Perhaps there always will be a disconnect between parents and their kids because of the generational difference between the two. It’s still very possible to have a good relationship with your parents, but it’s becoming increasingly common to not have that. Why do we find it so hard to communicate with one another? Why is it difficult to be honest?

The best example of this lack of communication would be when your parents ask you how your day was or what you did that day. The most common answers are “good” or “nothing.” I‘m guilty of doing this often but I’ve done this even when I’ve had a bad day or if something actually did happen that day. I think a part of that comes from laziness but also just thinking it wasn’t an actual question but just a pleasantry that people exchange. Granted, your parents aren’t just random people and might actually want to know what you do or how you feel on a certain day. Another contributing factor to this would definitely be some teenage angst, thinking “Ew parents. I just want to go to room,” hence leading kids to just say the bare minimum in order to get out of the situation quicker. 

Other areas of weakness revolve around the thought process that even if you talk to your parents honestly and tell them everything that they won’t understand. The worst feeling in the world is finally opening up and being completely misunderstood or coming to the realization that your problems were never something your parents had to deal with, so how in the world would they understand how it feels? Again it is still possible to understand each other without having the same experiences, but this is where that generational difference comes in. If kids can’t find solace with their parents they will find it elsewhere. It could be talking to a friend or maybe something online or just burying problems because it’s “easier that way.”

Speaking about things online, that is definitely a contributing factor especially in today’s day and age. From personal experience, I know that us kids can spend hours on TikTok or YouTube or binging Netflix and think nothing of it because when you find an outlet that’s so entertaining and so accessible you tend to rely on it. Why spend time talking to your parents or spending time with them when you’ve got this amazing thing that keeps you occupied for so long? Nowadays, everything we consume online has become so relatable and is almost like they know everything about us. 

It’s important to understand that no one is at fault here. Both parents and teenagers can do better and make an effort to have a better relationship, but when neither side acknowledges a problem or actually tries to improve, nothing will change. The unfortunate truth with this disconnect is that we aren’t actively trying to close that gap.