When you bring a new life to the world, you dream of all that you want to do for your child and perhaps, all that you couldn’t do when you were a teenager. With all the cheer that teenage brings along, there’s something that you miss out in that excitement, and joy of being a parent. ‘Your child’s wish’. As they usher into new things in life experiencing their firsts, as a parent it might become a muddle for you to handle them in crucial situations. Alas, it becomes hard each day, to handle teenagers because they tend to be demanding and stubborn at the same time. For many parents to decipher this demanding nature of their children is unintentional, and it takes forever. This continues and turns into a clash between the parents and the children.
The Onset Of Puberty
There are many changes that take place in the body which include physical appearance. The reproductive system becomes active, growing taller, facial and vocal changes can be noticed, and much more. This process r phase of evident physical changes in the body is called the puberty stage. There are hormonal signals that the brain sends to the reproductive organs that cause physical and emotional changes in the body.
The human body is like a storehouse of hormones. Every action, every feeling, physical appearance, etc., all depend on hormones. So, the moment children hit puberty these hormones start speaking. You may notice a few evident changes in their personality.
- They are extra sensitive
- Feeling Uncertain
- Mood swings
- Their thoughts are always in a conflict
- They are extra conscious about their appearance
- They are evidently attracted to the opposite gender
- They’re often hallucinating
Top 10 Teenage Troubles
While this wonderful phase of life brings joy, there is another side to the coin which comes with challenges. Your adolescent might not be able to understand and their puberty symptoms and they may scale up to severities that need extra attention. The most common issues are related to:
- Appearance – Appearance is important to everyone. It gives a definition and identity to a person. While in the teenage transition phase hormonal changes in the body might show up and it’s not so nice to feel. It’s important to sit your adolescent and tell them about what happens in the body that makes them look good or bad. If not addressed, it might affect their self-esteem, confidence and drive them towards depression.
- Self-esteem – Self-esteem is all about the comparison with other people of the same age. They might do the same themselves, and become extra conscious when others do it to them. It reflects on the way they behave, dress, talk and presents themselves. They even may try mimicking someone else to gain their self-esteem back due to the pressure they put on themselves.
- Peer pressure – during the onset of puberty, children tend to have increased conversations and discussions over what’s popular in terms of clothing, language, and general behavior. They become more influenced by each other and get competitive at times. It may change likes and dislikes with the struggle of fitting in among peers. As a result, it may lead to a difference in opinion between you and your adolescent.
- Teenage Infatuation – It is quite normal to get twitterpated as a teenager. However, parents must be aware of these feelings, to be able to address them on time in the right way. When parents do not create that friendly balance with children, attractions can scale up to secret relationships which can go wrong.
- Depression – When things don’t go right with peers, when there’s a problem with appearance, confidence is severely damaged. Sometimes it is unnoticed and depression can sneak in. Many teenagers isolate themselves not realizing that things may settle if they talk to someone.
- Looking for an Identity – During this transition phase, people are often lost in thoughts in the process of figuring out what makes them different from others. They are on a constant lookout for something unique about themselves and might lead to a struggle with their own selves.
- Vulnerable and Ignorant – Adolescents are not fully grown adults mentally. They are still in a transition where it’s difficult to know what’s right and wrong. This makes them gullible and carefree. Although doubtful, they still get carried away to try new things and often end up in trouble. It’s important to identify these traits in your adolescent before things take a drastic turn.
- Menstruation – Menstruation is a natural process. It’s like entering a new life all together where there are certain restrictions. For many young girls, it might get difficult to accept the changes immediately, and the hormonal fluctuations may also play their cards. Depression is common in many people. It is important to explain and educate them about these changes to make them feel better and secure.
- Education – Education is important to everyone. That’s what helps one have a personality, build an identity and understand the world around. But in a rigid society that we live in, education is looked like a simple exam where you have to get good marks and excel. In adolescents most of the time this becomes a pressure and they end up revolting in various ways.
It’s about understanding them and changing the approach in handling them that will mold them to be better people tomorrow. So have a friendly chat and get them to believe in you and themselves.