Why do so many teenagers push away the people who care about them most?
Rabbi Yossi Bensoussan joins Behind the Bima for one of the most emotionally honest and practically grounded parenting conversations the podcast has had in years. Drawing from decades of crisis intervention, addiction counseling, and working with struggling teens and families, Rabbi Bensoussan argues that many children aren’t rebelling because they want to destroy relationships… but for a deeper reason.
The conversation explores shame, vulnerability, emotional safety, addiction, expectations, masculinity, therapy culture, and the hidden fear driving so much teenage behavior: the fear of disappointing the people they love most.
This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.
In this episode:
Why teenagers test relationships
The fear of disappointing parents
Emotional safety and vulnerability
Parenting through addiction and crisis
Expectations vs. validation
Therapy culture and trauma identity
Boys, masculinity, and emotional openness
Rebuilding trust with struggling children
Technology and modern adolescence