​Now, first, I have to say that I don’t entirely agree with the use of the word ‘Happy’ – this is an over-used word and frequently when we strive to be ‘happy’, it invariably eludes us… more about this in another blog!
In his article, John Obedzinski suggests 10 reasons ‘Why happy families are different’ : here they are, with some of my thoughts:

This series of ‘Surviving Adolescence’ is about supporting parents and caregivers with the delicate balancing act that is adolescence…
One of the first things to remember is that adolescence is a stage of development, a stage that is vital for the future health and well-being of the young person. It’s a stage of identity formation, thinking about the future, and development of independence.

In Parts 1 – 3 of this series, looked at adolescence as the vital stage of development for young people, moving from the protected and dependent stage of childhood, into Independence of adulthood.
Only by ‘doing it right’ can young people then move into the stage of emotionally joining with another, the stage of Interdependence.
The stage of adolescence is about forming an identity outside of the family; it’s about developing a greater understanding of the young person’s sexuality and gender orientation…