One of most interesting things I found while doing 150 interviews for Fathering was that the guys who had done the best job of learning to be engaged fathers were all single fathers in long-distance relationships with their kids. You have to try harder. Guys who live with their kids often have a false sense of security that there s a relationship taking place just because they re there. You caution parents about disagreeing with teenagers opinions, choice of music and media, etc., because in your opinion teens tend to take everything to heart. I thought teens didn t care what their parents thought.
Teens care about everything and pretend to care about nothing that s the magic secret of teenagers.
This is a time as a parent when you really have to be careful how you interact with them. We can end up being very critical, which can have a devastating effect on them. Instead, try to stand back and hold your tongue. The primary message that should come across is that you re really interested in their lives and in what s important to them. If you can do that, believe me, they ll calm down.