arenting teenagers is a whole new kind of parenting. As the parent of a teenager, we want to protect them as much as we can. But we all must go through that right of passage called being a teenager for ourselves. It’s the time when they begin to leave behind the care-free days of childhood and start to explore their own identity and independence. There are countless questions are running through the mind of a teenager. Who do “they” expect me to be? Why can’t my parents get along? Does he like me? Does she like me? Am I ready to be a grown-up? If I say “no” will they still like me? The list goes on and on.

Even teens with every opportunity available to them are confronted daily with challenges that we couldn’t even imagine just ten years ago. Think for a moment about your own teen years. For some of us it is relatively painless; for others it is marked with chaos and strife. You likely had moments ranging from confusion to downright despair. Was there trouble at home? Did you feel misunderstood? Were you overwhelmed by peer pressure? Did you ever feel like you had no one to talk to? Regardless of whether you were a teenager three or thirty years ago, you can probably still remember what it was like.

The challenges facing today's teens are unprecedented. Even teens with every imaginable opportunity available to them are confronted daily with challenges that we couldn’t even imagine just ten years ago. They have more independence, time & technology than ever before. And they are under more pressure than ever before. Even teens that look like they have it all together are living in a pressure cooker of expectations and challenges.

When I mention to people that I work with teenagers they tend to automatically assume that I work with “troubled” teens. What they mean when they say “troubled teens” is teens that have behavioral issues. Maybe they’ve had trouble at home, maybe they’ve gotten into drugs or even been arrested. But the reality is, in my opinion, all teens are troubled. Your teen is going through a lot of changes. They are all struggling to reconcile who you want them to be with who they really are and who they ultimately want to be. As I said before, this is a whole new kind of parenting. But it can be the most rewarding. Your baby is now transitioning in to young adulthood and it’s pretty exciting to watch them discover who they can be in the world.

We can't protect our children from everything but we can empower them to go around some of life's potholes!

Ronda Wada empowers teens and parents to have authentic, emotionally healthy relationships with one another. She is a coach, facilitator, and premier show host on www.thewinonline.com. Her proudest accomplishment is her own two teenagers, Neil & Alyssa. She can be reached at Ronda@RondaWada.com.