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ArticlePop the Balloon LIVE: Helping Christian teens navigate identity in a swipe-and-judge culture
If you’ve not yet come across it, Pop the Balloon is a new dating series on Netflix that’s grown in popularity after being streamed on TikTok. A contestant walks along a line of potential matches and decides whose balloon to ‘pop’, effectively rejecting them based on first impressions alone. It’s a high-pressure test of appearance, confidence, and social power. Who’s attractive? Who’s awkward? Who gets left standing? No conversations. No background. Just a snap judgment, broadcast for millions to see.
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ArticleWhen Sephora meets Scripture: Helping our girls see true beauty
It was November 2024, that time of year when I ask my children for their Christmas lists to avoid any disappointment on 25th December. But this year felt somewhat different with my three daughters. As I scanned their lists, I found myself searching in vain for the familiar comforts of LOL Dolls, Barbie Dreamhouses, and Lego Friends sets. Instead, I was met with a line-up of brand names completely foreign to me — Laneige, Bubble, Rhode, Sol de Janeiro, Drunk Elephant, Fenty, Mario Badescu (had Ken been replaced by a Romanian counterpart?). Then it struck me, with a twinge of sadness, that my daughters had quietly moved beyond the innocent world of toys, trading them for the sophisticated realm of skincare and beauty products. Even my nine-year-old, surprisingly well-versed in the world of luxury brands, appeared caught up in this early wave of consumer savvy. It left me wondering: were they growing up too fast, or was I simply unprepared for how childhood itself has evolved?
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ArticleWhen parenting advice doesn’t work: Understanding PDA in autistic children
“Have you tried praying more for your child?”
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ArticleWhat does God look like?
Once upon a time, I was helping my 5-year-old brush her teeth, and she asked, “Does God have teeth?”
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Article3 ways parents can get teenagers thinking about AI and faith
Every day, we’re using tools that felt like science fiction just a few years ago. Do you have a textbook chapter or article you don’t understand? AI will turn it into an entertaining podcast. Fancy a song? AI will write music from thin air. Say “make me a video,” and sure enough, it will. Not always great, but frighteningly fast… and getting better by the day.
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ArticleHow to raise children who know they are loved by God - and you - even when they don’t “perform”
In part one, we explored the beautiful truth that God made sport as a gift, a joy, and a way to reflect His creativity. But let’s be honest: that can feel idealistic. We don’t live in a perfect world. Sport, like life, involves disappointment—injustices, injuries, losses, and rejection. So how do we help our children thrive in that reality?
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ArticleAre you a dry-clean parent?
One of the features of modern life is that we have learned to outsource. I can no longer fix my car, my computer, or my dishwasher—and I know I cannot ‘fix’ my children! These things are tremendously complex, and I am more likely to do harm than good if I tinker. The solution for the first three is to take them to an expert who understands them and can do something about it. I can rest assured that the mechanic at the garage can sort out my brakes, my suspension, and my tyres, and get me safely back on the road. I even have an expert in dishwashers called Geoff, who I occasionally call around. He sucks through his teeth, then gets on with the job and charges me next to nothing.
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ArticleMotherhood as ministry: The case for staying-at-home
From the beginning of time, the role of women has often been tied to domesticity and child-rearing. The traditional roles undertaken by women—roles sometimes looked down on today—positively defined many of the matriarchs of the past. Yet today, society critiques the maternal homemaker stereotype and instead celebrates the contributions women have made beyond the home. With the exception of Mothering Sunday, the role of ‘motherhood’ and ‘homemaker’ now seems little celebrated or advocated for.
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ArticleA woman’s place? Rethinking work, home, and biblical calling
I remember the first pay packet I received; it was actual cash in a small brown envelope and was the result of my eight hours in a local coffee shop. I loved that job—the freedom it gave me, the finance it provided, and (retrospectively) the experience it gave me of the working world.
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ArticleBeyond the endless scroll: Protecting your teen’s heart on TikTok
TikTok, known for its viral trends and challenges, has quickly become one of the most popular social‑media apps among young people. British teens spend an average of two hours a day on TikTok. With its creative, fast‑paced content and personalised algorithm, it’s no surprise that teens devote so much time to the app. However, such a time commitment inevitably shapes how they think, grow, and interact with the world.
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ArticleWhy God invented the game: Five faith‑filled reasons sport matters to your family
If you’re reading this, I guess you are parenting a child who loves sport—possibly to the point of obsession. Maybe you love it too. Whether your weekends are spent on muddy sidelines or at early‑morning training sessions, you’re probably asking deeper questions about how all this sporting enthusiasm connects with your Christian faith.
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ArticleFiction as a faith‑builder: How Christian parents can use stories in discipleship
Long ago, before my husband and I had children, we were staying with a family who had teenagers. Together we watched a TV series featuring an alcoholic. I was surprised that the parents allowed their young people to watch it, but the ensuing discussion proved invaluable.
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ArticleA Christian parent’s guide to mandatory reporting: What’s going on and why it matters
Trigger Warning: This article contains information about child sexual abuse
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ArticleLetting go to let them grow: Christian parenting without mowing down every obstacle
If you could describe your parenting as a picture, what would it be? A helicopter always circling around; a bulldozer flattening everything in your path; a gardener, carefully nurturing tender stems?
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ArticleGifts not grades: Recognising every young person’s God-given talents
The summer term in schools means different things to different ages of children and young people. For some it is the term of sports day, end of year shows, outdoor PE lessons and being allowed to play on the school field. For our older ones this term brings very different events ahead; this is the term of exams, and all that they bring with them.
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ArticleThere is no good parenting without Good Friday
We spend a lot of time on NexGen providing helpful, biblical, practical articles for Christian parents on all manner of subjects: films, social media, additional needs, disability, schools, awkward questions, reviews of Christian resources and much more. But the most important element in Christian parenting is you. That sounds obvious, after all the clue is in the word! But sometimes we might forget the centrality of that truth. Your parenting starts with you. Not the skills, not the tips, not the information – you.
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ArticleThe online world: Friend or foe for Christian youth and children?
We are all increasingly aware of the role that online spaces play in our daily lives – from shopping to entertainment, work to recreation, and even chatting with the postie through the doorbell. Life is now lived in a hybrid reality that is here to stay.
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ArticleWhen church attendance isn’t simple: Parenting, faith, and the beauty of flexibility
When our children were young, attending church on Sundays and midweek was a regular, prioritised part of our weekly rhythm. If you’d asked me back then, with toddlers in tow, what parenting teenagers would look like, I’d have confidently told you church attendance would be mandatory.
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ArticleRoadman, drill and chavs: A guide to help Christian parents
Would you know how to respond if someone said this to you in the street?
