As the school year winds down, summer plans are being made, and finals have tensions high, I've been talking to some parent friends who are worried about their teens' activities, fought with my own teens over messy rooms and attitude problems, and begun giving this whole teenage angst issue a lot of consideration.
If I could say one thing to the teens of this world and really have it stick with them, I would say "Understand that everything your parents say or do for you or to you comes from both a place of love and a place of fear. Parents love you so much that they want the absolute best for you...your happiest happy, your greatest love, your fondest dreams. Mostly though, parents want you to be able to survive and thrive on your own, without them. Parents greatest fear is that you won't have the tools and skills required to build an independent life on your own or worse, that you will throw your gifts away with dangerous behavior that compromises your quality of life or ends your life completely. When your parent nags, instructs, seems frustrated, and lectures you, it's not because they want to be mean or damage your relationship or ruin all your fun. It's because they are afraid your current path of behavior will ruin your chance of living your best life now and when they've passed, leaving you to make your own choices. Grant your parent the same grace and patience you beg for, and take responsibility for making your life ."
If I had understood the role of parents better as a child, I would have been a better child. I would have shown my parents a better me, so they could relax in the confidence that I would "be fine."
Good luck parents! Good luck teens!
Sent from my iPhone
