Jesus’s greatest commandment comes in Mark 12 where he teaches to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and then to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). As Christians, service is not optional, but an act of obedience. How then are children and students taught to develop a love of serving one another? Any preschool teacher can probably verify that sharing is not an innate human instinct. 

We are at a pivotal time in parenting communities where there is a notable shift between parents who didn’t grow up with a super computer in their hands and parents who did. Some current preschool parents in our society grew up with cell phones in their childhood, and parents (or soon to be parents) in their early 20’s grew up with a cell phone and posting pictures to document their lives. So there is a significant chasm of understanding between those parents who grew up with technology, and those parents that did not. The older generations remember being able to survive without technology at their fingertips, the younger ones never had that experience. So how can both groups of parents partner together with administrators and their own valuable life experiences to come up with real solutions to the technology challenges of today? 

In an hour-plus conversation full of wisdom, laughter, and anecdotes, New York Times best-selling author and clinical psychologist Dr. Wendy Mogel explained the premise of one of her most popular books, The Blessing of a B Minus. To put it plainly, today’s standards imply that the “B” in a B- stands for “bad,” but Dr. Mogel attests that’s simply untrue.

This winter, more than a hundred members of our MPCS community were honored to attend a presentation by Dr. Tim Elmore of Growing Leaders. As a pastor and author inspiring a new generation of leaders, Dr. Elmore spoke about parenting of millennials and the emerging generation Z. As expected, Dr. Elmore did not disappoint! For nearly two hours, the audience clung on to every word. Parents left the Kristi Lynn Theatre that night both excited and overwhelmed about what was presented. To recap, we will reflect on the points that most resonated with parents and educators.

Recently, our parents had the opportunity to view Kirk Cameron’s film, Connect, as part of our Parent.Ed series. The film is a documentary depicting the quandary Kirk and his wife found themselves in after purchasing cell phones for their six children. As many of us do, the couple felt pressured by their children to provide the devices. Quickly, they begun questioning their decision to grant their children’s requests. The film walks the viewer through the journey that Kirk travels to determine the best way to educate himself on the dangers of technology, specifically social media. He is also on a quest to discover the best way to monitor his children’s use of technology and assist them in finding a balance with their use of technology.

For children today, social media is not a passing phase — it is part of their daily lives. What can parents do to protect their children in the new social media culture? In order to help protect our kids, we need to remain current in an area that is constantly changing. Here are some resources that parents may find helpful in learning how to best keep teens and pre-teens safe while navigating the online world.