As pandemic lockdowns continue, parents and teenage children are spending more and more time together. It is not always easy to connect with teens, because they often feel their parents do not understand them and prefer to confide in their friends instead. Nevertheless, the time at home offers an opportunity for parent-teen relationships to evolve and for trust to grow in developmentally appropriate ways. Teens need the guidance and support of a parent as an important balance to the permissive understanding of a “friendship” relationship. As children become teenagers, parental authority does not diminish but may be better served by involving the teens in a dialogue about rules and limits. For more information on building relationships with your teenagers, visit https://lacatholics.org/did-you-know/