Until they can recognize there is real value in listening, and that teens want to share their feelings and want parents to share their feelings, parents will continue to listen, or not listen, the way they always have. It's easy for parents to get discouraged during the difficult teenage years. Many times it seems as though nothing they do or say to their teens is right. Parents may feel communication is hopeless and they have failed as parents. It is important, though, not to give in to these feelings.
Parents know their children better than anyone else.
They probably have an intuitive sense of what their children can handle and the meaning of their behavior. This behavior is often unpredictable. Parents may find themselves dealing with children one minute and responsible adults the next. Their task is to maintain a balance of freedom with enough control to help their adolescents regulate their inner impulses. An important part of communicating with teenagers is to be open about this task of walking a tightrope between freedom and control.