The search for a personal identity is the life task of a teenager.
Wise parents know that fighting a teenager, like fighting a riptide, is inviting doom.
Teenagers crave independence. The more self-suf-ficient we make them feel, the less hostile they are toward us.
Many teenagers are tormented by terrors they deem private and personal. They do not know that their anxieties and doubts are universal.
To sense when a teenager needs understanding and when misunderstanding is a difficult and delicate task. The sad truth is that no matter how wise we are, we cannot be right for any length of time in our teenagers' eyes.