For a teenager everything is private and everything is personal. It’s part of the self-focus mechanism that get’s them through those years where the world suddenly opens up right underneath them. They go from the comfy world of puppets and nursery rhymes to body hair, kissing and the swelling desire to throttle their parents with no provocation whatsoever.
It’s at this point parents have to climb into S.W.A.T. gear and, from a discreet distance, guide this alien creature who has assumed the form of their beloved baby.
A teen with Type 1 Diabetes will find herself discussing personal issues with her doctor and parents in the room. These kids have learned to swallow a lot of pride and be realistic about what is embarrassing. But still, when sugars are high or they just feel like it, a simple question can set off a storm of mammoth proportions.
Be easy with them, take a step back and remember you are the adult in this dynamic. Then give them a bit of room…and a lot of respect.
I’m gonna go now and pencil in my eyebrows…I lost them in the great “is that your sock on the couch” explosion of 10 minutes ago…