Discussing the latest music, artists, celebrities, video games, social media influencers, apps and sporting events with teens can be challenging. There is a lot to learn and things are constantly changing. Discipleship in these areas takes creativity and courage.
Utilizing these six steps created by Axis will help you as a parent or grandparent better understand and translate today's culture and, ultimately, point teens to the truth of God's Word no matter the trend:
- Pray - Ask God to protect the hearts and minds of children and offer wisdom and discernment.
- Ask Questions - Rather than guessing what your teens watch, listen to or enjoy, ask them! Express genuine curiosity in your conversation and don’t offer any reaction or analysis. Your goal is simply to learn.
- Research - Now it’s time to learn about the things your child or grandchild enjoys! If they enjoy a certain musician, look up his or her music. If it’s a show or movie, read reviews, learn about the actors and consider watching to learn more. If it’s a celebrity or influencer, look up their social media pages. If we never read, download or listen to what Gen Zers enjoy, we are missing an opportunity to understand why they like it.
- Analyze - After listening or watching, what’s at the surface? What were your initial reactions? Then ask yourself what about this thing is good, bad, missing or confusing? Finally, what does scripture have to say about the underlying ideas and principles expressed?
- Discuss - It’s time to talk to your child or grandchild about what you learned! Focus on a conversational discussion, rather than a monologue. Offer questions, not answers, and allow them to think critically to come to a balanced conclusion. The goal is to train the conscience, not be the conscience. It’s often more powerful to guide them to the truth rather than spoon-feed it to them.
- Pray - Again, commit your child or grandchild’s heart to the Lord in prayer. Recognize that God is in control and has the power to align your teen's thoughts, will and emotions under His authority.
Humility, curiosity and kindness should be the posture when guiding discussion about culture. Coming off as arrogant or judgmental shuts down the opportunity for future conversation. Remember that you are on the same side and when our kids win, we win too