"Many mothers believe that unless they're having heart-to-hearts (like those Supermoms on TV) they're doing something wrong. True a conversation in the midst of ... driving to pick up pizza doesn't have the same official stamp of "intimacy" as snuggling ... or having a quiet talk at bedtime. But this is when kids naturally open up. The best you can do is accept that the most important information you'll get will be in the form of a two-minute sound bite dropped in your lap when you least expect it."
Ron Taffel from his book Why Parents Disagree
http://www.rontaffel.com/
In the late sixties Ron and I led therapy groups at a school for troubled teens. My clinical experience and parental experience fits the picture he paints here. Parents need to adjust their expectations as the teen joins another "tribe/family". They still need us, yet in less obvious ways. They want to learn about life more through direct experience rather than our parental vision.
