What to say while your teen figures out who they are

You don’t need a plan or a script tonight, just a few honest sentences you can say out loud, right when it counts.

Say this tonight

I'm not going to pretend I already know who you're becoming.
You're allowed to try on different versions of yourself before one sticks.
Whoever you turn out to be, you still get to come home.

Letting identity stay unsettled, instead of naming it for a teen, is what actually lets them find their own.

The story says the rest

In their story, a character gets to try on different versions of themselves through the choices they make, without anyone rushing them to decide who they are.

It ends with a sense of direction rather than a finished answer, because at this age direction is the honest ending.

Create their story

Read more: Stories and Self-Esteem: Building a Steadier Sense of Self

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