If you’re raising a teenager today, it can feel like every parenting decision carries enormous stakes.
Parents are bombarded with alarming headlines about adolescent mental health: rising anxiety, loneliness and depression. Social media, smartphones and academic pressure are often cited as the causes. Every week seems to bring a new explanation for why teens are struggling.
The message many parents absorb is simple: Don’t make things worse.
After hearing that often enough, many parents start to worry that one wrong move could make things worse. They try not to push too hard or enforce too many rules, fearing that doing so might add to their kids’ stress.
But in the process, something important can get lost. In today’s parenting culture, many parents have quietly grown afraid to claim their authority.
