Navigating the Turbulent Teenage Years
Teenage is the most awkward growth stage of one’s life. Teens are subjected to a barrage of emotional, physical, and mental changes. They go through and cope with hormonal changes, puberty, social, societal, and parental pressure, school pressures, and more.
Finding oneself- These are the years when the teen is looking for a sense of self. They are itching to carve a separate identity for themselves. Teens don’t want to be treated like kids but at the same time are not equipped emotionally to behave like adults. Figuring out who you are is a complex process and certainly doesn’t happen in
a day. It is the path of self-discovery that the teens are in the beginning stage.
Anxiety and Depression– Unfortunately living and dealing with anxiety, panic, and depression has become a part and parcel of teenagers’ lives everywhere. The support of the joint family has waned and as more and more urban families are nuclear or with single parents, teenagers have no one to turn to thus making anxiety a prevalent concern among teenagers.
Bullying– Bullying and especially cyberbullying are steadily on the rise and are one issue most teenagers have to deal with daily. With the meteoric rise of social media and the omnipresent mobile phone, access and as a result, bullying has reached the one place where teens could earlier consider themselves safe, their homes.
Drug and Alcohol Use– To validate their need for independence, teenagers often experiment with sex, alcohol, and/or drugs at this stage. It can lead to severe physical and emotional scarring and last throughout their lives.
Self-Harm– This is the age where teens are acutely conscious of every minute scar on their body and want to fit in with the unrealistic image portrayed by social media and movie stars. When the chasm between the two widens, it often leads to self-harm and other psychological issues.
So what’s the solution? Where is the panacea to all these maladies?
The cure is a combination of communication, respect, and rapport. Teenagers want to be heard and seen. They want a haven, a safe space where they can speak freely without the fear of judgment. Parents and caregivers should provide an open channel of communication so the teenagers can come to them about any problem they are facing.
When both the good and bad are freely discussed, and trust is bestowed, it equips the children with a sense of responsibility and the power of decision-making. A balanced approach towards parenting where the parent plays the role of a friend and a parent alternately helps foster a confident and self-assured child who is ready to take on any challenges they may come across.
Taking a genuine interest in what your teen does or sharing a hobby helps parents create a bond. If that sounds like too much work, even watching a program on TV together brings teens closer to their parents. One meal a day together gets the teens talking and sharing, and unburdening even without knowing that they are doing so.
This is by no means a quickfire remedy to all the problems that teenagers face but does go a long way in building the teen’s self-esteem and enables them to tackle life.
Roopa Rajesh is a bibliophile, a ‘chai’ophile, and a chocoholic who is passionate about teaching, books, music, family, and friends, and definitely not in that order.
