| "It is an obvious fact that parents and children see life differently. Parents and children often assume that the way they view and experience the world is the only way to see and experience the world. This presents a series of relational challenges on its own, but even more important for the parent to consider is that, irregardless of how they see the life and world of their kid, the way the child sees their life and world, in all aspects--relational, social, ethical--is what matters most as they grow up. It is your child's perspective of their own world that ultimately has the greatest influence over them as they grow up. Even in homes where parents work hard to try and understand their children, today's teenagers believe that life is hard, antagonistic, and dismissively impersonal. According to our research, by the time they reach high school, kids feel an almost overwhelming sense of isolation and loneliness. Even the brightest and best kids revealed to our team how damaged they feel under the pressure of what they see as constant evaluation and critique. This feeling fosters a profound insecurity in nearly every adolescent, an inner disquiet that few can verbally pin down but all seem to experience. In order to parent well in today's image- and performance-driven society, where everything from body contour to SAT scores is scrutinized and put down, it is vitally important to recognize that the inside of your adolescent child is a stew of conflicting thoughts and emotions." |
