TEXT A It is natural for young
people to be critical of their parents at times and to blame them for most of
the misunderstandings between them. They have always complained, more or less
justly, that their parents are out of touch with modern ways; that they are
possessive and dominant; that they do not trust their children to deal with
crisis; that they talk too much about certain problems--and that they have no
sense of humor, at least in parent-child relationships. I think
it is true that parents often underestimate their teenage children and also
forget how they themselves felt when young. Young people often
irritate their parents with their choices in clothes and hairstyles, in
entertainers and music. This is not their motive. They feel cut off from the
adult world into which they have not yet been accepted. So they create a culture
and society of their own. Then, it turns out that their music or entertainers or
vocabulary or clothes or hairstyles irritate their parents. This gives them
additional enjoyment. They feel they are superior, at least in a small way, and
that they are leaders in style and taste. Sometimes you are
resistant, and proud because you do not want your parents to approve of what you
do. If they did approve, it looks as if you are betraying your own age group.
But in that case, you are assuming that you are underdog: you can’t win but at
least you can keep your honor. This is a passive way of looking at things. It is
natural enough after long years of childhood, when you were completely under
your parents~ control. But it ignores the fact that you are now beginning to be
responsible for yourself. If you plan to control your life,
co-operation can be part of that plan. You can charm others, especially your
parents, into doing things the way you want. You can impress others with your
sense of responsibility and initiative, so that they will give you the authority
to do what you want to do. To improve parent-child relationships, teenagers are advised to be ______.