Three Teens Talk on Interacting with Parents

By Michelle E. Ancheta

Michelle: “Talking to parents is like hurdling an obstacle course – you jump over questions, dodge accusations, run from sermons and suddenly, WHAM! You trip!”

Pia: “It’s hard enough to talk to parents about normal stuff, like coping with school or dealing with peer pressure, but wait till your first crush. Then, they drop ambiguous words, mumble indistinct metaphors like birds and bees, sacred flower, and scepter of power…..”

Ed: “Parents have a way of making us feel like kids again, safe and protected, yet at the same time small and inadequate. But, in this age of new technology where teens have access to everything and anything, parents naturally worry.”

Michelle: “When I had my first boyfriend, I approached my mom and told her we needed to “talk”….and, she gripped my shoulders, looked at me wide-eyed and sighed “are you pregnant?”
Guffaws of laughter…but all three admitted that teen pregnancy is a painful reality today.

Pia : “ Let’s face it – our parents have been there, done that and they’re not kidding when they say they know what you’re going through.”

Ed: “So instead of taking advice from friends who just have had as much experience with life as we have, we should try talking to our parents…”

Michelle: Confessing to your parents is one thing, but trying to get advice is a whole different matter.

Ed: “Yes…reminds me of EJ when he moved from Davao to study in Manila. His father gave him the inevitable “rubber” talk, enlightening him about the perils of sex and the necessary precautions to take. But instead of being enlightened, EJ wound up with 12 cartons of glow in the dark Trojans with no idea of how and when he should use them.

Pia: It’s no surprise EJ’s father acted that way. Often, when children reach adolescence, parents start to panic. They blabber all kinds of things and finally leave their child perplexed and sometimes, even traumatized.

Michelle: The problem is teens may know a lot…but are confused with all the information …and so, still need clear parental guidance.

Ed: It’s up to parents to guide their teens and make sure they’re headed in the right direction. It’s equally important to respect their teens’ decision and allow them to learn lessons on their own.

Pia: I wish parents could be specific, share experiences and not fear telling the truth.