Hello Teens and Parents, this is the first ever Friday Five that will be written by yours truly (Jeremy)! This blog will highlight the top 5 things that you need to know in culture as it pertains to you or your teens. Its mean to be a short but very informative read, because let’s be honest… we may be stuck inside or only going to work when necessary, but we aren’t any less busy (it just looks a bit different). I must admit that I do not have this good a pulse on the world of teenagers (on my own at least) but thanks to our ECO partners Axis Youth… I end up having a great understanding of what’s going on in our teen’s lives. I’m just taking an email that I get once a week and giving you the top five things that I feel like you would want to know, and should know for that matter. Look for these every Friday, right here on our Blaze Website or find the link in the weekly email. Now that you know what’s ahead, lets dive in!

1. Pandemic Parenting- Do you feel like you have no idea what to do right now as a parent? Dealing with school-work, cooking, working from home, monitoring screen time (or all of their time), trying not to be overbearing, but trying to make sure they do not get into trouble or get sick right now. Well, you are not alone! That why Protect Young Eyes is putting on a 4-day event from 4-8pm with some practical tips and strategies on how to navigate this new reality. Visit village.me for more info.
2. Are Phone Really the Problem- It looks like the research is showing that they are not. Most of us think that our kids or teens in general these days are addicted to their phones. And while that might be true in some cases, it looks like they are just addicted to socializing… which is done easiest and best on their phones. What this tells us is that our in-person and face to face interaction need to be as meaningful as they have ever been once we come out of all this. Some teenagers are showing signs that they might just put down their phones, at least for a little while (hey, small steps!), once the virus blows over. We will just have to wait and see how it pans out.
3. New Parental Controls- The streaming service Netflix has introduced some new parental controls that lets you decide what your teens sees when they pull up the app. Because let’s face it, even some of the titles are enough to make a parent shutter. Do a quick search on CNBC and you will find a very helpful article on how to find and implement these controls inside the Netflix app.
4. Facing Their Real Fears- For quite some time now, Gen Z’s have been labeled the anxious generation. Mostly fueled by their excessive screen time and social isolation (as some see it). Now, Most of Gen Z’s nightmares are coming true, a global pandemic! But this global pandemic may be a good thing. Hopefully it will help show these anxious Gen Z teens that in comparison to their small everyday fears, they pale in comparison to a pandemic like Covid-19. Some researchers are saying they teens struggling with fears like economic insecurity or this viral illness are prepping teens to handle real life once they get older. Let’s make sure this happens by teaching them good ways to cope with issues going on in their lives that will not only help them now but will help them even more as they grow up to be independent adults.
5. A Time to Reset- Christianity Today says that people are turning back or digging deeper into Christianity during this time of quarantine. The “nones” are starting to wonder if Christianity is something worth checking into, because although no one seems to be swooping down to save us from this crazy virus, God sent Jesus to swoop down and save us from our sins. It sounds crazy but a lot of people are using this time to be introspective and really dig deep. You and your teen can do the same thing! Spend more time reading the bible, praying, and being quiet… because heavy spiritual questions are weighing down our hearts, Gen Z included.

This has been the first of (hopefully many) Friday Five’s. I hope this was helpful to you or that you at least took one thing away that you can use to help ease the stress of parenting in this difficult time. Until next time. -J