Today’s society is different from the one I was raised in. But, we can still teach our girls morals, values and God’s way.

With the amount of exposure that our girls have to Un-Godly ways ever increasing it is up to us to guide them in the right direction.

A great friend and Godly woman by the name of Alyssa Avant has developed a packet that will help with wonderful tips to encourage our girls to say, ‘No’. Alyssa Avant is a Christian author, blogger, podcaster, speaker and business owner who’s desire is to turn the hearts of girls toward God. It is evident from all her works that she is making a great impact on our youth.

To help in encouraging our girls to live up to God’s standards and feel good about the decisions they make in their lives, be sure to check out, ‘Seven Easy Tips: Encouraging Your Daughter to Say “No”

Be sure to click on the graphic above and learn more about the different ways we can teach our girls to make the correct decisions and help them to encourage their friends as well.

Thanks, Alyssa, for making a such a wonderful and valuable packet, that no mom should live without.

The Chronicles continue…

Wow!! That’s all I can say about the rebellious teens of today!!

Now I am not blind to the fact that we all were teens at one time and were rebellious as well, but it seems that today’s teens are out of control.

I attribute a lot of the changes to the media and today’s society and culture. When growing up, no one ever interfered with my parent’s skills of discipline. Or the many ways they would punish to teach us a lesson, or so, they would say. Children were more respectful of elders in general. Children were ’seen’ and not ‘heard’ during adult conversations. And the craziness in today’s school system was unheard of.

What is going on? It seems that we, as parents are not allowed to discipline our children today, in fear of damaging their ’self-esteem’. I believe that this is all crazy!! Don’t get me wrong, I am not for child-abuse or verbal abuse, but discipline is very important!

There are ways to discipline that don’t involved physical harm or psychological harm. I was raised by very strict parents, and although I didn’t like their ways of handling situations, their system worked. I went to school, excelled in my career, became engaged, married and had children, in that order..

I am not saying that those who decide to have children first and then schooling or no schooling are raised bad, no, no, but I am saying that we were not disrespectful and became adults that are aware of our responsibilities and handle them correctly, whatever they may be.

I have 2 teenagers and although I do not raise them like I was raised, I do instill many responsibilities upon them. RESPECT is very important in our household, and something that is important in their daily lives and will be forever. They know that the decisions they make are something that they will have to deal with and that mommy and daddy will not bail them out.

Another important ingredient in our household is our FAITH, and I have worked very diligently to instill that in them. It is difficult in this day in age, because not everyone attends church, so when I can bring my entire family to service every Sunday, that means something. My children know the importance and relevance of our Faith in our home and I appreciate that.

Every family is different, but what strikes me the most is the teens of today! With all the electronics and technology we have available today, it seems our teens are much lazier.

That is something I deal with on a daily basis. Peer pressure is even worse today, than it ever was! Thankfully, I home school my children, but peer pressure exists in extra curricular activities as well. Some peer pressure is positive but the majority is negative and very damaging.

Being a parent today is not easy and I would imagine that it wasn’t easy in our parent’s time either. Everything is relevant. The biggest difference I see today is the lack of RESPECT and responsibility placed on our children. Just recently, I read that children that are in their 30’s are moving back with their parents because they were not successful in the ‘real’ world! That is crazy!

It is up to us as parents to instill morals, and values in our children. It is not an easy task but one that is necessary. When my daughter is seen as a role model because she is still ‘pure’ at the age of 17, there is something wrong with society. It should be seen as normal!

But, unfortunately, that is another result of peer pressure and upbringing. My daughter is very proud of who she is, and although she is quite rebellious at times, I am very proud of her too. I can’t imagine growing up in today’s society and having the pressure from all angles and still be able to stand your ground.

I am also proud of my husband and I, for rearing her and guiding her in the right direction. It is not easy, by any means, but it is something that must be done. And I am not finished yet!! I will soon be dealing with her in college and the added influences and pressures that come with that experience.

But my job is far from over, I still have 3 younger children along with my teens that are experiencing everything in our household as well, and the fear of getting punished is one that keeps them in line. Wow!! Parenting is not an easy task, especially with rebellious teens.

Those parents that still have infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers, cherish those moments, because the road ahead is a challenging one. Although it is challenging, it is fun and I love all the experiences I have dealt with to date. Some were not any to be proud of, but the good out weigh the bad. And so far, I am surviving the rebellious teen years….

The Dr. Mommy Chronicles will continue…..