Learning Curves 175Parent: You don’t think you’re too young? Are you
sure you can handle all the feelings that go along
with it? What about your reputation?
Daughter: Look, Mom, I’ve been messing around
with Kenny for longer than you know. I’m handling
it. I love him. He loves me. My reputation is fine.
Parent: OK. Look, I just wanted to talk about those
things—to make sure you were thinking about
them. I didn’t have sex with anyone when I was
fifteen, and I didn’t think my daughter would either.
Daughter: Sorry to disappoint you. But I’m really OK.
It’s nice of you to care. Sort of.
Parent: Well, I’m not completely convinced that
you’re OK, but I’ll leave it alone for now. But if
you’re going to be doing it—and there’s no way I
can stop you, I guess—then can we at least make
sure you’re using a form of contraception that’s a
little more reliable?I’m too tired to do this. I’m sick of my child and I don’t
have the energy to do all the talking and working
things out that you’ve described. Any advice?Living with an explosive child requires a lot of energy.
Which means we’ve got to find ways to get you your energy
back. I’ve seen the approach described in this book accom-
plish just that. As parents begin to understand their child’s