PARENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD worry about their children. Where they go with their friends. What they do when they get there. In Angola, just like anywhere else, it's common for children to want to imitate what they see on television or in the movies. Then when young people reach their teens, they want to create a world of their own—to discover everything for themselves, to affirm their individuality. In this "age of rejection," as it is sometimes called, young people often question their parents' values.
Such a situation happened with my son when he reached this age. He began to go to bars to drink with his friends. Some nights he wouldn't even come home. Everything I tried to do to change the situation was unsuccessful. You can probably imagine the fear my wife and I felt. During that time, there was a civil war in our country and a majority of the people were armed with weapons. Considering that the situation was getting worse all the time, I knew I needed to do something to make sure my son was safe.
That something ended up having less to do with him and more with me. I realized I needed to change the way I was thinking about my son and what I was expecting of him.
