The recent pandemic has without a doubt affected our relationships with friends and family members. It has especially taken a toll on the younger generation and made it difficult to understand what a healthy connection looks like. From our own 2021 survey about how young people in Chinese-American churches have been affected by the pandemic, we have learned that though many teens grew closer to their parents just by being able to spend more time at home together, many have also struggled with increased friction and quarrels with parents since the pandemic hit.

For those parents looking to connect with their teens or adult children on a deeper level; or for those youth who want to have a better relationship with their parents, we at Presence and RE:NEW hope to provide resources that will help families take the time to understand one another’s perspectives. Therefore, we gladly introduce to you our new blog, “Heart to Heart: U Read, I Read” to encourage parents and youth to read together and discuss thoughts and opinions. 

In this new blog series, Christian youth leaders will recommend and review books that parents and their teen or adult children can read together to open up discussion on faith and life, and to cultivate a closer bond. We will feature books that are appropriate for parents with kids of a wide range of ages, from middle school students to adult children. And we also hope to feature personal testimonies that show how reading together can be a catalyst for God’s work in our lives.

Since we never grow too old to connect with our children, we hope that no matter what age your kids are, both you and they will benefit from reading together and delving deeper into issues that affect both generations. May the Lord use these opportunities and resources to work in both your child’s life and your own and to build up multi-generational relationships within our families.