Today’s culture is giving parents tough new challenges to manage. We may well feel out of our depths with the trends that are shaping our children’s attitudes: aggressive brand advertising, the desire for more and more new ‘stuff’, the obsessive playing of computer games, the hours spent online.

Our children may be developing an identity based on the labels they wear, the mobile phones they possess, or the persona they present in the world of cyberspace. Online relationships may be in danger of replacing real-life relationships. It’s every teenager’s worst nightmare to be stripped of any access to TV, the internet, game consoles, and even mobile phones.

While occasional breaks from the technology that rules our lives are healthy for all of us, ultimately we must try to show our children how to live within the modern world with its temptations and opportunities.

The world is changing fast. We can easily feel bewildered, and even intimidated, because our children know more than we do. But our children still need our guidance. They may pick up with great speed how to navigate the latest computer program or work the latest gadget. But that does not mean they necessarily have the maturity to use them wisely or within proper limits.

Talking with them about handling money, TV usage and Internet safety helps us engage with their world. We can acknowledge our own areas of ignorance, when appropriate, and allow them to teach us- perhaps watching their favorite TV show with them or listening to them explain why they enjoy a social networking website. This helps us work out what boundaries to set for their welfare.

Our aim is to help them develop self-control, so that they learn to monitor their own usage. And the very process of tackling these subjects with them can help to build a relationship of trust between us.

PAUSE and PONDER

• Are there any signs of your children being out of control with money, TV, and/or the Internet?
• What values about money and possessions do you want to pass on to your children? How can you pass this on?

Note: The coming weeks we will share helpful and practical tips on this subject, which will help you in parenting your children in this area. Do keep looking out for it.