4 Parenting Myths in Today’s Culture

By Trace Embry
Is it possible that many teenagers become “at-risk” largely because parents have bought into certain cultural parenting myths that actually have no rational or biblical basis for which to exist?

post 24 e1347493240153 4 Parenting Myths in Todays Culture

Over the next two weeks I’m going to unpack several cultural myths that many parents tend to give in to.

Myth #1: Parents Have no Right to Snoop

Unless your teen is paying the mortgage and/or his name is on the deed, he should have no private space!

As a parent in today’s culture you have the responsibility to occasionally make sure your home is not a haven for harboring sinful and destructive items; even if that means snooping through your kids stuff.

Because Junior isn’t paying the mortgage, nothing should be off limits. Even if he has a job and is earning income, it is only because you have given him that privilege.

Even if he did pay for it, it is still attached to your walls, hanging in your closets, lying on your floor, sitting in your refrigerator, stored in your shed, or parked in your driveway.

Because of this you have a right to search it, seize it, remove it, destroy it, eat it, throw it away, or tow it away!

Basically this is called accountability. It’s a great way to find out, objectively and empirically, how Junior is really doing.

Myth #2: Dating is Just a Part of Growing Up

In general, dating wasn’t a good idea 40 years ago!

If you feel dating is an appropriate option for your responsible teenager, then I would at least demand a responsible third party to oversee the date. You, would be my first choice. I speak extensively on dating here

Yes, you will look like a stone cold right wing bible thumping fundamentalist nutcase right out of the stone age in the eyes of virtually all humanity—but, just like Noah. Sometimes truth and/or wisdom are on the side of the minority. Check your history.

Myth #3: Junior Can Come and Go as He Pleases

You know what your teen is? He’s a dependent! Even the government recognizes that. And junior is not just a dependant in terms of sustenance, he depends on his parents to help steer him in healthy directions.

Remember the frontal lobe? Sure, as your teen grows older and more responsible you need to give him a longer rope. My experience has been that a longer rope at too young an age has been the very thing that has too often contributed to juvenile delinquency.

When I say longer rope, I’m not speaking of giving a kid too much responsibility; I’m speaking of giving a kid too much liberty—liberty for which he is not ready.

All kids and teens are at risk today because of the toxic nature of this crazy sin saturated culture that we all live in today. One thing you can do is to give him more responsibility and less liberty. Then, because of the responsibility trained into him early on, he will be much more likely to do better with the liberty he is given later on.

Myth #4: Allowance is a Right

It should be a privilege at best—and only for the most responsible kids. You must create an environment that sets high standards.

However, certain simple chores should be required regardless of extracurricular activities. Taking out the garbage or washing the dishes or making their beds, just to name a few. These are just routine maintenance details that are naturally expected to be done without compensation.

We want to nurture responsible teens–not self entitled and self absorbed teens. Teens need to be needed. Teens who don’t feel needed begin to struggle with issues of self worth. This is the genesis of a troubled teen.

Next week I’ll have some more familiar parenting myths.

What are some common myths that you have ran into as a parent in today’s culture?

Understanding Why Teens Want Boundaries

By Trace Embry
Many people don’t believe that teens want boundaries or restrictions in their lives. I’m telling you they do!

post 51 e1368048300702 Understanding Why Teens Want Boundaries

People and most parents don’t believe this because they aren’t aware of, don’t understand, or don’t believe in the spiritual nature of an individual.

Continue Reading…

How Your Teen Can Defend the Faith


By Trace Embry

When it comes to helping Christian teens defend the faith in today’s culture one of the best things parents can do is to help them shape their Christian worldview by teaching them apologetics.

post 6 e1336083560897 How Your Teen Can Defend the Faith

Apologetics is simply being able to defend what one believes to be true. In today’s postmodern culture, Christian teens are being challenged to have credible answers for their faith. Continue Reading…

Why Shepherds Hill Academy is Needed

By Trace Embry
This blog is a small effort in my attempt to bring sound wisdom to parents to help in navigating their families through today’s culture.

post 39 e1359644369991 Why Shepherds Hill Academy is Needed

For this week’s post I felt it is necessary to take the time to share some insight into a ministry impacting today’s culture, Shepherd’s Hill Academy. Also, I’ll explain how you can hear the full story later on in the post. Continue Reading…

How To Teach Your Teen in 3 Steps

By Trace Embry If you are wondering how to teach your teen anything these days there are three steps you can take in presenting them with teachable moments. As an example, I’ll use a situation that occurred one evening while I was watching TV with my family. post 50 e1366314916220 How To Teach Your Teen in 3 Steps I was watching Fox News when I saw a video clip of Barbara Walters interviewing Oprah Winfrey. The actual interview happened to be playing on another station at the very same time; so, I flipped the station to use that interview as a teachable moment for my teenage daughter. Continue Reading…

America’s Take on Media

By Trace Embry
To do a child justice in the eyes of God today the parenting paradigm must radically change.

post 46 e1365531662541 Americas Take on Media

Christian parents need to start getting comfortable with the fact that they are going to have to look like stone-cold, right-wing Bible-thumping fundamentalist nut-cases in the eyes of their kids, their kids’ friends, their own friends, neighbors, relatives, school teachers, and half the church! Continue Reading…

1 Way Parents Are Exasperating Teens

By Trace Embry
Could the things that we allow our teens to engage in possibly be exasperating them?

post 161 e1342726819712 1 Way Parents Are Exasperating Teens

As parents, could we be provoking our teens to anger, without even knowing it?

Before I discuss the answers to these questions let me preface with this: We must understand that our child is a spirit/flesh being that is warring within himself, just like you and me. Continue Reading…

How Parents Can Change the Culture

By Trace Embry
In parenting five children of my own and working with families across America for nearly two decades, it has become noticeably clear to me that parents can change the culture.

post 14 How Parents Can Change the Culture

Continue Reading…

Finding a Balance to Common Sense in Your Home

By Trace Embry
Remember when you could justify your position to your children and support it by saying, “It’s just common sense?”

post 45 e1363840893460 Finding a Balance to Common Sense in Your Home

Continue Reading…

Unlocking the Secret to Proper Parenting

By Trace Embry
Proper parenting begins with how you perceive reality – how you view the world. This seems almost intangible in the minds of today’s parents.

post 6 e1336083560897 Unlocking the Secret to Proper Parenting

In this post I want to provide some help in unlocking the mysteries of scripture to shed some light on the secret to proper parenting.

Continue Reading…

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