We recently referred you to “The Hardest Fight to Have With Your Teen”, in which New York Times reporter
Jessica Grose offers some very helpful insight and tips for parents wanting to
better understand their teens’ unique stresses with the pandemic.
Everyone needs help, especially those wanting to help. Needless to say, there is no precedent for the
current situation, and research is ongoing in real time. Grose’s article even
offers examples of research conducted in May contrasting with research conducted
more recently. It can make your head spin and make you worried you’ll ask the
wrong question.
READ MORE: Mental health tips for COVID-era teens
With “What Do You Want Your Parents to Know About What It's Like to Be a Teenager During the Pandemic?” NYT writer Jeremy Engle, takes
it one step further and actually offers concise, well-thought-out-questions
specifically crafted to ask of teens. Engle, a man with more than 20 years as a
classroom humanities and documentary-making teacher, professional developer and
curriculum designer working with students and teachers across the country,
requests teens read Grose’s article, and then asks them the following questions:
- What should
parents and the other adults in your life know about what it is like to be
a teenager during the coronavirus pandemic? What unique challenges do
young people face? What do you wish adults understood about what you’re
going through now?
- How is your
relationship with your parents or guardians during this crisis? What
conflicts and friction, if any, have you had? For instance, do you ever
argue over socializing or safety protocols? What things have your parents
and other adults in your life gotten right about your needs and
challenges?
- Lisa Damour,
a clinical psychologist and the author of The New York Times’s Adolescence
column, says that “pandemic conditions are at cross currents with normal
adolescent development.” What do you think she means by that statement? Do
you agree that “this is a particularly difficult time to be young”?
- What is your
reaction to the surveys of teenagers cited in the article? Which findings
resonate with your own experiences during the pandemic? Do you think that
your own mental health and social life are significantly worse than they
were pre-pandemic?
- What do you
think of the article’s advice for parents? Do you think that having them
say to their teens “Let me try to articulate it from your perspective”
would be effective? What recommendations would you give to
parents and other adults?
- If you were a
parent of teenagers, how would you approach parenting in a pandemic? What
kinds of rules and expectations would you have about socializing and
social distancing? What would you do to meet their needs as adolescents.
We hope you’ll do the same. Good luck.
Other articles by HVP News Reporters