Program focuses on parent-teen relationships

By PHIL ANDERSON

The Capital-Journal

Gary Lydic is the first to admit some teenagers come kicking and screaming with their parents to Focus on the Family's "Life on the Edge" weekend events.

But Lydic, director of the Life on the Edge National Tour, is quick to add that by the time the weekend is over, more than 90 percent of teens are glad they came.

Their moms and dads are equally enthusiastic in their endorsement of the program, which, in its essence, is designed to improve parent- teen relationships.

The Life on the Edge tour, a program based on a book and video series of the same name by Focus on the Family leader Dr. James Dobson, began three years ago. It travels to a handful of cities each year across the nation.

On Nov. 19 and 20, the Life on the Edge Tour comes to the Convention Center, 301 W. 13th in downtown Kansas City, Mo. It is the 15th Life on the Edge event nationally and the first in the Kansas City area.

Doors open the first night at 5:30 p.m., with the program closing about 9:15 p.m. Young people are put in their comfort zones with high- energy displays of pyrotechnics and interactive games involving beach balls and finger blasters.

Miles McPherson will speak on the opening night and music will be presented by Christian music headliners Michael W. Smith and the Smalltown Poets.

Second-day events run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with separate sessions designed for teen-age boys and girls. A breakout session also is designed for single parents. Speakers include Jay Carty on "anger," Joe White on "purity" and Gary Rosberg on "managing conflict in the home."

Additionally, time will be provided for parents and teens to gather privately to discuss topics raised during the program, including the sensitive subjects of sex, drugs, alcohol and conflict.

Although some of these subjects may be avoided in homes, Lydic says parents and teens must deal with them if lines of communication are to be open. The Friday-Saturday Life on the Edge event offers a way to begin a dialogue.

"We don't cut corners," said Lydic, 51. "Young people want transparency. They want realness."

Beyond the serious stuff, Lydic says, many teenagers come away from the meetings with a newfound appreciation for their parents. Lydic said it's perhaps more important for the parents themselves to be the ones who are willing to make small sacrifices in order to lay the groundwork for improved relationships with their children.

In so doing, Lydic says, the parents may learn a thing or two about themselves, and what their teen-age children really need from them.

"Mom and Dad, in a lot of cases, feel they have to have all the answers," Lydic says. "But kids don't always want answers. They just want a listening ear. If that takes two hours, so be it."

Because it is a Christian-oriented event, Lydic says, one of the major points of emphasis is encouraging those in attendance to develop personal relationships with Jesus Christ and looking to him for the answers to life's problems.

The cost for the Life on the Edge Tour is $40 a person, with scholarships available. Call (800) A-FAMILY for more information or to register.

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