When you grow older, then you would understand why I was right.
When you become a parent then you would know how I feel.

As a parent, we often say this to our children, specially those teenage children. When they ask for permissions for going out, for a party, ask for money, move to another city, and so many such things that interest a younger heart and mind.

I have now stopped saying this to my child. They haven’t been older, they haven’t been a parent, while I have been a teenager before. I have held that teenage heart once and have known how and why it feels the way it does. Even after being their age once, when I can’t understand them today, how do I expect them to understand me years later when they grow older? I feel saying this just robs them of the reasoning in a dialog or negotiation.

Maybe we can use our experiences of yesterday to understand the young today, vs expecting them to understand us years later. It may help in having a more honest conversation from the parent.

This is how I feel, how about you?