Love Letters from Parents to Teens - Marlene Riddle

Statistics show 51 percent of teens are afraid of talking to their parents about personal, private problems. It’s even slightly higher when it comes to talking to their teachers. What are parents to do? One solution is for parents to write to their teens about these problems. In Love Letters from Parents to Teens, author Marlene Riddle offers examples of letters written by parents to their teens to help guide them through difficult situations, life’s challenges, and times of discouragement and confusion.

Riddle—an educator for more than forty years—believes if parents take the first step in writing to their teens, the adolescent may like the idea and begin writing back. With time, these letters may no longer be necessary, and the parent and teen may be talking to each other face to face, having conversations in an atmosphere of trust and harmony. The sample letters address everything from trust, to relationships, choosing friends, dealing with bullies, being popular, jealousy, labeling, enjoying adolescence, having a vision and purpose, and more. 

Adolescence doesn’t have to be the most difficult time of a person’s life. A parent can transform these short years into fun, exciting experiences. A parent’s responsibility is to build teens up, not tear them down, creating a strong, meaningful relationship. And it can all begin with a letter.