Dialogue between parents and child about their younger days
Answers
If you’re a parent, you might recognize the following scripts:
Parent: How was your day?
Teen: Fine (as he walks off to his room).
Parent: Who are you texting?
Teen: No one (as she continues to look down and type).
Parent: (After observing her teen chatting online for quite some time) What were you talking to your friends about?
Teen: Nothing (as he shuts the door to his room).
At times like this, parents can feel frustrated and hurt, especially when teenagers treat parents like they are people to be endured rather than embraced.
These kinds of exchanges can be not only unsatisfying but also damaging to our relationships. As my daughter Yumi and I have reflected on how parents and adolescents both contribute to breakdowns in communication, it reminded us of tennis. Using a tennis metaphor for what happens in our conversations, we have written a three-part article series to offer insights and practical tips from a teenager’s perspective (Yumi) as well as from a mom’s and psychologist’s viewpoint (Susan).