Parenting Tip 

Culture Translation

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the volume of information your teen is absorbing and the lack of guiding words you have as a parent? I know I often feel this pressure -- I sometimes tend to lean away from hard conversations for two reasons: I don't know what to say and I am afraid of saying the wrong thing. It can feel paralyzing at times.

One of the things that drew me to the mission of Axis was the concept of the One Conversation model. If you haven't yet watched the video, check it out! And as a mom of three teenagers, I knew the importance of not just approaching my boys with the "big" issues and expecting them to receive me well.

We're all learning and growing as to how to best guide (disciple!) this generation's teens. We are in a unique cultural moment, and it will require creativity, courage, and faithfulness to pass on our faith to the next generation. 

The world is quickly evolving, which doesn't make discipleship any easier when things are changing at the speed of light! Trends come and go. Back when we were growing up, “bingeing” wasn’t a thing, and billions of terabytes of information and images weren’t at the tips of our fingers. But all that’s changed now, and often our kids know about what’s going on in the world hours, days, weeks, or even months before we do. 

As the greatest influential voice in our teen's lives, the best thing we can do is help them find a faith of their own, rather than piggybacking off of ours. By doing so, we will better prepare them to be responsible, kind, God-honoring adults.

An artful method we believe in here at Axis is called "Culture Translation." Culture translation is defined as the ability to understand, participate fluently in, engage in, and transform a given culture. It's an art, not a science. It’s not a formula that guarantees a certain result. Rather, it’s an art that can be messy and requires practice, finesse, and adaptability. Why? Because we’re dealing with people, and people are different, unpredictable, and ever-changing.

The 6 Steps of Culture Translation: 

1. Pray
2. Ask leading questions
3. Research
4. Analyze 
5. Discuss
6. Pray 

When approaching conversations, it's important to keep a humble, kind, curious, safe, and guiding posture. If we come across as arrogant, judgmental, or all-knowing, our teenagers will close off. Just like us adults, am I right?

Read the Parent's Guide to Discipling Teens to learn more about how to apply the art of Culture Translation into your everyday conversations.