Many of you know how much I detest forwarded surveys and any other forwards. The only thing that makes email surveys palatable is the fact that one can learn little known or little-cared about facts about their friends and family. And that is a good thing.

Getting to know people and their personal lives is interesting. It is rewarding to know, for instance, that your mom has been "so much in love that it made her cry." It is also very rewarding to find out that your name was listed as the answer to the question: Name the person least likely to respond to this survey. People can be funny sometimes.

The other day, I once again received a forwarded survey in my inbox. Allow me to quote verbatim (correcting a few typos) the first paragraph of this survey. It is interesting and is a lead-in for our theme this week.

"Okay, this is a cool new twist on the survey thing. Now you fill in the blanks about me. Got it? I want every one of you to do this and send it back to me. Oh yeah, first send a blank one out to all your email buds so they can return the favor to you. Be honest. I can take it. If you're not sure about one, make it up! If you don't write back you'll be hearing about it! First, send this survey to everyone you know to see how well they know you."

OK—an interesting twist on the forwarded survey idea. This particular survey is backwards, though. The survey asks the recipient to answer a huge list of questions about the sender, indicating how well he/she knows his/her friend.

Hmmm. Interesting idea. Not interesting enough for me personally to fill out and email, but interesting enough.

The point of the email and what I want you to understand from me today, is how well do you know your friends? How well do you know your family members? Do you know the little things like favorite colors, middle names or special talents?

Those things may seem insignificant, but taking time to know those things can brighten another’s day. Realizing that you really know your friends is an encouraging thought. On the other hand, realizing that you do not know much about someone you consider a friend can be an eye-opener as well.

What does this have to do with teens? Good question.

Am I right, teens, in assuming that most of you feel as though your parents don’t really know you? Am I right to presume that many of you feel alienated in your family? Do you ever secretly wonder if your dad even realizes that you play on your school soccer team? Do your parents know who your closest friends are?

Parents, these are critical questions that you would do well to answer. Do you know little, insignificant bits of information, like what is your teen’s worst fear? Or what is your teen’s favorite hangout? These are definitely important things to know as a parent.

But I’m not really even talking about knowing all the answers about your teens’ lives. I’m talking just knowing more about your teenagers. You gave birth to them. You support them every day, giving them lunch money or a weekly allowance. You give them food and space to call their own.

But how well do you really know your teenager? The little things in life may seem minor and unimportant to you, but to your son or daughter, your knowing them … really knowing them, is of the utmost importance. It means you care. It means you are willing to take the time and energy necessary in getting to know them.

We all know you do love your teens, but knowing more about them would be a good way to show it.