“Long Live"
🌟Weekly Inspiration🌟
In the span of one week, I attended my 30th high school reunion and the Taylor Swift concert—and I keep thinking about both ❤️. I attended a small high school on the central coast, Morro Bay High School. It is a special place and some of my favorite people turn up every ten years for our reunions. I was particularly struck this time to be reminiscing with the people that I was a teenager with—while I am currently raising three teenagers at home. I was flooded with memories and we kept talking about our mild misbehavior, funny stories, and near misses until the wee hours of the morning. To hear us recollect, you would think none of us had adult supervision (and honestly, I think we had very little). Times were different, our parents were working, and we were basically good kids.
I was struck by how much we were all going through emotionally as teenagers, some we shared with each other, and some we did not. As middle-aged people, we dropped back in with one another and shared more about the realities of our circumstances and challenges back then ❤️. It made me realize how my own teenagers have complicated emotional lives that I am not privy to. This is natural, though an uncomfortable realization for many parents.
All of this hit home for me at the Taylor Swift concert. My daughter is 18 and Taylor Swift’s music has been the soundtrack of her childhood. I had the privilege of taking her and five besties before they all leave for college this month. It was a near-religious experience for all of us (no joke!)—what a show! The girls knew every lyric. They have spent many hours over the years blasting the music at sleepovers, at the beach, and in the car. “Long Live” is one of their favorites. The chorus is SO perfect for what it means to be an adolescent.
“Long live the walls we crashed through
I had the time of my life with you
Long, long live the walls we crashed through
How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
And I was screaming, 'Long live all the magic we made'
And bring on all the pretenders, I’m not afraid
Singing long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you
And long, long live the look on your face
And bring on all the pretenders
One day, we will be remembered"
It’s actually not easy to be a teenager—wasn’t back when we were young and it isn’t now. I am bullish on this generation of young people. They’ve been “crashing through walls,” “moving mountains,” “fighting dragons,” and making magic together. Their lives have been unprecedented and challenging, in ways we can’t truly appreciate. Even though we don’t know all the details as their parents, most kids are figuring it out and creating memories to last a lifetime. As therapists, we are privileged to hear about their experiences and inner worlds in a different way—and the vast majority are resilient, capable, and hopeful about their future ⭐.
Ask Yourself:
What are some of the favorite stories of my youth when I reminisce with friends?
What were your main adversities growing up?
Do I want my children to have the kinds of friendships that are lasting? What does that take?
What would you imagine are your children’s biggest “mountains to climb” or “dragons to slay?”
Could you verbalize an understanding to them that you grasp the importance of their friendships and the challenges that teenagers face today?