Saturday, April 7, 2018

The difference between dropping your kid off to a birthday party and youth group

Lately it's been the season for children's birthday parties. Up until this weekend, the last month's weekends have been punctuated by one or two celebrations (including my now-six-year-old).

House parties.

Craft parties.
Ten-pin bowling.
Swimming parties.

And, each time I've happily left My eldest in the care of a gaggle of parents, just as they did with us.


But, I would have hesitated if the only adults present were a group of teens or young adults, overseen by a twenty something.


Yet, this is what churches do with their youth ministries each week.

And for day-long outings.
And camps.

Churches ask parents to leave their kids under the supervision of, frankly, a bunch of teens and childless young adults.

The longer I'm a parent, the more unsettling that seems.

When dropping my daughter to a birthday party, I'm pretty comforted knowing that a bunch of parents will be around. They will have a good sense of danger and exercise a parental eye of caution. They will be experienced in dealing with kids.

In a lot of youth ministries, this parental covering is completely absent.

I wonder how the mindset of parents would be difficult if they knew a parent (or a few) were either around, or consulted, before events?


I know, looking back on my decade in youth ministry, that I wouldn't have instilled a great deal of confidence.

I was young.
I was inexperienced in taking care of children.
All my leaders, while well trained, were the same.
As much trust I may have developed over time, there must have been a certain amount of anxiousness whenever they drove away having dropping theirs kids to a big event.

If you consider that churches ask parents to entrust their kids to a few teens, supervised by a young adult - no matter how mature, spiritual, or well trained - it's a fairly unique, and scary, place we put parents in...

No comments: