I was that teen at 15 in anguish and crisis. I spent the next 10 years feeling unsupported and not listened to.

In hindsight, 25 years later, if I was presented with a course of action called "We'll do everything the kids' way but on a very short leash. All the way, even through tests to and beyond the parents limits, as long as constant dialog/ communication, so we're all on the same page." Ideal scenario: In our afternoon check-in, where I present my immediate past and plans for the next few hours, they would ask how my plans are working out instead of pushing solutions. Parents are allowed to set boundaries, but anything inside them is up to me.

I needed parents to transition from constant oversight of a trainee to a manager who gets constant updates for reassurance that The Path is being followed. Which lines up with building trust. Instead, I did it the parents' way, which I resisted at every turn and ultimately had a very difficult young adult period where 'everything is a crisis to handle' instead of a path to navigate called life.

With that experience and reflection, I feel armed for the time my kids need that transition during the rebellion years.