Counselors Corner

Times are "a-changin"!

By:  Lisa Hosack, L.M.S.W.

Come gather round people, wherever you roam, and admit that the waters

around you have grown…for the times, they are a-changin. ~~Bob Dylan

Understanding and connecting with todays generation of adolescents has never been more exciting–yet never more challenging! The times "a-changin" scarcely begins to describe the vast and rapid changes in the cultural environment our current teenagers inhabit. Consider the following realities for todays teens:

Computers have always fit in their backpacks.

Photographs have always been processed in an hour or less.

Bert and Ernie are old enough to be their parents.

Water has always been available in bottles.

Frequently referred to as the Millennials, or Generation Y, todays adolescents represent a complex group of young people with a remarkable ability to bring forth Gods kingdom. But the challenge for adults is to better understand the culture in which adolescents are developing, the ways they are shaped by that culture, and the avenues by which we can authentically connect with them.

The following observations and descriptors have been used to describe this group of adolescents:

They are remarkably comfortable with and dependent upon technology. Parents of teens know the speed by which teens navigate computers, cell phones, and iPods and their frustration with our ignorance or slowness!

They are connected with their peers in a manner unprecedented in previous generations.  One author described life with friends as a teens "home base" and the rest of their life as venturing away from home base. While their communication with peers is frequent, there is also a marked decrease in face-to-face social interaction (i.e. more communication via phone, text messages, and social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook), perhaps indicating a different quality in their peer relationships.

They are globally and environmentally conscious. Todays adolescents are concerned about being good stewards of Gods creation and aware of issues that affect people around the world.

They respond well to structured schedules and lifestyles, likely due in part to the tendency of many of todays parents to "over-schedule" their childrens lives during early and middle childhood.

They experience stress and anxiety, especially surrounding academics, to a high degree. Even when parents are intentional about creating realistic external expectations for their teens, todays young people pressure themselves and experience significant internal tension.

It is important for all of us to better understand the adolescents in our lives so that we can connect authentically and understand compassionately the challenges they face. The following excellent resources will assist you in this exciting and ever a-changin journey!

·         Disconnected: Parenting Teens in a MySpace World (Chap Clark)

·         Parenting Teens with Love and Logic (Foster Cline & Jim Fay)

·         Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews and Christian Truth (Walt Mueller)

·         Growing Strong Daughters: Encouraging Girls to Become All Theyre Meant to Be (Lisa McMinn)

·         All Grown Up and No Place To Go:  Teenager in Crisis (David Elkind)