I believe I speak for a lot of my peers when I say: parents, listen to your children.
There’s an old song by Will Smith with the words: “parents just don’t understand.” But I think it’s more like parents just don’t listen. They talk about how things were when they were kids, but things are different now, and parents should listen and talk to their children so that they can hear just how different things are.
Our parents have so many demands on their lives that they can’t hear us shouting “we need you!” We really do need you to listen and to talk to us.
I went home with a friend one day. When we walked in, I said hello to his mother. She smiled, waved, and continued talking on the phone. We hung out for hours and she never said anything to either of us.
We left and went to my house. When we arrived, my Mom immediately started talking to us about where we’d been, what we ate, what homework we had, and what was on our minds.
My friend was so happy, and I was surprised at how much he talked to my mom. He told her about how marbles were becoming the thing at school. I could tell my mom was tired but she got on the floor with us and taught us how to play marbles. She listened to us go on and on about things that are important to us as kids.
I appreciate my mom more when I compare her to other moms. I like to talk a lot, but no matter how much I talk, my mom always listens. Even if her eyes are closed, she says “I hear you, son.”