Joanna Fortune: My teen won't tell us where they've been on trips to the city with friends

It’s important for parents to support teen children develop their independence

My daughter is 16 and has started going to the city with her friends. She always comes home on time but won’t talk about where she went or what she did. I want to encourage her independence but I’m worried about her safety.

We often talk about the developmental adjustments that take place during adolescence but what can get overlooked is that each of these adjustments requires a parallel adjustment from parents. It is normal for children to seek increased privacy from their parents during adolescence but if parents still need to know everything about their lives, this adjustment will be problematic.