You might feel a little bit like Ansley Higginbotham right now.

Whether you’re a parent or a youth worker in the lives of students, this tension is real:

One thing I’ve noticed:
Even a pandemic cannot seem to stop the pressure on today’s young people.
It has all just moved online.
Grades, endless assignments, dance, scouts, athletic training, more, more, more!
And all this, we expect from young people, without their friends, teachers, grandparents, church leaders, etc.
All this we expect while their parents are stressed about bills and everything else.
All this we expect while we cannot even tell them when they will return to school, and work, and sports, and hugs with people they love.
What about just resting and healing?
And mourning?
And space?
And time to process our feelings?
What about slowing down while the world is on pause?
I want our home to be a peaceful place. It is up to me to provide that, even if I have to push back on those outside pressures.
It is my job, as a parent, to say “Enough!”

How have you seen this in the lives of your children or your students?

Has your ministry given students the opportunity to just rest?

What are the longterm benefits of helping students find moments to process?

Ansley has served in youth ministry for two decades and holds a certificate of Youth and Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. She loves the relational aspect of youth ministry as well as helping equip adults and students to lead. Ansley lives on her family’s beef cattle farm in Virginia with her husband and two young sons (and, sadly, no llamas).

See more from this DYM author here.