Last night I enjoyed open-dialogue with one of my fave teenagers…you know who you are! We agreed that having parents that care, albeit annoying at times is far better and love is all you need…and of course shoes and handbags.

Joking aside though being able to talk about anything is indeed a privilege and a comfort and if only all relationships could be that honest.

I repeat the wise words of Freud:

Freud’s talking cure; ‘the purpose to change hysterical misery into ordinary human unhappiness.’

Though far better to talk about what is making one feel stressful and therefore unhappy before it develops to a position of hysteria.  We have all heard the saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved.’ which echoes this in simple terms.

As children with a great mentor as a mother we were always encouraged to express our opinions and be confident but also made aware that if something was troubling us we could discuss that too.

Parenting is not just about instructing it is about listening and making sure we find time to do just that.