Additional Resources for High School Families

Books:  Here is a suggested reading list for parents who want to know more about how to faithfully parent their young teen

Thinking about College?
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Sticky Faith:  Everyday Ideas to build lasting faith in your kids

This  book is a great place to start...IT is also the book we will be reading for S.A.L.T. in March!
Based on several years of research that Dr. Chap Clark did while "undercover" as a substitute teacher, this book provides research that is helpful and practical ideas for creating "faith that sticks" past high school.  

This book covers topics such as Relationships, Communication, and Identity.  
This book can be purchased through Amazon.  And don't miss our March S.A.L.T. conversation about this book!
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Are you thinking about college yet?  If your child is in high school you should already be considering the best options for higher education!  100 percent of the program staff at Hope Lutheran hold bachelors degrees from Lutheran Colleges from across this country.  
If you haven't considered the value of a Lutheran school, we encourage you to check out Lutherancolleges.org.  Here you will find information about the great variety of opportunities in Lutheran higher education.  You will also find scholarship information!   
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The Sticky Faith guide to your family:  over 100 practical and tested ideas to build lasting faith in kids.


This follow up to Sticky Faith provides over 100 ideas for making Faith stick at home.  It covers topics such as Community, Service, Communication, Vacation, Handling mistakes, Grandparents and much more!   Click here to purchase this book on Amazon

Holding your Faith Together.
Holding your Family Together:  5 Simple Steps to help bring your family closer to God and each other.

In this book, Dr. Rich Melheim provides a simple 5 step process for bringing your family closer together.  This "Faith 5" concept incorporates sharing highs and lows, reading the bible together, talking about the story, praying together and blessing each other.  

This routine could change the way your family interacts with each other and could help you grow closer to each other.  Give it a try for a month and see what happens!   For more information on the faith 5 movement check out Dr. Rich's website

Addiction Resources

Teenage Substance Abuse Prevention
This site, presented by The Addiction Center, provides lots of resources for families who are dealing with substance abuse.  It includes resources for parents and teens including an overview of substance abuse, ways to get help and ways to identify if your youth has a problem.

Drug Use in High School
This Website is devoted to providing you with resources if your teen is struggling with drug addiction.  It is also a great resource for information in drug prevention for teenagers.

Understanding the Opioid Epidemic
This is an article that gives a lot of great information about the opioid epidemic in America.  This guide offers an overview of how the opioid epidemic is impacting the U.S., along with information and resources for those seeking to understand the signs and effects of opioid use. This guide includes definitions, statistics, and resources about current research and legislation seeking to help prevent opioid abuse

Articles and Websites
Here are a list of additional articles, studies, and websites that you might find helpful. These sites are curated, not created by Hope Lutheran Church.

The Number 1 Reason Teens Keep the Faith as Young Adults
If you haven't read this article, start here.  This, along with many other studies is the basis for the creation of this website.  Without parental involvement in a child's faith life, you cannot expect your child to grow up to be a faithful adult!
Indicators of Thriving Youth:  
Search Institute has released a list of 15 indicators for a Thriving youth.  Click here to download the pdf (hosted by Faith Formation Learning Exhcange)

Family Strengths:  
This is a study provided by Search Institute (Account needed to access, but account is free).  This suggests that families aren't doing as poorly as some might think.  It looks at areas such as relationships, routines, expectations, adaptability and community.  Click here to access the study
 
Understanding Teenagers  Teenage Spirituality: Does it Matter?
This secular blog from Australia addresses the question of (generic) spirituality in teenagers.  It is an interesting read and gives an objective look at the value of spirituality in teenagers

General Parenting Help

These sites are not necessarily religious in nature, but provide lots of articles for successfully navigating middle school.

Parent Further  
Parent Further is sponsored by Search Institute, a leading researcher in children and youth development.  Here you will find anything from information about physical, emotional and spiritual development to help with specific issues such as drug use, health and wellness, and much more!  This is a great place to start if you need basic help or support with your teenager.

About.com Parenting  
This is a source for articles of all sorts, ranging from general parenting advice to activities to do as a family.

Thrive:  
Thrive is an organization local to Bozeman, MT with the mission of 
Giving every child an opportunity to succeed and grow to become a valuable member of our community and the world.  Thrive provides parent education, along with services such as academic support and CAP Mentors.  

Tips for Raising Teens  This article from Mayo Clinic provides helpful tips regarding raising teens in a healthy way.