A giant box of kleenex and your teens. That’s all you need to bring to this incredible musical.
The world has changed, social media has changed it profoundly and not for the better. We have never been more disconnected from each other at any time in history, yet we have never been more accessible since the advent of social media.
This has caused a great divide. One that has separated parents from their teens. One that has given our teens an outlet to rant, rage, complain and show off. One that I am yet to find offers a single positive benefit to the healthy development of our children’s mental health.
The story of Dear Evan Hansen is one that will resonate deeply. It talks of suicide, social media, loneliness, the struggle of being a parent and the struggle of being a teen. It is a full circle approach to a story that likely exists in the homes of most families with teens.
As a mom, who has two teenagers, deeply entrenched in social media, I felt the pain that the characters portrayed. I felt the fears they talked about and I cried. Not a pretty cry. A hearty sobbing that likely embarassed my daughter who was sitting next to me. I cried because there is no manual for being a parent. There is no manual for being a teen. There is just fear on both sides It can be the hardest most alienating stage of life.
We want to feel a connection to our kids and our kids just want to be heard. Dear Evan Hansen is that connection. It’s that perspective that both teens and parents need to see. It’s a conversation starter and it’s a warning signal. It is the manual for trying to get through this difficult stage of life and it is delivered with astonishing clarity and is not to be missed.