Parent/Teen Trust

A little insight from a high schooler.
Trust is important. If you, as a parent or teen, haven't developed that with your parent/teen. Hop to it. You have like what? Less than four years to do so? After that, the child is now on their own. They're too busy learning how to survive and succeed. They won't have the same amount of free time they did in their childhood and mundane things like trust fall to the back of their mind.
If you asked me, even high school is a little late to build that trust. School's getting harder--the world's demanding more, so "smart" kids are doing more. Even the self-proclaimed lazy teens still tend to juggle a ton of extra-curricular, difficult classes, and programs. All this while are hormones are going off the charts, frying our brains and over dramatizing everything. Waiting until such a difficult stage in life to build up basic parent/child trust is...not the best thing you can do.
Of course, it's still not too late. It never is, really. However, there are optimal times to establish that sort of relationship, any time it's accomplished will ultimately be alright. The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes, sure. But there's no "deadline" per say.
And, especially in the teen years, I find it so important for both the child and the parent to be aware of what they say and do. During these years, the relationship is already naturally fragile. One wrong move, and the child can grow up in a minute and never return home. So really, I mean it when I say tread with caution. Us teens can work on appreciating the work our parents do, and in return, they need to understand that we aren't that bad. Not everything Mom does is to suppress you. Not everything Junior does is life-threatening. Yes, it is a battle. But it's a battle made so much easier when certain boundaries are established. Talk to your child, find their comfort zone, and stay within their desired limits. Chances are, they'll mess up less. And when they do, it's easier to talk to a parent who you know will listen.