1.0ALSC Bloghttps://www.alsc.ala.org/blogGuest Contributorhttps://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/author/guest-contributor/Dear Teen Anonymousrich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="w8ePiVTfhr"><a href="https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2012/11/dear-teen-anonymous/">Dear Teen Anonymous</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2012/11/dear-teen-anonymous/embed/#?secret=w8ePiVTfhr" width="600" height="338" title="“Dear Teen Anonymous” — ALSC Blog" data-secret="w8ePiVTfhr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script>
/*! This file is auto-generated */
!function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document);
//# sourceURL=https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js
</script>
Dear Teen A., I wanted to catch you while you are 13 and things are still “normal”. I know that you aren’t comfortable admitting it yet, so I’ll say it for you: your normal is not everyone else’s normal. Your home life is unusual, rocky, dysfunctional, pick your favorite negative descriptor. It is okay, in fact go ahead and embrace it (and start taking notes). You will be able to tell great stories at parties someday. I am writing now to warn you. In the next year two diseases will infect your home; addiction and mental illness will wreak havoc. If you really think about it, you’ll realize that these two have been hiding just around the corner for as long as you can remember. It is going to be awful for you. What is now dysfunctional will become unendurable. The important thing for you to know is that it...