Dear Parents and Guardians of our Parish's Middle and High School Teens,
Hello! This is the 16th issue of our Online Parent Ministry! I hope and pray that the OPM is useful for you! I encourage you to try one of the "Family Experiences!"
Each week, the OPM Emails include a theme, links to articles, conversation starters, videos, and much more to help you know more about your teen's world.
Check out the permanent feature of our Online Parent Ministry - the "Family Experiences." Click on the link below and then click on whatever grade your teen is in this school year. You will find a few downloads including a page called "the Development Guide" that details all the physical, spiritual, and social changes your teen will experience at that particular age. It's full of good information! The other pages will help you plan that year's "Family Experience."
This week, I am highlighting the "11th Grade Family Experience." We all come from families - there is so much history and so many stories! The Family Experience for your 11th grader is about helping your teen to know and appreciate your family! One of the activities is having your teen interview family members, asking the questions everyone wants to know, and presenting what they discovered at a family dinner. I think you will all enjoy it! Check it out!
Please reach out if you have any suggestions or if you found a great resource for parents and families that you think I should include in future OPM emails!
Peace,
This week's Online Parent Ministry email is all about the good and bad of social media! It is such a big part of most teens' lives. This week's resource is chock full of good info plus links to other great resources!
This week's OPM is here to help you translate!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Raising teenagers in today’s digital and navigating phones and technology can be a daunting task! It’s a non-stop struggle that unfortunately is not going away … ever. But I want to encourage you today to understand that it is essential that we figure out how to guide our teenagers when it comes to navigating technology, social media, and the influences they bring. Because here’s the thing … we are all being formed and molded by something. The things we see, the things we read, the things we hear are all pushing us in some direction, and we have to be able to discern how all these things that are influencing us are shaping us.
Hopefully, as adults, we have some level of maturity and understanding when it comes to what is coming into our brains. I’ll tell you though, our teenagers, do not have the maturity they need to discern what is good and what’s healthy for them. Their brains are not developed enough to handle it all, so we need to lead and guide them through this struggle instead of just giving them a device and hoping they figure it out.
We need to make sure that the force that is molding us the most is Jesus and not some device that we have in our hands. This week's OPM Resource was created to help you and your teen navigate life online! You can always download and print it to read it, but if you read it online there are many clickable links
Check out this story about social media that was on the TODAY Show about 2 months ago!
Here is the link to the study that the TODAY Show was talking about in the story.
Sunday Alive! is another resource that will help you and your family be more present and prepared to receive the message of the Mass! Read the readings before you come to Church, and take a look at the rest of the "Sunday Alive!" handout. It also contains the Saint of the Week, discussion questions for the family on the message of this Sunday's Gospel, and much more! Enjoy!
Here is another way to deepen your faith this Lent! One of my Team Members shared with me a great resource - it's great! I want to share it with you! It's called "OurDailyVerse.com" Every day you get a beautiful graphic of a verse from scripture that you can share with others on your social media. There is a beautifully written devotional and prayer as well! Sign up today and check it out! Please share it with your teen!
Please reach out if you ever have any questions, personal needs, or even suggestions for our Online Parent Ministry! I will send our usual weekly email on Thursday, Have a great week!
