Teens + Parent Prayers

You remember it. Those precious years when your child bounced behind you, swiping their untidy hair from their eyes as they hung on your every word. You miss those days. 

Despite what your teenagers may say, those days have not disappeared. But instead of learning the correct way to say “bird” or how to load the dishwasher, your students are fashioning their identity from the words you speak over their lives. As a chaplain who hears the hopes and fears of your students, let me assure you that they love you for it, even if they don’t say so. 

Your students love you for the effort you put into teaching them about character. They are silently grateful for the moral guidelines you live by and appreciate the ethics in which you’ve fashioned your own life. Character is often forged during the tumultuous years between middle school and high school graduation. Your students may dismiss you to your face, but they’re taking your words and actions into their classrooms. 

So I’m here to cheer you on. Keep at it! Your effort is not in vain. Pray. Pray. Pray. Your children may never hear your prayers, but the Lord certainly does. I encourage you to tell your children you are praying for them. Don’t be afraid to ask them how you can pray. I assure you they are deeply grateful.

Let them see your relationship with the Lord. While your teenager may not appreciate your faith now, they will remember and mimic you in adulthood. Your intentionality now can produce some incredible results in the future.

Speaking truth into your child’s identity will go a long way. They may be living outside of that truth on many days, so it may be helpful to even remind yourselves of how God has created your children! So many are battling valuing themselves, and words of truth can be a lifeline. A parent’s voice can release an activation of powerful truth over their children. 

In the end, it’s your opinion that matters to them. Let your voice be heard!