The Conscious Parent

were growing up, so that they failed to learn containment, they now go
wild. If you were neglectful of your children or absent, they now refuse
to connect with you.
Let me reassure you from my experience of working with parents and
teens that it’s still not too late for healing. It will just be harder to
achieve since teens are wary. In such circumstances, parents are asked to
endure the pain their teens inflict on them, knowing this is a reflection of
the parents’ failure over the years to connect with their child as a real
person like themselves. The parent has to be willing to admit, “I haven’t
been there for you, so please teach me what I need to do to repair our
relationship.”
On the other hand, this is the stage in which you also get to reap the
fruits of your investment in your children. If you were able to listen to
their authentic needs and nurture their essence, you will be delighted by
their ability to do the same. It’s my prayer that, as a result of this book,
countless parents will be able to say of their children’s entry into their
teens: “Now you rise taller, brighter, grander than I was able to. Deeply
connected to your essence, you are powerful. I am in awe of who you
have become.”
These are years in which you must trust. Ah, this is a true test indeed!
Your teens are going through a maelstrom of emotions. Continuing to
develop at alarming rates, they are negotiating a semi-adult world, taking
on jobs, embarking on trips to foreign lands on their own, and entering
college. Falling in love, breaking up, being dumped, and testing all sorts
of physical and psychological limits are also a part of the maelstrom.
More than ever, they need your acceptance.