Help me, don't leave me hanging!

There is a call in radio show that I have forced myself to listen to for a couple of weeks now. It is so frustrating. The show is designed for people 25 and younger who are dealing with life's issues. The person taking the calls is not a counselor, simply a youth worker/advocate. I totally understand that he is a parent and has worked with students for many years. What I don't understand, however, is how he is actually helping people.

Every time I have listened, I become more and more frustrated. These troubled people pour out their hearts and really get no closer to closure. For instance, last night a guy calls in and says that his parents smoke pot all the time. They have been busted before, but continue to smoke. The young man admitted that he had tried it himself, but did not like it and had not done it again. He said that he and his girlfriend were trying to "get right" and he didn't know what to do about his family. The host asked him what he meant by getting right. The young man didn't have a clear understanding of what it meant to "get right" with the Lord. I was expecting the host to reassure the guy that if he had asked for forgiveness that is all that he had to do. Besides that, his advice was that the boy has to move out. He must prove to his parents that he means business and leave. He then said, thanks for your call (hang up).

What??? Oh if life were that easy. The poor boy could have been 15 or 16 and have no where else to go. What if he has no job? How is he supposed to just leave? Offer him some help. Connect him with someone locally that can help him. Don't just cut the poor kid off with no resources! This is just one example of the frustrations that I face with this show. In my 9 years of youth work one thing that I have learned is that kids have to be given resources and often you have to hold their hand while taking advantage of the resources. They don't have a clue how to seek out help on their own. That is why they come to adults. They are told their whole lives to go to an adult they trust if they don't know how to handle something. That is exactly what these kids are doing and it isn't getting them any further than they were before.

My only hope is that there is more going on off air. I pray there is more going on!!! It makes me so angry each night when I listen to this. I want to call those kids back and offer them real help.

Boys, Boys, Boys

Dealing with teens is a major part of my life. Having been a teenage girl not so long ago, I am especially interested in helping girls through the drama that is teen life! 85% of the time you can be guaranteed that girl drama has to do with boys. And 85% of the time if those girls simply understood and embraced who Christ created them to be there wouldn't be a boy problem.

I often read books written for teens about these very things. I very strongly believe that I can not and will not offer advice or resources that I have not tested my self first. With that being said, I would strongly recommend a book that I am currently reading.

Last year I attended the Revolve Tour (excellent by the way. I highly recommend it!) and became familiar with Chad Eastham. He is a wonderful speaker and was a great choice. He is a young 20 something and is an attractive guy. Therefore, he immediately has the attention of all the girls in the audience. Thank goodness his message is right on target and rock solid. I was so impressed with him that I purchased a copy of his book with the hope of recommending it. Great decision!

The Truth about Guys is a WINNER! Eastham is not afraid to tell you like it is. He doesn't hold back and is very pointed. "When guys look at me, do they see me as a treasure or a target?" Who doesn't want to be a treasure!!! This is exactly what the first seven chapters of the book are about. He explains that girls are valuable and worthy just the way God made them. His message is the same as mine: No one can love you until you love yourself. No one will treasure you unless you treasure yourself. Make sure you are good with you before you try to find a guy that is good with you.

So far I am loving this book! I hope to finish it this week, so be on the look out for more....

Distractions

Tonight I left work and turned onto Fairview Rd. As usual, I got over into the far lane so that I could exit onto 385. In front of me there was a small Lexus SUV. I noticed something flashing, so I had to "investigate". At first I thought that it must be a navigation system, but as a paid closer attention I realized what I was seeing. The alphabet was flashing by.

It totally caught me off guard. I realized that I am driving on 385 and I am watching a kids video rather than paying attention to the road. This was a built in DVD system that was hanging from the roof of the car. I had never noticed how distrating (and therefore dangerous) these things are. If the screen is mounted on the seat back, the driver behind you can't really see it.

I made a mental note to my self that my child's safety is more important than their entertainment. However, I must say that I have never seen U,V,W, and X is such an entertaining way. Random!

Why I love children...

This Saturday I visited my wonderful hair stylist, Erin Brown. She did a great job on my hair and I am a little sad that I can't quite recreate it myself. (I did get a little coaching though.) Every time she does my hair, I get an endless stream of compliments. Since I don't wash my hair every day (I know you think that is gross, but trust me, it works best for me.) my hair still looked good on Sunday.

Sunday morning I got up and made my way to church. When I arrived I went to my classroom and prepared for my 2 and 3 year olds to arrive. I love my class and each week there is a new adventure! There is one little boy that holds a special place in my heart. He is absolutely beautiful. He is tall and athletic looking already! His hair is white blond and he has the sweetest face. Someone said he looks like a Ralph Lauren model and that is 100% true. Drew is also quite smart and sweet! When he came into class I sat down at a table with him and began to play. Drew looked up at me and said, "I like your new hair cut." A 3 year old!!! Sometimes my husband doesn't even notice my hair cuts. For this little fella to recognize that I got a hair cut and to say he liked it amazed me.

I did not get to see Drew's mom, but when I do, I can promise you that I will thank her for teaching her son to be so thoughtful! He is going to make some girl a great catch one day.