To do all things possible to promote the teenager's peace of mind

From letters of the Rebbe...

I would like to point out something you are undoubtedly aware of, and that is your son's age. He is in transition from youth to maturity, a time of life that entails considerable strain. During this sensitive period of adolescence, it is particularly important not to do anything that might aggravate the strain.
This is particularly true in a country such as this ... where even mature adults are prey to [forces of negative cultural and street] influence, and it requires much willpower not to succumb; how much more so where a teenager is concerned.
In light of the above, it is obviously the sacred duty of every near and dear one, and especially of parents, to do all things possible to promote the teenager's peace of mind and thereby make his struggles easier, and certainly to avoid anything which might weaken his willpower to resist the influences of the street, etc.
A further point: In the realm of faith, religion and feeling, every individual is a world unto himself. This is not the case in the realm of reason, where one can argue and convince and change the other person's mind. [In the former instances,] young people, especially, become attached to an ideal, particularly one that is expressed in actual behavior.
It can be extremely difficult to get such a person to change his feelings and conduct, and any effort to change his true nature, when applied to a young person during this sensitive period of adolescence, has serious implications.
... In reference to your stating that you have always been a loner and do not feel close to anybody, from which you seem to conclude that once again [in your present situation] you may have to make up your mind all by yourself:
As you realize - and this is also obvious from your letter - being a loner is not healthy, and this obviously has added to your confusion, as you mention in your letter.
If one does not feel a particular closeness to one's family, it is at least necessary to find social contact with people of one's own age and background, more or less, since such people must have gone through life and experienced the same general situations, allowing, of course, for individual exceptions.
... In conclusion, I would again like to volunteer an observation, though this time in a different vein, that you should not be so downhearted, since it is not unusual for young people of your age to feel a sense of confusion, or even frustration.
One needs only to feel for those who refuse to accept a helping hand from near and dear ones, including parents. I do not mean to say that one must readily submit to parental dictatorship, but neither does this mean that one should always reject parental advice and help in the hope that eventually things will straighten out themselves.
Of course, living in a nurturing, well-ordered, and disciplined atmosphere, willing to accept certain matters on authority without questioning everything from A to Z until one has been personally able to delve into all these matters - which is impossible - would go a long way toward improving the situation.

From Healthy in Body, Mind and Soul, vol. 3, compiled by Rabbi Sholom B. Wineberg, published by Sichos in English