It is not what it seems.

During this season, perhaps some of you have felt mental and emotional uncertainty and unrest. It seems that everything that could be shaken is shaking, where noise, angry noise, appears to be drowning out laughter and love.

I am describing what I felt from an adult perspective, someone who has known challenge, loss, and fear. And somehow, with the help of faith, time, and supportive friends, I recovered and healed. I was blessed.

But what about the children, the next generations? How do we love them through this season of storms to the other side?  How do we listen beyond their words and hear their needs? Just because they can connect and share with the world instantly doesn’t mean they are doing it any better.

This week, Frankly Speaking with Tyra G presents a compilation of courageous conversations by teens about teens who live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They authentically discuss addiction, perfection, fear, race, phones, and teen life in general. They discover that the places they visit to make themselves feel better don’t always have the desired effect. Finally, they talk heart to heart and spirit to spirit. They offer sage advice to one another and their parents.