What does a “normal” teen look like? What is typical behavior, and how does the modern parent find their sense of emotional well-being through it all? In this article, we explore this emotional issue and look at some common scenarios in which this focus on our teen’s behavior can become a mask for our own problems.

As parents, we are wired to worry, particularly as our children enter their teen years and embark on the trial-and-error of life learning. The teen years can be rocky, as our children begin to rebel and disrespect their parents; at the same time, we parents can be left feeling sad that our teenagers don’t need us anymore. These fears can be compounded by the pressures of perfection. We don’t want to become the overly concerned parent, nor do we want to become preoccupied with our teen’s lives, but the concern nevertheless lives on.