Hal and Melanie Young are homeschooling parents of eight and the authors of several books, including Raising Real Men, My Beloved and My Friend, and the Amazon bestseller Love, Honor, and Virtue. They host the podcast Making Biblical Family Life Practical and are popular conference speakers throughout North America, known for a focus on Christ, grace, and stories about practical application of the Bible day-to-day. They have six sons and two daughters—with four grown, and four still sharing noisy, messy happiness in eastern North Carolina.
Struggling Learners in High School & College
At eleven, one of our boys was just learning to read; at fourteen he still struggled to spell three-letter words. Little did we know that he’d be reading ancient philosophers for fun at seventeen and that he’d go to college on a full academic scholarship! In this workshop, we’ll talk about how to help your struggling learners through high school (and give them a love of learning), how to get accommodations on the SAT and ACT, and how to find out what help a college can give them—and you’ll be surprised just how much they can do. Our struggling learner graduated with honors and now has a successful career. Find out how.
Parenting Teens into Adulthood
The transition to adulthood can be wonderful or it can be fraught with conflict and tension. How can you prepare your teens to step into adulthood with confidence, competence, and joy instead of anger, rebellion, and resentment? How should you relate to a nineteen-year-old who is still living at home, or is home from college and thinks he’s all grown up? How do you interact with their love interests? Hal and Melanie have shepherded six of their kids into Christian adulthood, and they can help you navigate these challenging waters so you can guide your kids into adulthood, too.
No Longer Little
The turmoil of the tween/preteen years between 9 and 13 usually catches parents by surprise. Diligent students become addled and distracted. Kids raised in church start questioning the existence of God. Sweet children seem to climb on an emotional rollercoaster—and then invite you to join them. Don’t get a ticket for that ride! Instead, learn to resist the temptation to “lose it” yourself—and how to shepherd your children through this challenging age—at this funny and all-too-real workshop. Lay a foundation to make the teen years great!
Gen Z: Parenting in a Changed World
You’ve heard of the Greatest Generation, but our students aged 10-25 are growing up in the “most fearful generation.” Gen Z, or Zoomers, are known for social anxiety, despair, depression, and a dislike of face-to-face (or even phone) interactions. Wow. That’s a lot for teens and 20s—in previous generations that was the age of idealism and hope. Kids that don’t fall into the trap of despair and fear feel responsible for fixing the world, and they sometimes stagger under the burden. God has not changed, though! Come learn what’s going on with this generation and how to help them learn to stand on the Solid Rock when everything around them is shifting sand.
Parenting in a Gender-Confused World
Preteens and teens crave connection and acceptance, while media of all kinds are telling them that identifying as a different gender or sexual orientation will solve all their problems. Even kids not tempted by these things often believe their parents are hateful or unloving in their response to that culture. Find out about the influences reaching out to our kids, learn how to respond in a way that will preserve your relationship, and get practical help in guiding them through the clamoring voices of our society. At a time when some research is saying 30% of Christian kids identify as other than straight, parents desperately need help from a biblical perspective.
