What does it mean to grow up?
It takes a lot to move from being a boy into being a man. The transition isn't always easy. Not easy on the one going through it and almost equally as hard on the parents. I often talk with youth over the differences they have with their parents.
Almost more frequently I get phone calls from parents wondering what to do with their kids. many of these call are not even from people that I know or about kids I know. They find me through a friend of a friend and they want me to tell them how to get their child back.
i struggle with these calls as I really do want to help the the pain away from these situations, but at the same time. I have never raised a teen. My kids are still under two.
However today in talking with a young man I think I had a moment of clarity. I moment when I could see both sides of the coin at the same time. I think it was a problem of language more than anything else. He said certain things and his parents interpreted it a different way, and vise versa.
This is where I can help - I cant solve problems but I can serve as an advocate between the two parties to make sure each hears each other in the correct way. I just hope that my interpretation skills are up for the task.
