What a bummer when someone your teen had trust in disappoints them. What if that person is their parent? 
Your teen’s Dad sees fit to cheat with a married woman who happens to be the parents of your teen’s best friend. Are ya following me here? Your teen is going to understand their Dad cheated with their best friend’s Mom. This kind of disappointment can spiral your teen into a deep depression. This should make sense, what may be more complicated is how you maneuver out of it.
What’s her relationship like with her friend? Her friend’s parents? And, her Dad? This is about realizing who her Dad is without losing her relationship with him. This is something many adults can’t do, and asking it of a teen may be asking too much and yet this is exactly what has to happen.
There’s a lesson here for your teen and the lesson isn’t about terminating her relationship with her Dad who is clearly acting from a selfish standpoint, but more about the lesson of learning who people are. Sometimes your teen will have to accommodate the imperfection of important people in their life by setting boundaries and limits on the relationship so they learn to set appropriate expectations with which everyone can live…and thrive.
Tags: boundaries and limits, parent imperfection, teen parenting, teen socialization, trust
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