How does your church help parents deal with rebellious children?

Here is how we deal with a few different scenarios:

  • We do some proactive teaching, offering seminars and courses on parenting. "Bringing up Boys" is one of our most popular options.

  • It takes only one or two rebellious children to overwhelm a class and discourage volunteer teachers. When a child exhibits unruly behavior, our Children or Youth Ministry staff members approach parents about what they're seeing. They ask if this behavior is also happening at school or home. The staff listens to, coaches, and prays with the parents. Often they find parents to be run-down, weary, and giving in to their children.

  • The staff and leaders make themselves available for meeting with the teen, the parents, or with both for a period of time. Follow-up is assessed through these meetings.

  • For problems that are deeply rooted, staff members refer the parents to a counseling professional.

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