We read the news and see the staggering statistics on the collapse of youth mental health, seeing that children growing up today have been called “The Anxious Generation.” It can leave us as parents feeling overwhelmed and not knowing what to do or how to help. Do we take away all the phones and throw them into the deepest parts of the ocean? Do we bubble-wrap our precious children and take away all anxiety-producing scenarios? As tempting as these solutions may sound, we can guess that these might not be the answers.

Let’s meet together on two Wednesday evenings (September 18 & 25), parent to parent, and talk about the epidemic of youth mental illness, the “great rewiring of childhood” and how it has affected our kids, and how we as parents can thoughtfully engage with our children and disciple them with wisdom and without fear or reactivity. My hope is that we leave our time together feeling empowered and encouraged.

Summers McMurray, PsyD, Director of Counseling Ministry, mama to 3 teenagers