Parent Connection – May 2026
What to Encourage for May 2026:
In May, we take a break from Wednesday nights except for the graduate dinner (May 6, only for seniors) and May 20 (the Hello/Goodbye Party at the Cahoon Home). During this month, I would love to encourage three things.
#1 - Spend time with friends!
During a recent Youth Pastor conference I attended with Jennifer, we learned that less than half of students spend time with friends each week, and some never do. I’d love to remind everyone to set a time to have another family over for dinner or meet at the park from the youth ministry. If you need help finding a contact number for your student’s friend, reach out to me!
#2 - Sign up for Camps!
We have many sports camps, and of course, summer camp and registrations are live. They will fill up fast, I think, because the sports camps are cheaper than any in the area, and so I’d like to make sure our students and their friends get the first shot before we advertise them to the community. Sign up today here!
#3 - Grace University
Samson and I are planning a Grace University Class on June 13, 2026, and we’d love for all of you to be a part of it! Called “Drowning in Dopamine,” it is all about how screen time is rapidly replacing family time, and it is rewiring our brains in how we relate to others. This class is open to everyone (students, parents, and grandparents) and will address 5 lies about screens and AI in our world, as well as how God is calling us to be different for our good and His glory.
Monthly Parent Tip: Talk about the future now!
One of the things I love to do with my kids (both middle school and high school) is dream with them about their future. What do they enjoy doing, how are they gifted, and what are ways to connect those giftings with careers as they grow up? It is especially helpful to try to expose them to people in potential careers they are interested in. As an example, David loves doing things with his hands and tells me all the time he wants to work with his hands (Mechanic, engineer, Plumber, etc) when he gets older. One of my friends in church is doing some construction at his house, remodeling, and so I asked him if David could shadow/help for free to learn more about how construction works. My oldest, Ruth, was interested in nursing a few years ago, and so I encouraged/required her to have coffee with actual nurses to ask questions and learn more about what they love and hate about their jobs. Coming out of Covid, those were interesting conversations and really helpful to her in picking her career (she graduates in December!).
How I’m using AI this Month: Tech Support
When I need to communicate tech instructions to a non-technical person, I’ll often use AI to write out specific instructions on how to fix the problem and then copy and paste that to them. A recent example is that I sent someone an audiobook in M4B format and needed to tell them how to load it onto their iPhone. I told AI to give me instructions, and 10 seconds later, I was done.
What I’m Enjoying this Month!
All things Kathy Koch - One of the speakers at our recent YPS conference was Kathy Koch. She runs Celebrate Kids in Fort Worth, and I am hoping to start a book club soon based on some of her content (we will also be using it at Grace U). Check out her podcast and books at https://celebratekids.com/.
Jon’s Game of the Month:
I’m a huge gamer and love playing computer games and board games, especially when they bring people together, as most games should. So here’s my game of the month:
Nertz - basically it is solitaire… but with others. Really fun, short, and fast to teach others. We played it last week at youth and taught it to a few students.
My May question for All Parents is this:
What is one thing you would like us to talk about with your students over the next 6 months? I’m in lesson planning mode, and I’d love to hear from you!
