For Parents

Today's teenagers are bombarded with different messages from all sorts of different sources. They have friends, teachers, music, the internet, movies and TV, youth groups and parents all working towards influencing who they become and what they believe. Some sources are more intentional at this than others. Here at FUMCM, we believe that parents are, and always will be, the most influential example in the lives of students. As a youth ministry, part of what we do is to partner with you, the parent, to help you raise your child in a Godly way. One way we do this is through our youth activities that help provide a sound Bible base for your students to build their worldview on. But that's not all. Helping you, the parent, is another important part of any youth ministry. So this section is for you. This section will contain a series of articles and links on different topics relating to parenting. They aren't meant to tell you how to raise your student, but instead are provided to help you should you be dealing with a specific issue, or just want to think about different aspects of parenting.

If you have any suggestions on how to make this section better, please share them by emailing them to John at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or calling the church office.

What is CPYU.org?

The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding is a nonprofit organization committed to building strong families by serving to bridge the cultural-generational gap between parents and teenagers. At a time when an already confusing youth culture is changing quickly, CPYU helps parents, youth workers, educators, and others understand teenagers and their culture so that they will be better equipped to help children and teens navigate the challenging world of adolescence. Founded in 1990 by Walt Mueller, CPYU has developed an international reputation as a voice providing cutting-edge information, resources and analysis on today's youth culture.

To learn more about CPYU.org and what they do, click here to read more on the CPYU website.

Remembering Pong

by Walt Mueller
*This article originally appeared in Living With Teenagers magazine

It all started in 1972 with a groudbreaking game that sent a little white dot careening back and forth across a monochrome television screen. In the thirty years since the advent of Pong, the video-game revolution has swept the world. In the United States alone, annual sales for the total U.S. video game industry exceeded $9.4 billion in 2001, an increase of 20% over the previous year. The video game industry is growing so fast, that Bear Stearns forecasts that "the interactive video game industry (will) grow faster than any other media sector. . . . Growth in the game software market is likely to outpace that of the Internet (advertising), television, radio, motion pictures, music, and newspapers."

Getting and Staying In Touch

by Walt Mueller
*This article originally appeared in Living With Teenagers magazine.

It took the Fonz to show me how hopelessly out of touch my mother was with the real world. You remember Happy Days don’t you? Barely into puberty ourselves, my brother and I squirmed with embarrassment while watching Fonzie help Richie Cunningham hide his first hickey from his parents. Our mom was in the room with us. Our nervous adolescent snickers turned to hysteria, however, when my mom naively asked, “What’s the big deal? Isn’t a hickey just a pimple?”

Mirror, mirror

By Walt Mueller

Last summer, I spent some time reflecting on my reflection. I turned 50 at the end of July. Of course I spent time thinking about the lessons I’d learned and the blessings I’d received over the course of the first five decades of my life. The very fact that I was pondering how fast time flies, proves the fact that I’ve been aging. After all, I grew up hearing all the “old” people in my life say the same thing.

Perfect parenting? Dream on parents!

By Jerram Barrs

The basic context in which we bring children into the world and do all our work in caring for children is the covenant God who made all who love him and who seek to walk in his ways. He has promised to love not only us, but also our children (Genesis 22:15-18; Exodus 20:5-6; Acts 2:37-39). But, do these wonderful promises mean that our children will not go through difficulties and even times of turning away, rebellion and dissolute living? Consider the reality that we are not perfect ourselves—our own lives are damaged deeply by sin in every area. We do not pray as we should for our children. We do not live before them in full obedience to the Lord in everything we do. We do not teach them perfectly the glorious truth that we know touches every area of life. In addition, we do not bring perfect children into this world. They bear the stain of Adam and Eve’s sin etched right through them—though they also bear God’s glorious image. Our children also bear the inheritance of our particular brokenness.