""Coming into the teenage years - which I will say are fun because you don't have to edit the good stories as much - I've had to almost be less of a dad in ways, be less judgmental... to sit on it and listen, then they keep sharing. I'd rather know and not judge right now, than not know and wonder what the hell I'm supposed to judge about,""
""I did not know that there was a bridge between being a parent - which I believe you need to be early - and then if you're lucky a friend maybe later on in life but I didn't know there was a bridge of being a big brother. And that's a little of that pat on the back, like 'hey man I know what you're talking about.'""
Reframing direct, personal questions into third-person prompts can help teenagers speak more freely about their experiences. Asking "What's it like being a teenager these days?" invites descriptive answers without forcing vulnerability. Listening without imposing judgment encourages ongoing sharing and preserves parental access to information. Parents may need to reduce immediate judgment and assume a transitional role between authority figure and peer, resembling a supportive 'big brother.' Practicing patience and nonjudgment can make teens feel understood and more willing to open up. A test with a 12-year-old produced a terse response: "Boring. We can't do much but go to school."
Read at Scary Mommy
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]