This article deals with managing the conflict inherent in parent - teen relationships. Why managing this conflict constructively is important. And some tools that parents and teens can use to manage their conflicts constructively.

Teens and their parents have conflict. How this conflict is managed is critical. If these conflicts are not managed constructively, families divide. Behavior and relationships degrade. Criminal conduct may follow.The teen years are confusing for both the adolescent and the parent.

The troubled teen basically lacks one thing that only the church can provide-a positive, affirming relationship with a person who knows who he is and why he is here, a relationship with a Christian.

In examining all the treatment plans, corrective programs, and books about troubled people, you will find a common thread woven in the methodology-the need for healthy relationships. But these cannot be just any relationships. They must be those which serve

There are certain situations and circumstances that naturally promote more quarrels than others. In our house we know that suppertime is the most quarrel-prone time of our day. Also, any time the daily family routine is upset creates an environment that is quarrel-prone, even if this change in routine is positive (e.g., a vacation or holiday). A wise parent is aware of the pattern, can calm the tensions that inevitably arise, and make quarreling as tolerable and constructive as possible

Reprinted from 1984 Some information may be outdated.

The Christian school phenomenon is exploding across America today. According to the Association of Christian Schools International, there are approximately 25,000 Christian schools in the U.S.A., with a total population of 3.75 million students. Tim LaHaye has predicted that if present

When you're a fat kid, you nearly die of embarrassment on your first day of seventh-grade gym class, because there's always some thin kids who believe their mission in life is to provide a play-by-play commentary of your getting dressed and undressed.

When you're a fat kid, you try to get out of going to family reunions so you don't have to listen to relatives joke about how you've grown-out rather than up!

Mom, Jason punched or pushed me.... Jason always hits me."

This seemingly trivial problem can be extremely discouraging. Someone has said that kindergarten is the place where you teach hitters not to hit and non-hitters how to hit and indeed the kindergarten and first-grade teachers spend a lot of time discriminating between the endless reports of tattletales and

Note any of the following which you have experienced

Your family is visiting the home of another family for the first time. Your children and their children are playing quietly in another room. Suddenly the silence is broken by the screaming of the other family's little girl as she runs to her mother holding a doll that looks like it got its hair caught in a lawn mower. You immediately go on a "search and destroy" mission and to your embarrassment find your little boy holding a scissors in one hand and clumps of "Dolly's" hair in the other.

Most parents think about teaching their children manners after they have been thoroughly embarrassed by their kids in public. Manners certainly are not learned overnight. We need to teach our children how to behave mannerly so that it is a way of life, and good manners come naturally. When we get down to basics, manners are learning how to show respect and consideration for others.

People feel much more comfortable if they know how they are supposed to act. It is much better to begin with a child at age three than to

Knowing that child number two is on the way is often met with mixed emotions. While being excited about the new life you carry, you are equally concerned about how another person is going to fit into your home and family. It makes you tired just thinking about adding another baby to your already hectic daily schedule. The average age difference between siblings is one and a half to three years. That means your days are already spent keeping up with a very active toddler or preschooler. Where will you possibly find the strength to take care of

When our children were born, I recall being shocked at how much it cost for the laundry, diapers, bassinette, baby clothes, toys, and baby-sitters. We somehow developed the notion that expenses would lessen the older they got. How wrong we were!

When teens reach high school age, you can look forward to additional school fees and