I had lunch with two friends of mine today at Sweet Tomato (8/8/08). One thing that we share in our experience is that we are all mother-of-two-kids. That defined the focus of our chat. At some points, we recalled the time of our coming of age and the years when we were immature and our parents had to put up with our immaturity.

The recollections of those difficult years with our parents should offer us some insights when we are facing the same problem that our parents once faced before. It helps creat an empathy, with which we could be sensitive toward and understanding of the special issues and problems that the youngsters might pose during their difficult teenage years.

Simply put it, the recollection put us back to the position that we once occupied when we were teenagers, so that we are capable of feeling and thinking of what it feels like to be a teenager.

Very interesting and useful exercise for parents, that is, if their memories have not failed them.