We are continuing our way through the book "Youth Culture 101" by Walt Mueller. I recommend picking up a copy here.

Of course as soon as I would state that we are going to go a chapter a week, we run into a  LONG chapter. The information in this chapter is way too much to put into one post so from here on out, we'll cover as much as we can. If it's a chapter, that's great. If it's a single point, that's great too. We are also about to start a series on Wednesday nights about Busyness. I might take a couple of weeks to post some information for you guys as well. But I digress...back to "Youth Culture 101"

 Let's be honest. Things have changed since you were a teenager. Some of the circumstances are the same but the pressures of life have increased unbelievably. The stresses that teenagers face are similar to what I experienced ten years ago but have been multiplied exponentially.

Mueller tells the story of Sarah which he says is an "average teenager". Mueller asked students to fill out a survey asking them to rank the five greatest pressures that they face. Sarah listed the following: "Looks, grades, drinking, sex, popularity" in that order. That's not what concerns me (or Mueller for that matter) because to be honest, that is fairly average for teenagers. That part that is scary is that Sarah goes on and admits that she has developed eating disorders anorexia nervosa AND bulimea  as a result of the stress that these pressures put on her.

Sarah goes on to state that it's not just school and friends that cause stress in her life. It's also the pressures added by parents. She said that her mom compares their lives a lot but is never around because of work. I've seen this a lot in ministry. Students are overwhelmed with the expectations of their parents. It stresses the students out to the point that they either develop anxiety conditions or eating disorders. Stressed out students also turn to other means to escape the pressures of reality. These means include drinking and drugs.

You might think that I'm throwing this out there to scare you. Well you'd be right. The majority of the time that students struggle, parents don't have a clue. When parents think that their child is fine, they tend to ignore the warning signs that start to pop up. As a student pastor let me be frank with you. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER assume that this would not happen to your child. Every student is one bad decision from changing their lives forever. Parenting is a tough job (boy am I learning that!). Sometimes we get too busy to notice what is happening to our teens. We pull away from them as quickly as they pull away from us. This is very harmful for our kids. It's a tough road for our teens but it's not hopeless. Just as we can be stressed out by life there is a promise in scripture.

 Matthew 11:28-29

 ²⁸"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Next week we'll take a look at forces and trends that affect the lives of teenagers. Remember that raising teenagers is a marathon not a sprint. Leave a comment below!

 Jon