> When I was your age I was more lonely than anyone knew. Is anything going on in your life that no one knows about?
I spend my entire working day, and many hours afterward in extracurricular activities, with teenagers. This is a remarkably bad question. None of the questions, to be honest, is very good, but this one in particular would earn you a straight-up blank stare. It’s good to ask kids direct, deep questions, but they have to believe—-like feel in their guts—-that no matter what they tell you, you will still be there for them and you won’t judge them. Especially when kids are doing something they know is dangerous or harmful (like, say, cutting or acting out sexually). And if we’re completely honest, kids are often most afraid of telling their parents about that stuff. I deal with this a lot, in part because of the environment my kids (at school) are growing up in leading to a shitload of trauma and in part because I am one of the adults in the building who truly gives a shit about their mental health and emotional well-being (there aren’t that many of us, unfortunately, out of 120 teachers). The single most common element every case of a kid confiding in me has is terror over what their parent(s) will say/do. So, these questions are, like, not exactly designed to elicit real answers.
The question at the top is a power play, a sales pitch, an ego boost that fakes reciprocity but keeps all the cards.
Notice how the vulnerability is kept in the past. "I used to be lonely, but now I'm fine! I don't need anything from you, but I bet you need something from me!"
It's generally taken as good advice for parents to not rely on their children for emotional support ie: preferring unidirectional emotional regulation as opposed to co-regulation. Emotional co-regulation is seen as being as placing undue burdens on children. Is that what you were referring to or is it something else?
A tangential question then - what do you think or suggest is a good way to reduce that fear on the part of the parent? It kind of sounds like a long term project, as in through most of their lives prior to these teenage years. It seems like a great point you've got and I'm wondering if there's much directly that can be done to improve the situation.
You know, I honestly don’t know. In all the situations I’ve dealt with that involved getting kids into counseling or stuff like that, the parent(s) have been extremely supportive of the kids. It’s like it took going through it once for the kids to realize they don’t have to be afraid of being honest about serious stuff with their parent(s).
On the other hand, I do have kids who are gay who will not, under any circumstances, come out to their parent(s) because of the parent’s homophobia. And I see the damage it does to kids who have and who live with people who basically hate them. So that sort of thing is a tough nut to crack. Maybe it’s just because of my substantive views on sexual orientation, but it strikes me as doing it completely wrong if you hate your own kid because of it.
I guess it also matters that I deal with 9th graders, so they are just in that stage where they’re discovering themselves as people independent of their parents, and they’re afraid of being rejected or punished for things because they haven’t experienced dealing with Serious Life Issues in relation to their parent(s) yet.
These seem so incincere, I can't put my finger on why. Just be interested in what they're interested in, same as how to connect with anyone. Let them tell you about things. Thereby establish you are interested in them as a person and are a good listener. And perhaps critically, don't start out with a view to change them - that requires a great deal of trust willingly placed on their behalf which you haven't earned and will never be able to force.
Genuine conversations don't come about through being scheduled for a sit-down interview in a meeting room or lounge room - especially not when notes are being taken or they're being recorded, even if there are drinks and snacks present. Active listening is more than just storming in with a question and waiting quietly for a response before launching the next barrage.
Real conversations only happen when there's a mutual understanding of how others tick and when the most appropriate time there is to raise a likely-uncomfortable topic. I'm not going to generalise about women, but I can say that for many men, examples of such situations might include when they're out fishing, cycling, playing golf, or just doing any other hobby that allows one to be "distracted" most times with silence.
Silence is very awkward in sit-down situations where you're "forced" to converse, but not if there's another activity as the main alibi. It's okay to go out fishing and not catch a fish. It's okay to go fishing and not say a word. But it's also okay to start talking freely once both parties are ready for it at a future mystery time and location.
I don't know anyone who fishes, bikes, or plays golf. I suspect this is the reason many people are critically lonely. There's just no place to be with other people and talk.
Perhaps women are culturally more comfortable going out for coffee or running errands together. For all the men I know that would be super weird.
Shame. We need to find new ways to just be together.
I think the reason it feels insincere is that most of the questions are not designed to be asked to get the actual opinion of the teenager, they're designed to try and push the asker's opinion onto the teenager. This is quite obviously the case, and any teenager who isn't a simpleton will find the questions incredibly patronising for this reason
What opinion is getting pushed by these extremely open questions?
I can see how many teenagers wouldn't like to openly discuss sex or politics with their parents because they already know what kind of answers their parent want or don't want to hear. But I don't think the article claims that asking a few questions can undo years of bad parenting.
would agree. i don’t have kids myself but often get asked to watch people’s kids for extended times; half the time building trust is just being interested in what they are interested in. not even participating just asking questions and encouraging them to go get excited and share their excitement with you. pay attention, try to learn why they are into something and just share in their excitement.
i won’t try to claim it always works but at least for my experience just being someone who is safe for younger people to share their ideas and thoughts with (starting with the “lighter” thoughts) seems to make the foundation for the kids being more willing to ask the tough questions about life on their own or to listen when you do want to share your own thoughts.
> Just be interested in what they're interested in, same as how to connect with anyone. Let them tell you about things.
Oh, so “just already be good at talking to your kids”. Appreciate the advice.
Seriously, this is for parents that want to do a better job. Your advice isn’t particularly useful as it isn’t specific enough for people that aren’t already connecting with their kids.
Perhaps propose more specific actionable advice. You can’t listen to someone that isn’t talking. What should they ask or share to break the ice?
actionable advice: pay attention to your kids interest. and use what you learn when the situation calls for it.
there is a new movie out that i think you'll enjoy. shall we go watch it?
or, i saw a shop with your favorite style clothes, comics, whatever on sale on the way home. you may want to go check it out...
taking interest in other people means paying attention to things that you can do to help them further their interests.
you should to the same with your partner too, btw, so that when the kids are there you already have practice. and you can also do it with your friends. taking interest is a big factor in any relationship. taking interest means you care about them.
I can say I might have had a meaningful relationship with parents if they were the kind of people to ask some of these questions when I was young. Questions are not trite and do not treat the person as dumb.
But yes asking them the right way requires to adopt this attitude too.
I actually feel like questions should be _genuinely_ discussed earlier than the article suggests; more like tweens minus the virginity question.
I feel as if the feedback would be less obstructed the earlier the discussion takes place. My children are young and we have already had discussions above their age level on a handful of these topics.
There is nothing more insincere then me "being interested" in Harry Potter, Taylor Swift and superhero movies. As in, if insincerity is the worry, the common interest us the worst possible platform. Because, partly I am not interested in stuff teenagers are into now, which is normal for someone of my age. And partly because teenagers seeks to create own identity so me going into there would kinda destroyed it for them.
Its not incincere if you actually find something interesting. And believe me, there are interesting things in everything. Every time ive dismissed something as not interesting (astrology, tarot etc) it's closed off parts of my relationship with people. Sure I thought they were dumb superstition for dumb people. They can immediately tell that from my body language. It's almost as though having that kind of attitude about anything is unwise.
Turns out when I get them to tell me about it without judgement, and show enough humility that they open up to me, they get excited about the things they love, and then you can't help but be a bit excited too. You get a better sense how what they think and how they think, which usually leads to genuinely good bits.
why is taking interest in what others like insincere? if i ask a little kid to tell me about their favorite cartoon character, is that insincere too? if my wife wants us to watch a romantic movie together, am i being insincere if i don't dismiss it as uninteresting?
being interested in what other people enjoy is not insincere at all. it is in fact required if we want to build any sort of relationship with them.
you don't have to like it. and you don't have to watch all of it. but you can take an interest without being insincere.
I think the target audience for these questions are people that have been afraid of having these conversations with their kids. The article and questions are there to give the hesitant parent permission to have deeper conversations than, "How was school today?"
A million times this. Even if the parents aren’t necessarily authoritarian, kids can still be deeply afraid of confiding in their parent(s) when they’re doing something that they feel their parents will judge them for. Teenagers feel like they’re being judged from the outside all the time. They worry so much (consciously or not) about what other people think of them. To have it come from home too can just be too much.
Seriously. If either of my parents had asked me this when I was a teenager, my brain would have immediately gone into overdrive trying to figure out what they already knew about, what they suspected, and how best to keep my secrets secret.
I feel like teenage me might have answered most of these, with varying levels of honesty, but is any kid answering "What’s the best way for someone to lose their virginity?"? Yeah, don't ask that one.
The math is relatively simple, but the social/political/macroeconomical policy influences to wages, interest rates, property values are non-trivial and probably require a brief incursion into basic economics before a fruitful discussion could be held.
Otherwise, just tell them the lie that you can own a home if you work hard for 30+ years.
that assumes that property ownership is something everyone should want, so it is a leading question. better ask if they think that owning a house is important. you can have a much more open conversation that way. if they say yes, then ask how and when they would think they would achieve that.
Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to.
If you're still breathing, it's never too late to start a trust...to ensure that their dream of homeownership is not achieved through inheritance powder.
Wow a lot of these seem like stupid questions that would make your teen less likely to talk to you. Asking some manufactured question seems like bullshit, and most will see through it. Why not just talk about sincere things?
Readit News
I spend my entire working day, and many hours afterward in extracurricular activities, with teenagers. This is a remarkably bad question. None of the questions, to be honest, is very good, but this one in particular would earn you a straight-up blank stare. It’s good to ask kids direct, deep questions, but they have to believe—-like feel in their guts—-that no matter what they tell you, you will still be there for them and you won’t judge them. Especially when kids are doing something they know is dangerous or harmful (like, say, cutting or acting out sexually). And if we’re completely honest, kids are often most afraid of telling their parents about that stuff. I deal with this a lot, in part because of the environment my kids (at school) are growing up in leading to a shitload of trauma and in part because I am one of the adults in the building who truly gives a shit about their mental health and emotional well-being (there aren’t that many of us, unfortunately, out of 120 teachers). The single most common element every case of a kid confiding in me has is terror over what their parent(s) will say/do. So, these questions are, like, not exactly designed to elicit real answers.
The question at the top is a power play, a sales pitch, an ego boost that fakes reciprocity but keeps all the cards.
Notice how the vulnerability is kept in the past. "I used to be lonely, but now I'm fine! I don't need anything from you, but I bet you need something from me!"
On the other hand, I do have kids who are gay who will not, under any circumstances, come out to their parent(s) because of the parent’s homophobia. And I see the damage it does to kids who have and who live with people who basically hate them. So that sort of thing is a tough nut to crack. Maybe it’s just because of my substantive views on sexual orientation, but it strikes me as doing it completely wrong if you hate your own kid because of it.
I guess it also matters that I deal with 9th graders, so they are just in that stage where they’re discovering themselves as people independent of their parents, and they’re afraid of being rejected or punished for things because they haven’t experienced dealing with Serious Life Issues in relation to their parent(s) yet.
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Real conversations only happen when there's a mutual understanding of how others tick and when the most appropriate time there is to raise a likely-uncomfortable topic. I'm not going to generalise about women, but I can say that for many men, examples of such situations might include when they're out fishing, cycling, playing golf, or just doing any other hobby that allows one to be "distracted" most times with silence.
Silence is very awkward in sit-down situations where you're "forced" to converse, but not if there's another activity as the main alibi. It's okay to go out fishing and not catch a fish. It's okay to go fishing and not say a word. But it's also okay to start talking freely once both parties are ready for it at a future mystery time and location.
Perhaps women are culturally more comfortable going out for coffee or running errands together. For all the men I know that would be super weird.
Shame. We need to find new ways to just be together.
I can see how many teenagers wouldn't like to openly discuss sex or politics with their parents because they already know what kind of answers their parent want or don't want to hear. But I don't think the article claims that asking a few questions can undo years of bad parenting.
i won’t try to claim it always works but at least for my experience just being someone who is safe for younger people to share their ideas and thoughts with (starting with the “lighter” thoughts) seems to make the foundation for the kids being more willing to ask the tough questions about life on their own or to listen when you do want to share your own thoughts.
Oh, so “just already be good at talking to your kids”. Appreciate the advice.
Seriously, this is for parents that want to do a better job. Your advice isn’t particularly useful as it isn’t specific enough for people that aren’t already connecting with their kids.
Perhaps propose more specific actionable advice. You can’t listen to someone that isn’t talking. What should they ask or share to break the ice?
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there is a new movie out that i think you'll enjoy. shall we go watch it?
or, i saw a shop with your favorite style clothes, comics, whatever on sale on the way home. you may want to go check it out...
taking interest in other people means paying attention to things that you can do to help them further their interests.
you should to the same with your partner too, btw, so that when the kids are there you already have practice. and you can also do it with your friends. taking interest is a big factor in any relationship. taking interest means you care about them.
But yes asking them the right way requires to adopt this attitude too.
I feel as if the feedback would be less obstructed the earlier the discussion takes place. My children are young and we have already had discussions above their age level on a handful of these topics.
Turns out when I get them to tell me about it without judgement, and show enough humility that they open up to me, they get excited about the things they love, and then you can't help but be a bit excited too. You get a better sense how what they think and how they think, which usually leads to genuinely good bits.
being interested in what other people enjoy is not insincere at all. it is in fact required if we want to build any sort of relationship with them.
you don't have to like it. and you don't have to watch all of it. but you can take an interest without being insincere.
Um. Yeah. My parents might have gotten me to answer here, but they had literally spent a lifetime building trust.
Being from a religious community, I saw a lot of authoritarian parents who had completely destroyed their relationship with their kids.
Good luck talking about getting your teen to talk about forbidden topics you’ll punished them for if they give the wrong answer.
Le climate change is surely the issue parenting should be concerned with.
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This comes from both the "climate change is a hoax" and "we're all going to die" extremes of the debate and everywhere in between.
So a parent seeking to check-in with their kids on the topic seems kind of obvious.
Yeah, as a teen that would be fucking weird, I'd only be able to respone with sarcasm.
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Otherwise, just tell them the lie that you can own a home if you work hard for 30+ years.
If you're still breathing, it's never too late to start a trust...to ensure that their dream of homeownership is not achieved through inheritance powder.