TACKLING THE TEEN YEARS

It’s a challenge parents have faced since the beginning of time: Children grow up and become teenagers!

Even the happiest child can gradually transform into an angst-filled, moping, moody and resistant adolescent once the teen years hit. Things that wouldn't have fazed a child a few years earlier now seem monumental and overwhelming. A child who once hovered at a 5 or a 6 on a 10-point emotional scale might now be stuck on the ragged edge of a 9 or 10.

Several factors are at work here. Some of them are related to the physiological changes in a teen's still-developing brain. Also, emotions rule the day, and kids in their early teens are just beginning to discover their identity and independence. These changes ripple through their adolescence. Teens become less interested in engaging in activities or conversations with adults, and gravitate more to their friends and the social activities of their age group. They have their own passions and concerns. They can become distant and less talkative, at least around adults, and it’s easy for them to get frustrated when parent or adult activities keep them from enjoying what they want to do. Frustration sometimes turns into anger and defiance.

Another source of frustration is the feeling teens have that they’re torn between two worlds. They want to be independent but they still need their parents and other adults around for things like rides, money, food, housing and permission for activities they can’t sign off on themselves. This can create a constant battle between wanting to exercise their freedom and knowing their parents still have the last word.

Understanding the root causes of your teen's journey through the minefield of adolescence won't stop it from happening. But it can help both you and your teen survive these years intact. This email series will provide some activities and skills that can help.