Parents are endowed by God Almighty, the creator, with mysterious powers to bless or curse their children for life. God made this clear right from the time he began to regulate the lifestyle of the Israelites, his chosen people, by means of the Ten Commandments. He said that children must obey their parents to live long on earth. Later in the era of Jesus Christ, who came as God in human form, his apostle Paul reiterated this instruction to children, referring to it as the first commandment with a promise attached to it for those who obey. Elsewhere when God talked about Abraham as his friend, he sort of, boasted that he was sure that "Abraham will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD would bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." Obviously parents have the power to invoke blessings or curses upon their children. The foremost way parents can ensure their children are blessed is ...

The task of parenting is, to say the least, arduous. But this is not obvious judging from the vast and overwhelming ignorance among parents about how to succeed in bringing up children to become responsible and useful to their families, communities, religious organisations, societies, nations, countries and the world community at large. This ignorance is prompted vastly by prideful presumption. There is this terrible presumption about the fact that children develop to become what God has destined them to be, notwithstanding the role of the parents in that regard. When closely examined, however, it is not very difficult to know that this presumption is prompted by the devil. God the creator made specific provisions for the parents to have tremendous influence on their offspring to the extent that the happiness of the children is tied to their loyalty to their parents as a rule. That is why he made that solemn demand that parents are responsible for proper upbringing of their children an...

Parents are to study the dynamics of adolescent development in readiness to understand and guide teenagers through the turbulent transition period of adolescence as described in another article in this blog site ejioforcnc.blogspot.com: What is Adolescence? Parents should be prepared to lend support to the teenager as he transits from childhood to adulthood without any trace of adding to their pressures through high-handedness or unrealistic expectations. Parents and teachers should face the fact of the teenager’s unpredictability, usually presenting as a most amazing paradox, and encourage them rather than condemn, be patient with them rather than being irritable. Parents must be consistent with this posture notwithstanding the teenager’s inconsistencies as explained. Parents should understand the challenges the rapid physical and mental development of the teenager pose for the teen. They must live with the awkwardness resulting from the difficult rapid growth of their bodies as w...

A teenager is a young person in the age range of thirteen to nineteen years. This is a young person full of excitement and wonder. The teenage person is just leaving the formative years of development and is eager to move to adulthood although not old enough to assume full adult responsibilities. The new found freedom from the continual oversight of parents and teachers brings about some feeling of exuberance. This period offers opportunities for fascinating school and other social activities including early relationships with the opposite sexes bringing along with it anxieties about important choices to make regarding marriage, career, profession, and what the future could hold. A teenager is often faced with the feeling of insecurity and nervousness stemming from immaturity to make those important decisions or carry out imminent adult responsibilities. Yes, a teenager is certainly in a wonderful and difficult period of years. A teenager is in a period of transition as we can see. Thi...

The interests of teenagers or adolescents are the things that occupy their minds most of the time. Understanding the interests of teenagers is very important as these were discovered through thorough observations and studies by researchers and other specialists in related fields of study of human behaviors.  An observation of teenagers both boys and girls of secondary school age reveals some of their interests. The boys appear to be fond of cars and girls while the girls appear to be fond of boys and clothes. Teenagers, however, have many more interests which remain basically the same over time. These interests do not only develop from cultures but mostly from the dynamic teenage organism that is struggling towards maturity, that is, adulthood. The reader can refer to these books: Narramore, Clyde M. (1946, 1978) Psychology of Counseling and Young Only Once intended for adolescents and those who counsel them, based on the major interests of young people. Teenagers’ interests incl...

“Your ideas are outdated. You are old-fashioned. We are in the digital age.”  These are all too common assertions of adolescents to older generations in our current societies. Of course, parents, teachers, counselors, guardians, pastors as well as youth leaders must come to terms with the fact that contemporary times have witnessed more dramatic changes than the old times. Both old and young people have encountered drastic sociological changes. The older generation must understand this condition in order to be able to meet the needs of the younger generation. There have been attempts to tutor husbands and wives on family life responsibilities even before marriages take place. Marriage counselors also wade into family crises to proffer solutions the best possible ways. But the parenting of teenagers, like that of children generally is often taken for grated by parents and adults alike. The best we have has been an older generation that wields self defense as a weapon that only aggra...

While transiting from childhood to adulthood, teenagers are confronted with a number of developmental tasks. In this maturing  or adjusting process, the teenager’s body develops while the attitudes and relationships adjust to meet the demands of adult life. Unless these “developmental tasks” are successfully met, the teenager is bound to remain immature in his behavior. Parents, teachers, guardians, pastors, counselors must recognize their roles in shaping the teenagers for responsible adulthood. They must learn and know when to repress, when to boost, when to sympathize, when to keep hands off, and when to tighten the rein of disciplinary measures. Let’s consider some of these developmental tasks faced by adolescents. • Adjustment to Physical Self The adolescent needs to accustom himself to the changes taking place in his body. This adjustment may be needed when he does not see himself developing into his ideal  for himself, or when he sees changes that he would like to mak...

Parenting is a very serious responsibility; call it a serious business. Proper parenting is godly parenting. God has a purpose and plan for the family. God is sovereign because the book of Genesis, the record of the beginnings, has it that "In the beginning God..." (Genesis 1:1). This goes to show that life is all about God. It is clear that apart from God there is nothing else. No God, no beginning; no God, no creation. It is as simple as that. This understanding speaks to the fact that God has sole ownership (patent) right over man and all creation. Hence God dictates, yes, decrees the way. In Genesis 18:17-19, we read the demand of God as he boasts about his friend Abraham. God was confident that Abraham would be a pace-setter in children's proper upbringing. God's purpose and plan for the family is that the name of God be transmitted from the existing generation to all future generations of each family. This was exactly what God knew that Abraham would achieve. Th...

Most parents are not even prepared at all to keep up with their teens, talk less stay ahead of them. Some, however, are only in a struggle to attempt catching up with their adolescents. This is uncalled for, but due to mostly willful ignorance, many-a-parent is not aware of the preparations necessary to not just keep up with their teens, but also to stay well ahead of them. There is dire need for this very important information for all caring parents. Parents can arm themselves with an understanding of the following information in order to stay out in front and offer their teenagers good leadership. These are as discussed elsewhere in full: o The dynamics of adolescent development. o Adolescent interests. o The Impact of Contemporary Life on adolescents. o The Developmental Tasks Faced by adolescents. What parents can do could be based on the foregoing knowledge. As one seeks to keep ahead of teenagers, the following suggestions may be especially helpful. 1.  Your Family Should Gro...