I watch as a woman I dearly treasure is overtaken by the stronghold of dementia, and I resign to the fact that none of us has control or the ability to change this course. Repeated stories and angry outbursts, followed by confusion—this has become the norm for this strong, kind, and loving lady. While these are not the actions of the aunt who has impacted my life so significantly, it’s where she finds herself in the twilight of her life.

If you are raising a teen or a soon to be teen, or if you simply have a human in your life who’s in the middle of those challenging years—a nephew, niece, or the child of a friend—there are some things you need to know. In the fast-moving culture in which we live, there are new minefields popping up that many of us are unaware of as we go about our daily life. This is one of those that, for me, I thought I knew a bit about. But the breadth of this data shook the foundation of what I thought I knew.

What does it take to make sure your children realize God cares about every little thing in their lives? Here are 5 suggestions:

Several years ago, my husband and I built a home in the mountains of North Carolina. We made every effort to fit into the landscape with materials native to the terrain and kept other crucial vegetation from being knocked down. Maple and sweetgum trees fill the front yard, turning a magnificent red in the cool temperatures of autumn; oaks and chinquapins with tall branches where the squirrels do their daily dance. The back of our home sits atop a mountain cliff, having placed it as close to the edge as safety would allow.

“This is gonna hurt.” Every mom that has nursed a cut, scrape, or banged head has made this proclamation. From applying antiseptic, getting shots from the doctor, and icing bumps to ripping off Band-Aids, we tend to warn our kids of the impending pain. We do this because we’re moms; we do what’s needed to get from damage to restoration.