What You Should Do If Your Teen Asks About Your Rebellious Past
- If asked, never lie about your past, but maintain your role as the authority figure.
- Be your teen's role model, not his buddy. Your kids need someone to rebel against and that's you.
- Just because you got away with murder doesn't mean you'll accept it from your teen. If your teen is acting out and says it's okay because you did it when you were her age, crack down. Follow through on the consequences you've set up in advance. If your penalty for drinking and driving is taking his car away, do it.
- Have the times-have-changed talk. Times are very different now than they were 30 to 40 years ago. It used to be legal to drink at 18; now it's not. Drugs are a lot more potent now than they were then. And there are sexually transmitted diseases today, including HPV and HIV, that were never dreamed of when we were growing up.
- Listen to your teen. Her remarks will give you an indication of what she's thinking, and you might find that she isn't taking half the risks you think she is.
Mason Lawrence 11/12/07
I wouldn’t tell my kids anything about my past – it’s amazing I got through it in one piece. I think it would forever change their view of me, and I just couldn’t bear to do that to them. I think the voice of authority comes out better when it’s not sitting on top of feet of clay.
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