Be the adult they can call
by Teresia Smith
One of the most important conversations you’ll ever have with your teenager may never happen around the dinner table. It may happen late at night on an ordinary day.
Maybe after a flat tire, or after a party where they didn’t feel safe, or maybe after their first heartbreak.
It might be when they realize their relationship is abusive or it might be after they were sexual assaulted.
In that moment, one question matters more than anything else:
Who will they call?
Every teenager deserves to have at least one adult who will answer the phone, listen first, and help without making the situation even scarier.
Often, they don’t call because they are afraid of being a disappointment, punishment, or just that asking for help will make things worse.
That’s a heavy burden for a young person to carry.
Imagine how different things could be if every teenager knew there was one person they could call, no matter the hour or the circumstance, and hear these simple words:
“Thank you for calling me. I’m on my way.”
There will be time later to talk about choices, consequences, and what can be learned.
But in the middle of a crisis, safety has to come first.
When teenagers know they’ll be met with calm instead of anger, they’re far more likely to reach out before a bad situation becomes an even worse one.
Trust doesn’t magically appear during an emergency.
It’s built little by little through everyday conversations.
It grows when we listen without interrupting, when we take their worries seriously, and when we remind them, through our words and our actions, that they can always come to us.
As another school year begins, many of us are thinking about grades, schedules, sports, and all the routines that come with fall.
Those things are important, but there’s something even more valuable we can give our kids.
Let’s be the adult they can call and make sure they know that.
Whether it’s a flat tire on a dark road, a broken heart that feels impossible to mend, or a situation that suddenly doesn’t feel right, let them know they never have to face it alone.
Sometimes the greatest protection we can offer isn’t another rule. It’s the confidence that, no matter what happens, we will answer the phone.
Crisis Services of North Alabama offers free and confidential services to victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault.
We have trained crisis counselors who can provide you with crisis counseling, safety planning, education, support groups, court advocacy, referrals, and more.
You may reach the Jackson County office at 256.574.5826. We also offer a HELPline where you can talk to someone 24 hours a day at 256.716.1000. Reach out. You are not alone.
