As a new youth pastor, fresh out of seminary and with a master's degree with an an emphasis in youth ministry, I actually believed I was qualified to give parents advice on how to parent teens. Seriously. I thought since I had read a couple books, took a couple classes, and hung out with teens at youth group, camps, and mission trips, I was somehow qualified to dispense advice to adults on how to best parent their teens. I would actually hold parent meetings, forums, and classes where I'd talk about a topic on how to better parent teens. Even though I'd never parented a teen in my life (and honestly, I handed out some of this advice before even being a parent myself!).
Seriously, what was I thinking?!
The Hillcrest families who had to sit under that advice were so gracious. They smiled. Some took notes. Some implemented what we discussed. But the older my kids get, the more I realize I had no business telling other people how to parent, and certainly not parents with teens!
There are things in life where you don't need to experience something to know about it (for instance, I don't have to use illegal drugs to know they're bad for me. I can 'get' that concept without the experience). And there are things in life where you absolutely need experience before you can even comment on it. I think parenting falls into this category. It's tough to give advice on this area if you've never done it.
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