{"id":6881,"date":"2025-04-16T11:44:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T11:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/?p=6881"},"modified":"2025-04-16T11:44:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T11:44:27","slug":"the-series-adolescence-is-not-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/the-series-adolescence-is-not-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"The series Adolescence is not fiction: the uncomfortable mirror many parents won\u2019t be able to avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"

The series Adolescence<\/em> \u2014 now topping the charts on Netflix<\/a> \u2014 hasn\u2019t become a success because of its script, but because of its raw truth: one teenager, one screen, and a deafening silence at home. An uncomfortable mirror that has forced more than one parent to stop and ask themselves: Am I truly present in my child\u2019s life?<\/p>\n

What happens when a parent stops seeing their child?<\/h2>\n

This isn\u2019t about abuse or explicit neglect. It\u2019s about that unintentional indifference. About the adult who\u2019s physically present, yet emotionally absent. About the moment when the emotional bond cools, the bridge begins to crumble, and no one bothers to ask: \u201cHow are you, really?\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the 2023\u20132024 UNICEF Barometer, this is already a reality for 41% of Spanish teenagers, who admitted experiencing mental health issues over the past year.<\/p>\n

Mental health is the great silent pandemic<\/h2>\n

And we still refuse to believe it. We convince ourselves that organic food, a demanding school, and a parental control app are enough. But they aren\u2019t. Because when a teenager feels \u201cugly,\u201d it\u2019s not just the algorithm\u2019s fault, but also the reflection of a broken mirror they carry from home. Because when they lock themselves away with their phone, they\u2019re not always escaping the world \u2014 sometimes, they\u2019re searching for something they couldn\u2019t find face-to-face.<\/p>\n

The brain doesn\u2019t wait<\/strong><\/h2>\n

During childhood and adolescence, the brain is as malleable as it is unforgiving. What isn\u2019t stimulated, is lost. And the most important learning isn\u2019t academic \u2014 it\u2019s emotional. It\u2019s about connection. If attachment fails, if there\u2019s no emotional connection with their parents, a child can live under the same roof… but no longer truly be there.<\/p>\n

This reality highlights the urgent need for parents to be present, not as an option, but as an essential foundation for their children\u2019s healthy development. It\u2019s not enough to know they\u2019re at home. You have to forge a close relationship, show genuine interest in their world, open up spaces for real conversation, and, of course, understand the content they are consuming.<\/p>\n

Observe before acting<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not about control. Nor about throwing ready-made phrases on self-esteem or values into the mix. It\u2019s about being there. Observing, without judgement, paying attention, looking for the exact moment the bridge broke \u2014 and rebuilding it.<\/p>\n

Because not everything is about behaviour or biology. Sometimes, it\u2019s about gaps in character, about inherited insecurities, about silences that wound more deeply than any shout. A teenager who grows distant isn\u2019t always doing so out of rebellion. Sometimes, it\u2019s simply because they no longer find an adult willing to listen without correcting them on the spot.<\/p>\n

Social media: screen or sanctuary?<\/h2>\n

Social media isn\u2019t the enemy. But it is often the mirror reflecting a long list of absences. In 2024, we are facing a generation that is more connected than ever \u2014 and lonelier than ever. Who\u2019s to blame? It\u2019s complicated. Parents, peers, the system\u2026 all of them, and none of them. But the symptom is clear: teenagers who compare, exhaust, and expose themselves, with no one to turn to.<\/p>\n

The analysis published by Nueva Revista<\/a> on this series is more than a cultural commentary \u2014 it\u2019s a warning: family bonds are at risk. And the data from the 2023\u20132024 UNICEF Barometer<\/a> confirms this with a chilling clarity: adolescents suffering in silence, lacking support both at home and at school, not knowing who to ask for help.<\/p>\n

This will happen at home<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not exaggeration. It\u2019s statistics. It\u2019s observation. It\u2019s experience. If we keep thinking adolescence is something teenagers will \u201cget through\u201d on their own, we are mistaken. They either have company on the journey, or they suffer it alone.<\/p>\n

Character education<\/a> isn\u2019t optional. It\u2019s the core. Teaching young people to think deeply. To make decisions with discernment. To act with purpose. And above all, to always return to that bond.<\/p>\n

That emotional cord \u2014 which begins in the womb and should stretch across a lifetime \u2014 must never be broken. Not out of pride. Not out of distraction. Not out of complacency.<\/p>\n

Being a present parent isn\u2019t a trend. It isn\u2019t a slogan. It\u2019s an urgent need.<\/p>\n

Observe. Listen. Reconnect.<\/p>\n

Because sooner or later\u2026 it will happen at home.<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda Asunci\u00f3n Rey Ballesteros<\/em><\/strong>
\nCharacter Education Expert and Programme Director at Fundaci\u00f3n Parentes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The series Adolescence \u2014 now topping the charts on Netflix […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6882,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6881\/revisions\/6882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacionparentes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}