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Teen Angels
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Ah, the teenage years – a challenging time for kids and parents alike. I’m certainly looking forward to it. But new research shows that there may be some ways, though, to ease the angst – ways adults may have been overlooking. More and more studies are showing that kids between the ages of 13 and 18 are actually very interested in things spiritual, and nurturing that curiosity can make a difference in how they live their lives. |
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Today’s “millennial generation” is the largest generation in American history.
75 percent have a TV in their rooms; 35 percent also have computers, but their apparent interest in something beyond the reach of technology intrigues Dr. Christian Smith.
Christian Smith, sociologist, UNC, Chapel Hill: “Forty percent of teenagers go to religious services and about a third say religion is very important in their lives.”
Dr. Smith is studying the influence of spirituality on teens. He is at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Smith: “The more seriously religious 12th-graders are, the more positive outcomes they have in their lives – the less they argue with parents, the less they get into trouble at school, the less they’re drinking and taking drugs.”
Kristen Gwock, 14-year-old: “A lot of the people at my church, like, I can talk to and they’ll listen to what I have to say and they won’t make fun of me.”
All of this makes perfect sense to United Methodist family therapist Brenda Dew.
Dr. Brenda Dew, family therapist: “They are building up their moral conscience of what’s right and what’s wrong, and what will hurt them and what will not hurt them. And so, if I feel good about myself, I don’t have to take a drug for fun. I don’t have to go out and get drunk. I can stand up and make choices that are good choices for me.”
The sense of a safe haven, of shared values, seems to be key.
Dr. Smith: “It could be that adolescents that take a longer view of life are more religiously involved and that shapes different outcomes in their lives.”
This is not necessarily a blueprint for keeping teens on track, but some parents may find the study’s results encouraging as they face the challenges of the teen years.