Adolescence is purely the teenage years between 13 and 18 and can be termed as the transitional period to adulthood from childhood. This is the period where a lot of disorientation occur amongst children although this is also the period where children pass through a discovery period on their way to becoming adults. With the social and biological changes give way to new experiences, it sometimes becomes very taxing and stressful in their lives.
The adolescents become very moody and their lack of tolerance and impatience even for petty things turn out to be extremely challenging for the parents to tackle them. The transitional period in children is the most difficult period for the parents as children suddenly feel that their independence and way of thinking should be respected by their parents. It becomes increasingly difficult for the parents to handle the pressure as some children will prefer to speak a very little about their problems, and also try to behave much older to their age.
It would be an enormous ordeal at times for the parents to understand their needs and fulfill them. What one of the first things adolescents want to do is taking decisions on their own. They would like to buy things of their choice, make friends whom they deem fit and do not like interference. This action of adolescents does not mean parents cannot look after them or help them when the need arises. Parents, to a great extent, should allow their children to take decisions and make them learn from the results of their actions.
Adolescents have the tendency to daydream about their future which inevitably results in their spending a lot of time all alone. Parents should respect their feelings and talk to them sweetly without hurting them when they get a chance to make them comfortable and feel that they are not alone, and the family is always there to help them to see their dreams come true. Most importantly, the home should not turn into a battlefield to arrive at an understanding between parents and children.
• Give full attention when children talk. Avoid reading or watching television when they are talking seriously.
• Encourage them in the selection of their choice in shopping and participation in their choice of activities.
• Avoid laughing at them and making them small in front of others which will have a detrimental effect on their self-confidence.
• Always remember, it is not what we say; it is how we say. Just change the tone and speak pleasantly and be friendly with your children when you want your children to understand your point.
• Make it a point to appreciate their good work.
• When your teen is in anger, just stay away from him/her for some time and allow the situation to cool off on its own. You cannot show your anger at that moment which will rather trigger the situation to more arguments. Do not ask for explanations or apologies as these will never work and on the contrary, will only intensify the teen’s anger to greater heights provoking unpleasantness in the family.
• Explain calmly to your children that it is not a sin to feel angry, however, they should refrain from expressing it in undesirable ways.
• Above all, it is your duty to build their self-confidence in whatever they are doing, so involve them in all important family discussions.
It is indeed a real challenge for the parents to tackle adolescence, and extreme caution and patience are required not to aggravate the situation from bad to worse to maintain a healthy family atmosphere.
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Agree. It is difficult to tackle adolescents.