Sarah Ludwig of YALSA discusses “The Problem with Cool” on the YALSA blog. Her take: you won’t be a teen’s best friend, you won’t be able to know 100% about everything they are interested in, but you can be nice, friendly, show interest, care, and have boundaries, and in turn, probably gain a lot of respect.

I like when she mentions that teens have a “super-high BS meter.” For me, I think this is very important to keep in mind. I have my own specific interests that I am passionate about. A lot of teens won’t share them. They won’t see me as “cool.” But they can respect me, because I will respect them. I can encourage their own interests, and take the time to learn about them, so that I can provide the best service for them. I don’t have to be an expert on something to provide information about it.

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