Teens and Stress: Parents, Please Listen Up!

Are you close to your teenager? When was the last time the two of you had a heart-to-heart talk?

Maintaining strong family ties is a cornerstone of Islam. However, many of us seem to need proof that strong family ties are necessary or even possible in North America. Consequently, even Muslim teenagers are finding it difficult to approach their parents to talk about stresses they are facing in their academic, personal and social lives. Many teens feel their parents would not understand what they are going through. And this may be true to some degree for teens whose parents are recent immigrants to North America. However, even African American and Caucasian Muslim teens find it awkward to confide in their parents or to have a simple conversation. Teens say parents are too quick to judge them and to offer solutions rather than to listen to what they are feeling and experiencing. Parents, on the other hand, note that their teens are overly judgmental themselves, and that they assume that their parents do not understand the current teen culture. Or that their teens feel they will be less independent if their parents are involved