Dad and then doing whatever peer pressure and temptation dictates. It often takes advanced preparation to enable your kids to say no in those circumstances. To help with that preparation, let’s take a look at a Hot Button scenario you can use in your home. I hope you’ll use this to steer some gre… [read more]

IT. There was a time when we all knew perfectly well what IT meant. Now, it covers a gamut of experiences, many of which you might not even know have a name. It’s a scary time to be raising a teenager, and a very difficult time to raise a pure one. I hope you’re having regular conversations with your teens about how to handle the things she/he will and probably has faced. Temptations and peer pressure are very real and very difficult to combat without a lot of advanced preparation. To help with that preparation, I’m going to be doing a series of sexuality-focused Hot Buttons posts that will go live at least once per month and will get a bit more specific. I hope you’ll use them to steer some great conversations with your kids. Now, in true HOT BUTTONS fashion, tell your teen this story as though it’s really happening to him/her: You’re at a party and people are making out all over the place. It’s kind of uncomfortable, yet interes… [read more]