The instinctive reaction when people hear that your child is becoming a teenager is, oh no, hold on for dear life.

I wish that someone had told me before I had teenagers just how wonderful it is.

Certainly there are different mountains to climb.

But when they turn into teenagers, you're going to start turning

all of the wisdom that you've been pouring into them into practical theology and teaching them how to

apply it. Welcome to the Crossway podcast, a show where we sit down with authors each week

for thoughtful interviews about the Bible, theology, church history, and the Christian life.

I'm Matt Tully, and today I'm talking with Lindsay Carlson.

Lindsay is the mother of five children and has served alongside her husband in pastoral ministry

for 14 years.

She enjoys teaching and discipling women through writing and public speaking, but most

often in the context of the local church.

She's the author of Growing in Godliness,

A Teen Girl's Guide to Maturing in Christ.

Today, Lindsay and I discuss what it looks like for parents to intentionally disciple their teens.

She offers advice on helping young people use social media wisely,

shares how she and her husband have sought to cultivate a culture

of honesty and vulnerability in their home and highlights the one thing she wishes someone would

have told her about parenting teenagers. Let's get started. Lindsay, thank you for joining us on

the Crossway podcast today. Thank you for having me.

So tell us a little bit about yourself and about your family. So I am the wife of a church

planter. We live in Baltimore, Maryland, and we've lived here almost four years, and we have five kids,

...