a ray of hope . . . kind of . . .

I was excited to see the results of a recent study Dr. Gary Zustiac shared with me on what makes jr high students happy. Time with parents. That is the great part. The other side of that is just because this makes them happy, or so they related to this study, doesn't necessarily mean they are receiving quality time with parents.

There seems to be plenty of evidence out there right now about the demise of the nuclear family along with it's impact on students. It is refreshing to see a study show signs of influence from parents. The question still is just because many parents hold this influence are they exerting it. The more pertinent question for those of us ministering to Jr. High students is what is the best forum to encourage, inform and persuade parents to exercise this authority.

The link has some other interesting findings from the Jr High world view as well.