During the teen years, children experience emotional turmoil, highs and lows and are particularly vulnerable to peer and parental pressure. Parents need to exercise patience and perseverance and support children through this stormy period of emotional stress – Aarti C. Rajaratnam Adolescence is a period of intense physical, psychological and emotional changes. During the teen years, children experience emotional turmoil, highs and lows and are particularly vulnerable to peer and parental pressure. A research study conducted by the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University, USA, says adolescence is “fraught with changes in emotion, cognition, relationships with parents, peers, and society”. It is a transition from childhood to adulthood — a period wherein your child is moving towards independence and carving out her own identity and personality. But in pursuit of creating a new identity and achieving independence, young people often develop what parents and teachers consider “problem behaviours”. This affects parents very deeply with many of them experiencing helplessness, frustration and anger because they are unable to guide their teens through this turbulent phase. Parents need to exercise patience and perseverance and support children through this stormy period of emotional stress. What happens in adolescence? An adolescent experiences bodily changes externally as well as emerging secondary sexual characteristics. Internally she experiences hormonal fluctuations. These physical changes combined with constant messages from popular media about the “perfect body” and peer pressure lead to many teenagers experiencing poor self-worth and body image issues. Consequently, it’s normative for teenagers to spend hours before a mirror trying to perfect an acceptable image to impress others, while at the other end of the spectrum some develop eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. It is essential that parents and teachers don’t body shame teenagers with thoughtless remarks and unfair or derogatory comparisons that can aggravate feelings of helplessness, resentment and worsen the communication gap. A well-balanced diet and optimal exercise (250 minutes per week for girls and 350 for boys) helps to regulate hormones and behaviour. The adolescent brain undergoes tremendous changes at tremendous speed, as in early infancy. The only difference is that a toddler cries incessantly while an adolescent will question and/or defy authority. Risk as reward The teen brain equates risk with reward and this often leads to action without heeding consequences such as speeding and road rage, the foolish selfie in front of a moving train or doing things forbidden in school or at home. This is the time when adolescents frequently clash with authority figures. They also tend to disrespect rules, changing them to accommodate their whims, pitting them against parents and teachers who expect discipline and balance. In such circumstances, it’s advisable for adults to refrain from reacting impulsively with punitive correction but to respond empathetically. Help your teenager gain confidence and engage in problem solving without resorting to lecturing. Socially, teens gravitate towards peers. There will be “gang behaviour” even in the most normal teenagers. Forming, and participating in exclusive cliques, is very important for adolescents…
