WEEK 1:
High schoolers change a lot—and frequently. Maybe your teen has discovered a few new interests. Maybe they’ve recently quit playing a sport or instrument they once loved. They’ve also probably made some new friends you’ve never met and ended a few friendships they’ve had since elementary school. Ask your teen what’s changed the most since last year.

REMEMBER THIS:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

DO THIS // MORNING TIME
This weekend, get up before your teen and prepare them a warm breakfast. This is totally doable because, well, teens love to sleep. Unless they have an early morning practice (insert yawn here), chances are you’re up before they are. Nothing gets a teen out of their room faster than the smell of bacon.

Yes, it really was a bad idea to give your six-year-old access to the finger paints while you did the laundry. Or to let your fourteen-year-old son stay overnight at his friend’s place without triple checking to make sure his parents were home.
And maybe it wasn’t all that wise when you had that fight heated conversation in the kitchen when the kids were watching cartoons.
We all have regrets.
But the flip side is also true.
We all have things we’ll never regret doing as a parent. And if you think about doing things you’ll never regret, you can actually do them more often.
Here are 5 things I think you’ll never regret as a parent:
1 – TAKING FAMILY VACATIONSIt can be so hard to find both time and money to get away, but it’s been one of the best things we’ve done as a family over the years.
While staycations can be decent, a vacation moves everyone out of their native environment. There’s no grass to cut, no clutter to clean up every three hours, no video games to play for hours and hours and hours, or friends who want you to come over (again). All of you move into new experiences and new environments together. 
Even if you don’t have a ton of money, borrow someone’s house for the weekend (we’ve done that), and change up the scenery.  Moments away will become some of your kids’ fondest memories—and yours.
2 – PUTTING EACH OTHER BEFORE THE KIDSYou’ve probably heard it as much as I have: One of the greatest gifts any parent can give a child is a healthy marriage.
It’s as important for your child to know you love each other as it is for your child to know you love them.
So take a date night. Hire and sitter or enlist the grandparents and go on a weekend away. Your friends will be envious (we haven’t been away together without the kids in seven years!!!), and you’ll have so much fun you’ll think you’re dating again.
Here’s something else I’ve discovered. Eventually the kids move out (really…no lies!), and all you have left is each other. It works way better when you’ve built up your relationship to the point where you actually still like each other. :) 
READ MORE ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG

TALK ABOUT THIS:
​WEEK 3:
Whether it was an illness, a personal failure, or a broken relationship, we’ve all faced situations that felt hopeless. But even in the darkest moments, God promises us hope. Talk to your student about a time you felt hopeless. Maybe you prayed for something to happen, and it didn’t. How did God encourage you? How did you maintain hope? Ask them what they’re feeling hopeless about right now.

REMEMBER THIS:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
 Philippians 4:6 NLT

THEIR TIME
What’s one thing you can take off your student’s plate right now? It could be as simple as making their bed for them a few times or buying them a planner and writing in important due dates, appointments, or practice/club times. Think of something—big or small—and make it happen without telling them until it’s done.

BED TIME
Use a dry-erase marker to write notes to your student that they can read before bed at night. That may mean using a bathroom or bedroom mirror. As cheesy as it may sound or feel, reminding them, “You’ve got this. Sleep well!” or, “Rest easy knowing I’m here for you!” will make them smile—even if they don’t share that smile with you.

I’m not going to pretend that this parenting thing is easy.
That if you do all the right things, everything works out great.
Because people don’t work that way.
Relationships don’t work that way.
If you combine A+B, you don’t always get C.
That’s the way algebra works, not parenting.
Sometimes parenting means walking through some smelly, ugly stuff.
Sometimes you lie awake in bed, pleading with God to protect, to change, to stir the heart of your kid.
Sometimes you grieve for the child you once knew.
Or the relationship you once shared.
Because as much as we talk about fighting for the heart, and about pursuing a relationship with your kid, sometimes that relationship is one-sided.
You’re going to give and get nothing in return.
You’re going to love and not receive love back.
You’re going to hurt.
For some, it last for a season. a result of hormones and uncertainty.
For others, it last years.
But you fight for.
Not with.
Not with your child.
READ MORE ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG

TALK ABOUT THIS // WEEK 2:

In our social-media-focused era, it’s never been easier to stress out and feel like you don’t measure up. One post, photo, or comment can make us—both students and adults—feel like our lives aren’t as good as others’ lives. Challenge yourself and your teen to take a week off from all social media apps. When it’s over, grab a meal together and talk about your experiences.

REMEMBER THIS:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
 Philippians 4:6 NLT

DO THIS // MEAL TIME
Choose a meal in the next few weeks to specifically encourage your student. Make something they like (or take them to their favorite restaurant) and ask your family to come to the table ready to share a few things they love or appreciate about your teenager. Have more than one kid? Spread the love by planning a breakfast or weekend lunch for them!

Because when you find yourself the villain in the story you have written
It’s plain to see
That sometimes the best intentions are in need of redemption
Would you agree?
– Death Cab for Cutie, “You Are a Tourist”
So Death Cab for Cutie is a band –just to be clear–one that’s on my playlist a lot these days. As that song played through my earbuds, it hit me that it describes how I sometimes feel about my parenting.
No new parent begins by saying “I hope I mess up my child’s life.” Who ever sets out to be the villain in the story? But at one point or another, we end up there, don’t we?
You leave for vacation but are yelling at the kids before you’re even out of town.
You’re at home most nights, but you’re far too tired to engage.
Your kids repeated patterns of behavior drive you crazy, and you end up resenting them.
Your date night to nurture your marriage starts with an argument and ends with a meltdown
You make empty threats to your kids that would make you wince if you heard other parents make them. But you are all out of tricks, so you threaten anyway.
And sometimes the temptation is to think that our failures should disqualify us as a parent. At least as a good parent. It must certainly disqualify us from being a “godly” parent.
But when you think that, you would be wrong.
What if that actually puts you in line with a great list of characters God used in significant ways?  What if that actually qualifies you?

READ MORE ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG