ParentU Podcast

Technology is a blessing - we’re more connected than we’ve ever been with more access to information than what should be reasonably possible. On the flip side, all that access opens us up ideas and images that we cannot unsee. Pornography use is rampant in our society. One study shows that 93% of teenage boys and 62% of teenage girls have already been exposed to internet pornography. Exposure to i...

Dealing with our own feelings is hard work. The degree of difficulty feels as if it ramps up exponentially when attempting to understand the feelings of your teenagers. Our feelings are God-given, to help us fully understand our need for Him and our place in His creation. When we begin to live out of authenticity, it allows us to demonstrate to our teenagers how to build significant relationships...

Prevention and education is the greatest way to combat substance abuse in teenagers, but when your child is already dealing with the consquences of parents often feel at a loss for where to turn. This is why the Shelby County Sheriff's Office created Compact, a task force created to prevent substance abuse amongst teenagers and assist families dealing with substance abuse to lead them back to subs...

Depression is a serious mental illness, and it's likely touched each of our lives in some manner. Parent's so often just want to fix it, but often we choose counterproductive means to try to do it. OMPC's own Emily Walker, a licensed counselor at Calvert and Associate's and OMPC's Shepherding Care Coordinator joins us on the podcast to discuss depression in teenagers - the warning signs, the trigg...

Establishing and keeping boundaries is difficult, especially when our teenagers are in need of more freedoms. Communicating clear expectations - rooted in the gospel can help parents discover new freedoms, as well. Rachel Gunn, of Seeds of Impact Ministry, stops by to discuss impact vs. impulse parenting and all things boundaries. ParentU is a ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmin...

Sara Litten, Director of Youth Ministry at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, joins us to discuss the pressures facing teenage girls, how constant access to these pressures can create a comparison problem, and things parents can do to encourage teenage girls to derive value for themselves from the right places. ParentU is a ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alaba...

Control: When faced with conflict within the family, do you seek to control before you try to understand and empathize? Recognizing the motivation behind your need to control those situations can help reveal the status of your own head and heart. Are we seeking control so that we don't look foolish in front of others, weak in front of our teenagers, or are we seeking to love them by demonstrating...

Are you a tiger, a helicopter, or a lawnmower? Mark leads us in a conversation on where our need to maintain control is often revealed by how we parent, how understanding our tendencies can help us parent better, and how the Lord is using all of it to draw us close to Him. The parent U podcast is a ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

High school graduation - it's an exciting time for students as they transition into adulthood. Are you, as a parent, ready to transition into a new role? How can you best prepare your child to face the pressures RUF Samford Campus Minister Ben Griffith stops by to share how college today is - and is not - different than two decades ago. The parent U podcast is a ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyteri...

We're all walking around with social media machines in our pockets, and we all have opinions on its merit. So what's the best way to manage it? Patrick Bush, Student Ministries Director at Faith Presbyterian Church, stops by to join Mark in a conversation on Social Media usage, establishing healthy boundaries, establishing healthy boundaries and how to view your own social media usage. ParentU is...

Choices. Our kids are facing choices every day that we may never know about. They will inevitably make a mistake, or face unintended consequences that could change the immediate or long-term trajectory of their lives. How will you respond? Steve Ward, founder of STEPS Ministries, join us to remind parents of the four biblical truths that every teenager needs to hear, and how proactive parenting ma...

Parenting teenagers is hard work, but it's also the privilege of a lifetime. In the hard moments, it's critical to remember that the Lord uses our circumstances as a means of sanctification. ParentU's own Mark Long guides parents through a conversation on trusting the Lord to guide and shepherd their own hearts and minds as He guides and Shepherds their teenagers. ParentU is a ministry of Oak Moun...

Sometimes for parents, getting information is like pulling teeth. It's hard to know what barriers we're putting up in our conversations with our kids or how to avoid them. Jenn Ervin, with Restore ministries stops by to give some insight on what those barriers are, how to recognize them, and when to establish healthy boundaries with our teenagers, all while helping us understand that often, it's t...

Seventy percent of Christians come to know Christ before they are 18. The teenage years present a critical window for people to know Jesus. In this epsiode, Director of Youth Ministry at OMPC, Braxton Baker, joins us to discuss the role of youth ministry, the importance of seeing the Gospel lived out, and how the family is the primary means of discipleship in students' lives. The ParentU Podcast i...

Porn is pursuing young men, creating isolation, shaping the way they view women, and causing addiction. Even more distressing, there is a definitive link between porn and human trafficking. This episode features Katherine Dix a missionary in the fight against human trafficking speaking with the men of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church. In her talk she provides important context, information and enc...

In a post-pandemic world, with all recorded information at our fingertips, and media and entertainment companies bombarding us with all the ways we are supposed to think, we're all stressed out. Now, imagine how your teenagers feel. Licensed Counselor Rebecca Welsh joins us to discuss the driving forces behind anxiety in teenagers, how sometimes parents actions can be counter-productive, and how o...

In a culture that values winning at all costs, how are families meant to balance the impact of sports on their teenagers? Cody Baxter, Athletics Director at Westminster School at Oak Mountain, joins us to provide some context on a hotly debated topic, and how our purpose for youth sports informs our heart towards Jesus. ParentU is a ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alaba...

Rearing vs Shepherding children - is there a difference? Does the way we instruct our children in the early years translate to the teenage years? In this episode, we take a look at the impact in the way we interact with our kids sends messages about our priorities. OMPC's Director of Children's Ministry Barbara Lindsey shares some lessons that she's learned over a decade of shepherding other peopl...

Relationships are about connection, and the healthiest connections reflect a feeling of being known. So why is it often so difficult to feel connected with our teenagers? Licensed Certified Counselor Heather Parker of Waterstone Counseling stops by to discuss how embracing curiosity about each other often reveals God's heart towards our teenagers ParentU is a ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyterian...

ParentU began simply as a Discipleship class with a vision for helping parents reframe the teenage years as a period of sanctification of their own hearts. The ParentU podcast is an extension of that vision to provide helpful context, practical tips, and encouragement to parents as they seek a deeper understanding of each other and grow together in the grace and love of Jesus. Pastor to Families o...

ParentU began simply as a Discipleship class with a vision for helping parents reframe the teenage years as a period of sanctification of their own hearts. The ParentU podcast is an extension of that vision to provide helpful context, practical tips, and encouragement to parents as they seek a deeper understanding of each other and grow together in the grace and love of Jesus. Pastor to Families o...

Seventy percent of Christians come to know Christ before they are 18. The teenage years present a critical window for people to know Jesus. In this epsiode, Director of Youth Ministry at OMPC, Braxton Baker, joins us to discuss the role of youth ministry, the importance of seeing the Gospel lived out, and how the family is the primary means of discipleship in students' lives. The ParentU Podcast i...