Dear Teenager, I’m Not Attacking You. I’m Trying To Teach You………
June 1st 2026
This post is going to be a long one, cause it is something that has been on my mind for the last several years. And I know I am not the only one who is dealing with teenagers.
–🤎🤎–
One thing I have noticed about teenagers is how badly they want to be right.
I understand because I was the same way.
When we are young, we often mistake information for wisdom. We think that because we have an opinion, an answer, or a strong feeling about something, we fully understand it.
The truth is that some lessons cannot be learned from a phone, a classroom, or a social media video.
Some lessons only come from living.
You learn them through heartbreak.
Through paying bills.
Through raising children.
Through making mistakes.
Through apologizing when you were wrong.
Through loving people when it is difficult.
Through losing people you thought would always be there.
Wisdom is often earned through experiences we never wanted to have.
That does not mean teenagers are not intelligent. It simply means there are some things you cannot fully understand until life hands them to you personally.
At sixteen, I was sure I knew a lot.
At fifty, I realize how much I still have left to learn.
That is the funny thing about wisdom.
The wiser you become, the less certain you are that you know everything.
🤎🤎🤎
Another thing I wish teenagers understood is that not every conversation is an attack.
Sometimes parents ask questions because they are trying to understand.
Sometimes they offer advice because they have already walked that road.
Sometimes they correct something because they can see a problem coming before their child can.
That does not mean parents are always right.
We are human too.
We make mistakes. We get tired. We say things poorly sometimes.
But most parents are not staying awake at night because they enjoy being difficult.
They worry because they love deeply.
Many teenagers hear criticism when a parent is offering concern.
They hear control when a parent is offering protection.
They hear judgment when a parent is sharing experience.
The truth is that most parents are simply trying to help their children avoid some of the pain they experienced themselves.
Not because they know everything.
Because they care.
One day, many teenagers will become parents themselves and suddenly understand why their mom or dad asked so many questions.
Not because they were trying to control them.
Because they loved them.
🤎🤎🤎
One thing I have always tried to teach my children is to be open, honest, and straightforward.
I want them to know they can come to me with the hard things.
The mistakes.
The fears.
The embarrassing moments.
The questions they are afraid to ask.
I do not expect perfection.
I expect honesty.
I would rather have a difficult conversation built on truth than a comfortable conversation built on silence.
Honesty builds trust.
I want my children to know that home should be a place where they can tell the truth, even when the truth is messy.
Not because they will never make mistakes.
Because they will.
We all do.
But when families can be honest with one another, mistakes become opportunities to learn instead of secrets that grow heavier over time.
I do not need my children to know everything.
I do not need them to always agree with me.
I simply hope they know that every conversation, every question, and every piece of advice comes from a place of love.
Even on the days it does not feel that way.
🤎🤎🤎
There is something else I wish teenagers understood.
Parents are human too.
We carry burdens our children never see.
We worry about bills, jobs, health, marriages, family members, and the future. Some of us carry chronic pain, anxiety, grief, exhaustion, or struggles we rarely talk about because we are trying to protect the people we love.
Most parents work very hard not to let those burdens spill into everyday life.
But sometimes they do.
Not because we do not love our children.
Because we are human.
There are days when we are tired.
Days when we are stressed.
Days when we do not handle things perfectly.
We are learning too.
One of the most important lessons I hope my children learn is that it is okay for people to disagree and still love one another.
My love for them does not disappear because we have an argument.
It does not disappear because they make mistakes.
And it certainly does not disappear because we see things differently.
🤎🤎🤎
Another thing I wish teenagers understood is that adulthood does not always give us the option to do things only when we feel like it.
There are days when I am tired.
Days when I am hurting.
Days when my anxiety is high.
Days when I would love nothing more than to stay in bed and shut the world out for a while.
But responsibilities do not stop.
The bills still need to be paid.
People still need to eat.
Appointments still need to be made.
Life keeps moving.
One of the greatest lessons adulthood teaches is that sometimes we do hard things because they need to be done, not because we want to do them.
I learned that lesson early.
By the time I was around twelve years old, I was helping care for a household. I helped care for my sister. I cleaned. I cooked. I went to school. I carried responsibilities that many children should never have to carry so young.
Looking back, I realize those experiences shaped me in ways I am still discovering.
They taught me responsibility.
They taught me resilience.
But they also taught me that people are often carrying far more than anyone realizes.
Maybe that is one of the most important lessons of all.
Not everyone is fighting a battle you can see.
Sometimes the strongest person in the room is carrying burdens nobody knows about.
And sometimes your parents are carrying more than they tell you because they are trying to protect you from the weight of it.
That is why I hope my children will listen.
Not because I expect them to agree with me every time.
But because experience is a teacher that often charges a very expensive price.
And if I can pass along even one lesson that saves them some pain, I will always try.
–🤎🤎🤎–
🤎Gentle Reminder: It gets better and one day they have their epiphany. And life will be harmonious and wonderful again. Hang in there!
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