My son will be going off to college soon. He has withdrawn emotionally from the family. Is this normal, and will it pass?

Your sonÕs withdrawal can be normal, but it also can be a sign that needs to be heeded. Often an adolescent leaving home begins to think about all that his or her leaving will mean. The lack of immediate support, loss of contact with friends and making it on their own are concerns voiced by adolescents in my office.

These concerns are real and frightening for many healthy adolescents and need to be addressed. It is important to monitor your son for depression. Moving away from a loving home environment can be very frightening and lead to depression.

The first thing you should do is pray for your son. Pray the Lord will strengthen his faith and knowledge that he is never alone. Also pray for wisdom to talk with your son.

Take the opportunity to go out with him and casually bring forth your concern regarding his recent changes. Ask him if he knows what is going on within him. Do not be surprised if he states he is not aware of any changes.

Let him know many adolescents have concerns about leaving what is familiar, and youÕre wondering if he is having the same concerns. Normalizing reactions to change is often very helpful and allows the teen to share openly any thoughts he may be having.

If he chooses to share his concerns — listen. Do not minimize what is said. Help him see solutions to his concerns. Ask his help in coming up with which solutions would be beneficial for him.

Reassure him of your love and desire to stay connected to him, that you will be there for him, and most importantly his Heavenly Father will always be with him.

Pat Barrett, Ph.D., is a psychologist and child therapist with EMERGE Ministries in Akron, Ohio.

 

How many animals did Jesus ride into Jerusalem at His triumphal entry?

At first glance, the Gospels seem to disagree. Matthew 21:1-9 says the disciples brought a donkey and a colt; the other three Gospels speak only of a colt or a young donkey (Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-38; John 12:12-18).

All four Gospels see this as a fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9: ÒRejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkeyÓ (NIV). (ÒHaving salvationÓ could better be translated Òbeing salvation,Ó identifying Him as Savior.)

Matthew indicates that at first the disciples put some of their outer garments on both the donkey and the colt as saddles. However, Jesus chose to ride the colt, probably since it had not been ridden before. This would probably identify Jesus as priest as well as king.

The meaning is not that He sat on both the donkey and the colt. He sat on ÒthemÓ (the clothes of the disciples) on the colt. The other three Gospels do not mention the donkey in order to emphasize it was the colt He rode on. To them, the donkey left behind was out of sight and not significant.

We should note also that the people coming up the hill to the temple would chant Psalm 24, where verses 7-10 would help them make the connection to Zechariah 9:9.

Stanley M. Horton, Th.D., is distinguished professor emeritus of Bible and theology, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, Mo.