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Jonathan’s Resource Ezine |
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
- Something You Can Use: DVD Blowout Give-away! We’re Giving Away Free FINAL COUNTDOWN DVD’s with Any Order of Jonathan’s Books!
- Youth Culture Window: The 2011 Summer Movie Lineup PART II-The Films Hoping to Draw Teenagers This July & August
- Jonathan’s Blog: Tomorrow My Son Turns 18… Have I Raised Him Right?
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GIVING AWAY
FREE DVD’S!
We’ve got a few hundred of our FINAL COUNTDOWN-Event Resource DVDs left and we are clearing them out with a massive give-Away!.
It’s this simple. Buy any of Jonathan’s books, already marked down up to 40% off, and we’ll throw in this FINAL COUNTDOWN DVD for free! (This DVD has three amazing countdown videos and more! Retail value $39.99)
Just jump on our “Recommended Books” book page, choose any of Jonathan’s books, and we’ll throw a FREE DVD in with any order!
Mutants. Pirates. Talking cars. And we’ve only reached the half-way point of the 2011 summer lineup at the movie theater! Look out; Tinsel Town is hoping for – and working diligently toward – a big end to this summer’s box office take.
Act 5, Scene 5 2011’s summer lineup was so big I couldn’t squeeze all of it into one article. If you didn’t see last week’s article, you might want to check it out; it covered all the hits playing on the big screen during May and June.
But July and August aren’t slouches.
In fact, during the last half of this summer, some of the biggest franchise sequels are set to be released. We’ll discuss them in a moment, providing plot synopsis, rating (where available), and a few predictions about teen viewership. Afterwards, we’ll provide a few tips on helping teens make godly decisions at the box office.
But for now, let’s get on to the movies. Here they are, beginning with a definite blockbuster…
Tomorrow My Son Turns 18… Have I Raised Him Right?
Tuesday, May 17th, my son Alec turns 18.
In just a few months I’ll be dropping him off at his college dorm, over 300 miles from home, where he will start the next stage of his life… finally out on his own.
For 18 years Lori and I have been teaching him, coaching him, hanging out with him, laughing with him, playing with him, dragging him to events and camps that I’ve spoken at. I still have a drawing he made for me at one of those camps-he drew it during my talk to the teenagers. It says, “I’m proud of you dad! I still have it. I keep it in my laptop case when I travel.
I love to think of those fun moments.
Of course there were also the times in the last 18 years when we were correcting him, lecturing him, grounding him… (gulp) yelling at him… it’s weird to think about it all-good and bad. My parenting was so imperfect. Constant second-guessing. Was I too lenient? Was I too strict? Did I teach him enough? Did I lecture too long?
My days as the primary mentor in his life are mostly over. Sure, I still have input, but the reality of the situation is, he’s now a young man and he can do whatever he wants.
Have I prepared him for this day?
For years now, at the end of my parenting workshops-almost every time-a mom will come up to me in tears and say something like, “I think I’ve blown it! It’s too late. I think I’ve lost my son.” (or my daughter) Each time this has happened, I tried to comfort them and offer encouragement, emphasizing the importance of looking for opportunities for relationship building with their son or daughter.
In the last few years when I faced these questions, I began to sweat a little more and answer these questions with a little less confidence. After all, I’m far from the perfect Dad.
In my latest book, CANDID CONFESSIONS OF AN IMPERFECT PARENT, I addressed these feelings as I wrapped up the last few chapters of my book. The last two chapters are titled:
CHAPTER 10: AM I TOO LATE? –LAST MINUTE EFFORTS
In those two chapters I talk about the calling that we have as parents to raise up “Daniels” who will someday be plucked from our safety net and thrown into the real world where they have to “resolve” for themselves how they will live their lives.
Tomorrow, those chapters become a reality.
As I look at who my three kids have become, I am truly humbled at God’s grace. In spite of my many failures, they are really amazing kids. They’ve traveled with me (Alec even spoke with me this year), they love their church and are involved in leadership there. I’m so proud of my kids.
Have I told them that enough?
Maybe it’s my turn to sit down and make a drawing for Alec:
“I’m proud of you, son!”
Other Topics Jonathan Blogged about Recently:
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Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.