As a parent of teens, I can tell you that sometimes trying to communicate with my child is like learning a foreign language. After a period of trying to explain what we are feeling to each other, we end up just looking at each other like frustrated, confused deer caught in headlights.
While we all know communication is key to a good relationship with our teens, sometimes achieving it may take something that is not natural for us… giving space.
As an adult with many years of life experience, there are times when I need to take time to process a situation before I am ready to verbalize my feelings. So, how much more does a teen who is experiencing so much life change (physical, emotional, social) need time to process a situation before talking it out?
Unfortunately, as parents, we feel the need to fix things for our kids. We try and rush the conversation to come to a conclusion so we can do something. In this rush, we can totally overlook deeper issues and end up simply adding to the problem.
A quote I heard a long time ago was “we are called to prepare the child for the path not prepare the path for the child”.
It’s important in the growth of a teen, especially as a believer, for them to try and come to conclusions on their own with our occasional guidance. I like to view it as helping to put up the guardrails for the road they travel on but let them steer the car.
So, next time your teen says, “give me some space”, maybe that’s exactly what they need.
