Is life a game for pandemic teens?
Lessons learnt from an honest chat with a gaming obsessed 16 year old.
Navigating the choppy waters of parent / teenager relations is never easy. Staying up late, drinking too much, taking responsibility, lack of focus— these daily flashpoints can cause conflicts in even the most functional families, and that’s just the adults!
I have to say that up to now I think I have led a fairly gilded parenting career. As a 50 year old divorcee, last year I congratulated myself on having successfully raised one son to adulthood (well, that’s if any 18 year old can really be classed an adult) and the other to sweet(ish!) 16 with relatively few bumps along the way.
Son #1 has just completed his first term at university and despite choosing it without even visiting, the turmoil of “not-A Levels” and rarely being able to consume enough food (why do the calories in booze not add up in the same way when you’re young) he is in possession of a hugely positive outlook on life, a pragmatism that belies his years and most importantly, a wonderfully supportive set of friends. Whether I will still be as enthusiastic when in all probability he boomerangs back to contemplate the next stage of life with a degree and a mountain of student debt is anyone’s guess, but for the time being, all augurs well.
