Their Acne, Their Decision
“I know we talked about the medicine for Ashley’s acne, and I know how Ashley feels about treating her acne since she would like to try it, but I have decided against that treatment.”
Thinking back to when you were a teen can really help here. Teens have minimal say in their lives. Many of their decisions deal with their behavior, their academic performance or their interactions with you. Rarely do they get to make decisions about medical treatment especially if their opinion differs from yours. This is everything from acne medicine to vaccines like Gardisil, the HPV vaccine.
You may think you understand, but to your teen preventing them from getting acne treatment or other management that ruffles your feathers is another way they feel out of control and frustrated with their relationship with you.
The truth is you are not the one that walks in to school with a face covered in acne. You aren’t the one who has to try and find friends, you aren’t the one who will try and date with all the scarring from the acne. If you are the parent who has suffered the same indignities as a teen, then real compassion is in order.
As a parent you are making decisions for your teen all the time, when you have a disagreement, consider their stake in the issue may be more than yours. It’s their face, there is no better place for them to start making decisions about their medical care than there.
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