A long time ago, I was a stockbroker. In those days, I constantly paid attention to various fundamentals and influences on the market. Why…because it was critical to my ability to invest my clients’ assets into the proper investments and answer questions that they might have. Beyond that, I recognized there were a lot of influences on the market and to do a good job, I had to know what was going on to meet my clients’ varying needs.

Is it possible to stay ahead of trends youth today are facing, or are we always going to be on the backside of them? I grew up for many years in Hawaii and California. My father was from Hawaii and loved the ocean, so he naturally taught me how to boogey board, body surf, and as I got older, I learned how to surf.

When you catch a wave, you feel just a taste of the power of the ocean, but the thing about surfing is that when the wave is coming, you have to swim as hard as you can just to be able to ride it for a period of time. And the reality is, the energy of the wave will move ahead of you if you don’t paddle fast enough.

What is the point of that story other than some endless summer flashback? We will never be ahead of all the trends; however, we can pay attention in order to quickly know and identify what new trends are emerging.

Specifically, we want to equip you on this blog and through the resources we offer at Paul Anderson Ministries to recognize patterns, so that you might anticipate what your child will be facing next in our culture. As parents, we must pay attention to what is shaping and affecting our children. By being aware, we can anticipate what our children will be facing next.

Share This

About the author

Drew Read
Drew Read graduated from the McCallie School before he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University. He was a stockbroker in Cincinnati before relocating to Vidalia in 1994 where he accepted a position at the Paul Anderson Youth Home (PAYH). Since September of 1994 he has been a member of the PAYH staff where he has served as a teacher, headmaster, and Administrator. After completing his Master of Business Administration from Emory University in 2004, Drew was named the Chief Operating Officer. Drew has written numerous articles and a booklet entitled Dangerous Trends impacting your child. He has spoken at national conferences regarding the role of the family and has worked with teenagers and their families since 1994. Drew is married with two children.