Adolescence- A new journey for the child!

What is adolescence?

Adolescence is a phase of maturation: it is a transitional period of physical and psychological human development between childhood and adulthood, the cultural purpose of which involves preparation to assume adult roles. Classically, adolescence occurs from 12 to 22-25 years old.

What changes will happen during adolescence?

During adolescence, both boys and girls experience physical and mental changes. Physical changes such as hormonal changes, changes in the sex organs and characteristics including height, weight, and muscle mass.

Mental changes include regular mood swings, depression, anxiety,they many times do negative self talk, some teens might become aggressive and they have an identity confusion.

What problems do they go through?

For a child adolescent period is a new challenge and many of them often face hurdles in their life. Some of the common problems every teen face are:-

1. Identity vs role confusion- in this child struggles for his identity and what role he should play in his environment. Some of them may become identity conscious and always try to present a good identity to everyone.
2. Finding their own self- teens face this problem  very oftenly  and they always try to find their role in their society. They don’t know how to represent themselves and what is their duty towards their family and society. This problem is slightly similar to role confusion.
3.  Seeking approval- this problem is related to getting accepted by everyone. Teenagers always want to be accepted by everyone. They always try to seek approval from others which makes them tensed and sad at times.
4. Identity roles and peer pressure- teens are very conscious about their identity and always wanted to be accepted by everyone. They mostly work according to their peers as they want to be accepted by their peer group. They often adopt wrong paths due to their peer pressure.
5. Feeling misunderstood- many of the teens face this problem on a daily basis. They are unable to explain their problems to their parents or close ones and feel they are being misunderstood or nobody is able to get what they are going through.
6.  Guidance vs being independent- all teenagers need guidance throughout this adolescent period but on the other hand they want to be independent. They at times get  confused between following their parents guidance or go for their own decisions. Due to this confusion they might end up in some wrong decisions.
7. Making decisions without thinking of outcomes- teenagers are like growing adults they think that they have knowledge about everything but it is not true. They often take decisions on their own without thinking of the outcomes and sometimes they might end up on wrong paths. Parents must be the part of the decision which is important for their life and they can act as guidance for them. It is advised that parents should not impose their child with their own thoughts or decisions therefore they should be there for advice and not for making compulsory for the child to accept their decisions.

Tips for Parenting During the Teen Years

Here are some tips for parents that they should follow to have an easy teen years for their child as well as them:-

1. Talking to kids early and often-Starting to talk about menstruation or wet dreams after they’ve already begun is starting too late. Answer the early questions kids have about bodies, such as the differences between boys and girls and where babies come from. But don’t overload them with information — just answer their questions. If you don’t know the answers, get them from someone who does, like a trusted friend or your pediatrician.
2. Educate yourself- Start reading books on teenagers or take guidance from some pediatrician. Think back  about your own teen years. Try to memorise your struggles back then. Those mood swings, acne or some new problems almost every day. Expect some mood swings and some conflicts because of changing their thoughts or they might fight for their own decisions. Parents who are already prepared then they have to go through less problems and they would be able to maintain good relations with their child.
3. Pick Your Battles- as i mentioned earlier teens are very conscious about their appearances and they want to be accepted by their peers. So parents should get ready for their teens to follow fashion such as dyeing their hair or wearing funky clothes. Parents should not object to their child doing these things unless the things are harmful for them. At times be the child with them and ask their perspectives on these things. In addition also try to understand the reasons why they want to dress like that.
4. Put Yourself in Your Child’s Place- this is the most important thing that parents should follow. Parents should try to understand their child’s perspective and also help them to grow easily through these teens years. This will also help to maintain a good relationship with your teen and they will be more open to you. 
5. Keep them away from hard drinks- many of the families allow their child to have a hard drink with them. It’s a suggestion not to make habits like these in their growing period as they might have issues in their health later on. Parents can allow them after 18 years of age. As then the child has been gone through their growing periods and they can take them.
6. Respect Kids’ Privacy- parents must respect their child’s privacy and give them some alone time. It’s okay to accept that your teen will not share everything with you. As they are now young adults.In other words, your teenager’s room, texts, e-mails, and phone calls should be private. You also shouldn’t expect your teen to share all thoughts or activities with you at all times. If you notice warning signs of trouble and you are really sure about it  then you must check your child’s activity.
7. Monitor What Kids See and Read- parents should have a check on the things their teen sees and reads. You can set tv limits for the child. Also try to watch tv with them so that they should be open with you.  As a parent you can also guide them what to watch and read. You can set timings for both educational and fun programmes.

This  blog was an introduction to adolescence and some tips for the parents to follow during teen period. I would mention more information about the teenage period in my next  blog.