Teens Live In A World Of Their Own.
Neither fully autonomous adults nor carefree children!
They are expected to have the responsibility of an adult,
but are given none of the freedoms or respect.
It’s a transition stage that is confusing and painful.
Adults in general don’t understand or appreciate the intensity of the teen experience. We don’t give them enough validation for the struggles of teenage hood.
Teens Largely Feel Misunderstood And Alone.
How often are they dismissed!?
I see the plight of teens and feel despondent.
It’s very rare for young people to be treated as equals by adults.
They are usually treated as if they are less than.
We adults often do this without even realizing it.
They Internalize This Mindset.
They carry their programming into adulthood, never being taught to question their assumptions, never being taught to question authority (yes they rebel, but rebelling against authority is reacting to it, not questioning it) and never truly learning to create their own thoughts and opinions.
The ones they do manage to create are largely invalidated by the adults in their lives!
How can think freely when their lives are controlled?
If we can Create An Environment Of Freedom,
of choice, of support and validation for our teens
they will learn to think for themselves.
This is possibly one of the best gifts we can give them to send them out into the world.
