United roles for parent and child

CAROLYN B. SWAN

People generally tend to welcome infants and to cherish their role in the family, even though the parental role is demanding. Should parents resent the demands made on them when their children reach the teen years? Shouldn't adults and teens recognize the important individual role of each family member?

Just what is the teen-ager's role?

Some teens insist they should be independent of obligations toward the family. They want to be accepted with unquestioning faith that they can manage themselves. Some parents contend, however, that financial and legal dependency, and immaturity, cast the adolescent role as subservient. They don't understand why a son or daughter would expect more. Communication tends to degenerate into "I didn't ask to be born" versus "Look what I've sacrificed for you."

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