This parenting tip could help your teens step into purpose.

Aloha Friends,

Do you know how empowering purpose is when discipling young people?

At the recent Brave and Bold event, Nancy Vuu, a renowned fashion designer, shared her powerful revelation and parenting practice. She titled it the Garment of Grace: Weaving Stronger and More Impactful Bonds with your Teen. Her goal was to help parents shift from being a “Manager of rules” to an “Architect of Trust” by partnering with God and their child to reveal identity and purpose.

The first step is to see your child as the Kingdom heir that they are. As you have watched them grow, what are their skills, talents, dreams, and goals? As you prayed for them and sought the Lord for direction, who did He say they were to Him? What has He revealed to you about the child He entrusted you with? If you don’t have answers to these questions, it is never too late to ask.

When you have a glimpse of the purpose God has placed in your child, you can begin to affirm that purpose as a partner with God. I loved how Nancy had us pivot from focusing on past mistakes by asking questions like, “Why did you do that?” to focusing on future purpose and calling by asking, “What dream or passion is trying to come alive in you?” Or you might try asking, “How will your decision impact your dream/goal?”

Instead of telling your teens how to think, behave, or respond, you begin to develop trust by allowing them to reflect on their decisions and consequences, considering their purpose, dreams or goals. They begin to develop critical thinking skills, greater self-awareness, and resilience in a safe home environment. 

Nancy said, “Your influence is not found in controlling them, but in empowering their true, God-given self. Discipline is not punishment; it’s guidance and restoration.” You can listen to clips from Nancy's talk below.

Recently, a pastor I know said something that sums this up. He said, “remind each other of your position in the Kingdom of God”. When your identity in God’s Kingdom is consistently affirmed, validated, and spoken, it will produce fruit. We do a good job of pointing out mistakes and the things one should not do, but we can all grow in modeling, recognizing, and affirming God’s design and purpose.

This is our goal at Explicit Movement: to highlight and celebrate God’s amazing design for sex, sexuality, gender, and identity. After all, Proverbs 22:6 does not say to train a child in the ways they should NOT go, but to train them in the ways that they SHOULD go so that they will not depart from it when they get old.

We hope this has blessed you. Let us know by responding.

Sincerely,

Explicit Movement Staff