When you are a parent with a teenager in crisis, it is common to ask where it all went wrong. Often, feelings of guilt and regret can paralyze you from taking action. Teens can sense these feelings of guilt and often use them as a weapon against you by blaming you for everything. A teen’s behavior can wear on everyone in the family and make it feel like there is no hope in those situations. Unfortunately, unchecked, that cycle continues and families can become desperate and look for hope in anything they can find. It is a situation that comes with a lot of added stress, anxiety, and heartache. So where do you start to find hope? Wheatfield Academy offers hope and we are able to start to provide the restoration families need. We have supported families through crisis and seen them be transformed through the process. Our program is a catalyst for that change and provides the tools needed to overcome and even grow as a family. The process is a lot of work for everyone involved, but part of our role is to encourage and support families every step of the way. In the program, we outline this process very clearly with a “roadmap” that allows families to assess where they are at in the process and to push themselves to expect more. We would love to talk with you about your teenager and how we can support you in your time of need. In the meantime, here are a few things to remember:

God is Bigger Than This Situation

Feeling like you can’t address your teen’s behavior because your parenting mistakes may be partially to blame is a lie you can’t afford to believe. Lay your guilt at the foot of the cross and then ask for His help to change you and change your family. God desires to restore you and bring you strength!

Commit to Finding Help

Commit to engaging in the process of finding help and lead your family someplace better. Yes, it is it going to be hard, but it is possible. When feelings of guilt and despair come back, you must fight them off and cling to God with everything you have. The good news is that God specializes in reconciling and restoring relationships and He is on your side. In addition, you don’t have to walk through this alone.

Recommended Books: There are many different parenting books out there and it can get confusing to know which ones would be best for your difficult situation. For families who are struggling with a defiant teenager, we have a few suggestions:

Meg Meeker – She is a pediatrician, author, and speaker, as well as a mom and grandma. She has written several books, most notably one on the relationships between fathers and daughters, and one about mother/son relationships.
John Townsend – He is a psychologist and a co-author of the popular “Boundaries” series, which includes a book called “Boundaries with Teens”.

Kevin Leman – He is a psychologist and author of many popular parenting books, including the famous “Have a New Teenager by Friday”.

Wheatfield Academy exists to restore & reignite hope for struggling teens and their families. Our goal is to not only provide hope but the chance for families to be something greater than just getting by day-to-day. We want to help families grow together, and to be a source of support, safety, and love to each other. For families that are willing to work on these things, we know it is possible.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:7-9)