My 10 and 13 year old treat church like punishment. Sunday morning is a battle. I don't want to force them into faith but I also know how important it is. How do you guys make it meaningful for them? Are there youth groups that actually connect with kids this age or am I just stuck with this for a few more years?
The forced thing never works. I found that doing something fun as a family before or after church gives them something to look forward to. Even just going out for breakfast after shifts the whole vibe from punishment to tradition.
Have you tried letting them pick one thing about church they actually care about? My kids got way more into it when they felt like they had a say instead of it just being mandatory.
Sunday mornings are tough. We've had better luck making it less about the battle and more about what comes after, like a special breakfast. Takes some pressure off the faith part while you figure out the rest.
Same battle here every Sunday. What helped us was letting them pick one thing about church each week - could be the snack after, a friend they see there, the music, whatever. Made it feel less like we're forcing them and more like they have some say. Still not perfect but the resistance dropped a lot.
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This is tough. At 13 especially they're probably feeling self conscious. We switched to a youth group that met separately and my oldest actually wants to go now. Might be worth checking if your church has something like that where they can be with kids their own age.