Unconditional: How a Mother's Love Rescued Her Rebellious Son

In Unconditional, Suzanne Roragen shares her journey of parenting her rebellious teenage son—and how she fought to save him from self-destruction.

How far should you go to stop your child from experiencing an epic failure? How do you find the resources and tools you need to get them back on track?

As her husband’s military career moved her family across the country and the world, Suzanne Roragen happily embraced her relationship with her child, infusing as much carefree fun and learning as possible into every experience. As her son’s staunchest advocate and biggest cheerleader, she also provided a steadfast source of stability from one home to the next.

But as Nick transitioned from his teen years to a young adult, the seemingly unbreakable bond they shared was tested to the breaking point. He slipped further into destructive behaviors, and further away from her. Suzanne was left reeling, struggling to maintain her good influence on her son—and on her sanity. Would Nick’s rebellion destroy him? Or would it destroy her first?

Ultimately, Suzanne acknowledged that as an imperfect parent raising an equally imperfect human, conflict with her child, and the subsequent heartbreak, were inevitable. But as she’d learn, the journey teaches us not only about ourselves and our shortcomings but also about the Heavenly Father who loves His children unconditionally.

Regardless of your current season of parenting—whether you’ve had your share of turmoil and parenting failures or your child is approaching the teen years—Unconditional will give you hope and remind you that grace, forgiveness, and love can allow you to emerge stronger than ever on the other side of the struggle.