So you’re a parent. Or you’re a teenager. That means you know what’s coming. You can sense it deep inside, see it in the broken eye contact and the cleared throat. You can hear it in the quiet, strained, slightly nervous words: “We need to talk.”
You and I, parent and teen, are about to sit down together and talk about something serious. Whatever it is, it’s a delicate subject, and we’re both uncomfortable. It’s an awkward conversation.
Awkwardness is something we humans love to avoid. Nobody likes how it makes us feel. But for Christ-following teenagers and parents, awkwardness is an inescapable part of learning. Jesus himself could be called the master of awkward conversations. He modeled the reality that hard conversations are necessary for the sake of gospel growth. His young disciples in first-century Palestine learned this, and his young disciples in modern-day America need to learn it, too.
As a teenage Christ-follower, I want to share with you five awkward and sanctifying conversations I believe every teenager and parent should have.