SHOW / EPISODE

Youth Expert: The Biggest Mistake Parents of Teens Make

Season 1 | Episode 17
1h 0m | Jul 2, 2026

Every parent of a teenager knows the fear: your kid is pulling away, the conversations are getting shorter, and you wonder if you're slowly losing them. In this episode we sit down with Brandon Davis, a youth expert who spends around 80 hours a week with kids as the youth director at City Light Vegas, a regional Young Life director, and a former high school teacher. He's walked thousands of teenagers through the exact season your kids are in, and he names the single biggest mistake parents of teens make: correcting more than they connect.


If you're a Christian parent trying to raise kids who keep their faith, this conversation is for you. Brandon breaks down why most people who follow Jesus come to faith before age 18 and why that number collapses after their twenties, what to do when your teen doesn't want to go to church, and how to bring church into your home when you can't get them through the doors. We talk about being a leader to your kids instead of just a friend, why connection has to come before correction, and what a dad leading the faith at home actually changes for a child's future.


Jason and Malia also open up about their own discipline that was quietly disconnecting them from one of their boys, and how they course-corrected. This is an honest look at teenage rebellion, faith, and the long game of parenting, from someone who sees what happens behind the scenes in families every single day.


Brandon is also a kingdom entrepreneur. He founded Ash Clothing, a Christ-centered streetwear brand built to help people wear their faith in a way that points back to God. Give him a follow and check out the brand below.


CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

02:04 Meet Brandon Davis

03:41 Why youth ministry matters

06:36 Teaching teens vs mentoring teens

08:03 What Young Life is

12:08 Why families feel safer outside church walls

16:54 Building trust with teenagers

18:25 The power of showing up consistently

24:41 The biggest mistake parents make with teens

25:26 What teens really need from parents

28:19 Connect before you correct

31:25 Teens need leaders, not just friends

34:07 God-centered homes and family contrast

36:09 Honest conversations with your kids

38:15 When kids do not want church

40:02 Letting your child choose faith

42:46 When your child walks away from faith

44:52 God is not done with their story

46:52 Faith, business, and setting culture

52:29 Being the Bible someone reads

54:27 Staying present as a busy parent

58:14 A simple habit for more peace at home

01:00:00 Closing



CONNECT WITH US 

Instagram: @ourhouse.faith 


Take our free 4-minute family Faith Talk assessment: https://ourhouse.faith/assessment


FOLLOW BRANDON 

Instagram: @brandondavis8 

Clothing brand: Ash Clothing (Christ-centered streetwear) 


https://ashclothing.co/ 

https://www.instagram.com/ashclothing.co/


As for our house, we will serve the Lord.


#parentingteens #youthministry #christianparenting #raisingkids #faithathome #younglife #connectbeforeyoucorrect #teenagers #christianfamily #ourhouse

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