When I Was a Teenager
I think it is common for people in the United States to believe that teenagers need their parents less than when they were younger. It’s nice to discharge and re-evaluate about this.
It has been useful for me to have sessions about needing my parents when I was a teenager, and on how they could be there for me and the ways they could not. For example, I could not tell my parents when something hard was happening in my life. They were also not flexible about scheduling and being available. On the other hand, they always provided me with healthy meals at reliable times—I could focus on school without worrying about food.
I needed them in many ways. However, like most teenagers, I believed that I was now grown up and didn’t need them anymore.
USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders of parents
(Present Time 206, January 2022)