A 100-Seconds Daily Routine for Teens & Preteens

There is so much depravity, immoral technology, and evil-intent modernism seductively waved in the face of today’s adolescents. Catholic parents are called to help steer their preteens and teens away from the easy-to-enter, wide gate that leads to destruction toward which many of their peers are heading.

A recent national survey asked parents to rate their level of concern on the biggest problems their age 18 and younger children face. The top four concerns were their kids’:

1. Overuse of screens/devices;
2. Exposure to social media;
3. Safety on the internet;
4. Depression/suicide risk. 

Moms and dads raising their 10-to-18 year-old children a century ago never had these worries that modern parents do. Your great-grandparents’ concern with raising kids came down to fundamentals like were they eating enough, learning enough, and handling their fair share of chores.

A parent’s dream would be that their children have the ability to always act counter-culturally, to strongly resist peer pressure, and to never succumb to the seductive deceits of the world. Realistically speaking, this is nearly impossible in society these days. The Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids born in the 21^st century are enticed by sinful and risky behaviors that are readily attainable in today’s culture. These days a high number of teens and even preteens drink, smoke, engage in virtual or actual violence, view pornography, and/or engage in sexual activity.

Moms and dads need to counter their preteens’ and teens’ immoral exposure and sinful enticement by secular society. The first action to take is to commit to the family participating in basic Christian-centric actions. Three fundamental commitments should be attending weekly Mass, praying daily prayers such as Grace before meals, and either enrolling in an authentic Catholic school or homeschooling. 

While these acts above are critical, they also are all parent-led. It is vital that youngsters and young adults develop the intrinsic motivation necessary to engage independently in healthy and pious actions. Before parents know it, their adolescent kids will be young adults moving out of the house. Therefore, youngsters learning how to positively and spiritually grow on their own volition needs to be the parents’ goal.

Presented as ideas to consider and not “required chores,” following are some simple, daily routines Christian parents can suggest to their preteens and teens. Choosing themselves to partake in these routines could provide the reinforcement and boost modern kids need to fight off the world’s temptations and be able to resist peer pressure. 

The four practices that parents can present to their 10-to-18 year-olds as consideration to adopt as daily routines are not only quick to complete but are easy to remember. They all begin with the letter “s.”

1) Start each day with prayer.

• Time involved: 30 seconds.
• A good suggestion is to pray a “Morning Offering.” The Morning Offering prayer is a Catholic tradition of praying first thing in the morning, anytime between just waking up to right before starting school or chores. In its simplest form, the Morning Offering is a brief prayer that recognizes the presence of God and recharges your soul as you get ready to take on the day, knowing the events ahead are in God’s hands. Your child can memorize the traditional Morning Offering written almost 200 years ago, but may find it more understandable and relevant to utilize this helpful resource and choose from a variety of morning prayers.

2) Spend at least a minute each day reading Scripture.

• Time involved: 60 seconds.
• Opening the Bible and reading it can seem boring and/or daunting to most kids. But if the task is to only read for one minute, and if there is an organized structure to what to choose to read, it becomes an easily attainable routine. A suggestion could be to read one psalm a day from the Book of Psalms. There are 150 psalms, so that plan would take almost half a year. The next 200 some days could consist of reading a half-a-chapter a day from each of the Gospels. Another tip is to make sure your child possesses his or her own Bible. And if it is sitting on the nightstand, it will be hard to forget this one-minute Scripture reading before going to bed each night.

3) Sacrifice in one small way each day by forgoing something or offering up some discomfort or setback.

• Time involved: 0 seconds.
• Sacrificing helps to release us from our attachments to worldly things. Giving up something or doing something that is uncomfortable reminds us there are more important things in life than our creature comforts. It also prompts us to recall how Jesus made the uttermost sacrifice for us and remember that He counseled that everything in this world is passing. Parents can encourage their teens and preteens to make their own list of small sacrifices. These should not be acts that are extremely difficult or uncomfortable, like fasting from food all day or sleeping on the hardwood floor.  If the sacrifices are extreme, kids (and even adults) won’t keep up with them. Instead, start with these examples:
  • Abstain from sugar/sweets for one day;
  • Only drink water as your beverage throughout one day and at all meals that day;
  • Forgo all condiments on one day’s meals (no salt, butter, sugar, etc.);
  • Deny oneself dessert after dinner one day;
  • Fast one day from any screen-time, social media, and/or music.

4) Say Grace before dinner.

• Time involved: 10 seconds.
• Right before digging-in to eat, it is beneficial to outwardly give thanks to God not only for the food but for the little blessings that have occurred over the day. All it takes is to pray the simple “Bless Us, O Lord” grace. Praying grace unscripted is another option. Merely thank God for His blessings and add any intentions. Praying grace before meals is a good way to remind ourselves that everything we have comes ultimately from God. Besides praying at dinner, parents can suggest – and model themselves – praying before breakfast and lunch, and even saying grace quietly yet publicly at a restaurant.

This probability is high that an adolescent will consider partaking independently in these four everyday practices if his or her parents do two things. First, mom and dad need to frankly point out how it is not asking too much to spend just one minute and forty seconds in deference to their Almighty Father who created them. 

Secondly, both parents need to have their own similar daily routines of independent, prayerful actions. When parents of preteens and teens sincerely model everyday practices of piety, they will more likely be successful at motivating their children to engage in faithful habits themselves unassisted.