As kids head into their older elementary, adolescent, and teen years, other people’s influence in their lives increases in importance. Because of this natural transition, it’s vital for us to assist our kids in connecting with quality mentors before they head into the next phase of life.

Encourage your teens to be active in your church and youth group and to be proactive in building relationships with the leaders. We all need people who are ahead of us in life and faith to support and encourage us along the way, and the sooner our kids learn and embrace this truth, the better off they will be.

One of the best places to encourage mentoring connections for kids is through children’s ministry. Volunteers who are called, equipped, encouraged, and trusted make great mentors. The most beneficial mentoring relationships are those that naturally grow over time out of regular interactions.

I believe there are some things we can do as parents to help our teens understand and feel the importance of connecting with mentors. If we can keep these principles in mind, we can better help our teens be surrounded by the influences they will need.

We live in a world broken by sin. We see evidence of it on the news and hear the stories of other people – war, natural disasters, sickness, assault, financial trouble, job loss. It happens around us, but at the same time, we want to believe that kind of brokenness stays “out there.” We can’t imagine that kind of devastation and destruction knocking down the door to our home and our family. Until the day it does.