There are a lot of reasons. I think one tip for parents would be to watch how they talk about other kids. If my parents say bad things about people may age that say, drink or have sex (which they do often) I'm not going to tell them about that stuff because I know what they'd think of it. I have a weird relationship with my parents.. Through all the things they've put me through (supporting my sexual abuser over my safety, and essentially telling me to get over it) I love them. They've regained a certain element of trust naturally - I'm not actually a rebellious kid. I deal with them every day, I cant disrespect them. I also never really know how they will react to even the smallest things.

I like that my parents think I'm good, and they praise me for not doing things that they don't know I've done. I think that lots of kids that don't tell their parents stuff just don't want to disappoint them or shock them. I want my parents to be proud of me. I also don't want them to worry about me. So we don't talk about bad things I've done or most of my feelings or personal thoughts.