A reflection on slowing down, staying present, and cherishing everyday moments with your preteen.
Finding the Dance Floor
In every house we’ve lived in, we always seem to find the dance floor.
There’s a place in our home where DJ Alexa turns on, where there’s room to be silly, to come together, to let loose to sing into a kitchen-spoon microphone and dance a little.
One evening, as I was about to start dinner, I made a song request from the movie Father of the Bride. I think it was the lyric about mashed potatoes that got me thinking about it while cooking.
A Kitchen Dance with My Preteen
My oldest son now a preteen and still shorter than me (not for long) wandered into the kitchen as the song played. Without saying much, I held out my hands and invited him to dance.
He grinned big and stepped in as my partner.
We swayed back and forth, twirled a little here and there, and then my thoughts drifted toward the future.
I squatted down slightly, resting my head on his chest, and said,
“Buddy, someday I’ll be putting my head on your chest instead of yours on mine.”
We talked briefly about the future about the wife we hope God will bless him with one day and the good years ahead as he continues to grow. As the song ended and he went on his way, I turned back to dinner and thought, Wow… I’m not sure I was ready for that moment.
“Is it healthy for me to be thinking about the future like that?” I asked myself.
Wrestling with Future and Present
In the Old Testament, there’s a moment where the prophet Habakkuk wrestles with injustice, hardship, and the unexpected. It was hard for him to see hope not just for the future, but even in the present. And God responds with this reminder:
Habakkuk 1:5 says:
“Look among the nations, and see!
Be surprised and full of wonder!
For I am doing something in your days
that you would not believe if you were told.”
As a mom, I often joke with my preteen that they are disobeying me by growing too fast that I told them to stop, and they just aren’t listening. My daughter sweetly responds, “Mom, it’s not me… it’s God!”
We laugh. And I remind her I know but it still feels like they’re growing overnight.
God’s Faithfulness in Every Season
In parenthood, it’s easy to long for past seasons and rush toward future ones while quietly overlooking the precious moments right in front of us.
This is where Christ-centered parenting and spiritual parenting intersect with real life. Faith formation for preteens isn’t just about family devotionals and Bible study it’s about being fully present in the dance-floor moments, the sandbox moments, the ordinary-turned-sacred moments that shape who they’re becoming.
God is faithful. He does want us to pray, seek, and hope for a blessed future for our children. We should be praying fervently for the years ahead.
But when was the last time you slowed down with your preteen or your family and fully entered a moment together?
Creating Present Moments with Your Preteen
Dancing in the kitchen.
Burying feet in the backyard sandbox.
Dribbling a basketball in the driveway playing knockout.
Creating art with your preteen instead of just receiving it from them.
These years are fleeting. They will fly by, and one day you’ll wish you had more of them.
This is the heart of family faith formation and raising godly children teaching preteen about faith not just through structured lessons, but through being fully present in the everyday moments that matter most. These family faith habits of connection and presence are what they’ll remember long after the preteen years have passed.
Parenting preteens means balancing preparation for their future with appreciation for their present. It’s one of the most important lessons in our discipleship journey together.
Reflect on God’s faithfulness in the past.
Be prayerfully hopeful for the future.
But be intentionally, fully present today.
You’ll thank your future self that you did.
Want more encouragement for the parenting journey? Explore Christian parenting resourcesincluding devotionals for preteens, family faith habits, and practical tools to help you stay present and intentional during these fleeting years.