As a child grows, they become an adolescent or a teenager. It is a crucial part before stepping into adulthood. And as it is a crucial phase, they are very prone to turmoil and turbulences. Here’s how you can, as a parent, lend them a helping hand.
Bengaluru: Being a parent is not just a responsibility but also a challenge. Your son or daughter looks up to you as you can be their role model, their saviour and they can view the world through you as a window.
And when we talk of kids, as they enter adolescence and come out of it (13-19) they undergo a lot of changes, just like you would have in your teenage years.
They undergo not just bodily changes, but even psychological changes, making them susceptible to a lot of turmoil and turbulence. So it becomes imperative, as a father of mother, to not just sympathise with them, but also to empathise and be a friend who would help them sail over the crisis.
With most teenagers, the problem is their expectation of the world, their peers and then, the parental expectations from their children.
A Shridhara, a psychologist says, “Adolescence is an age of changes. There are biological and other changes that take place. Both these contribute to self-perception. These ring in psychological changes. They may find it difficult to handle these changes.”
Another important issue at this crucial phase of life is what is called Intergender and intragender fights.
The psychologist adds, “These fights may instil thoughts of insecurity in their minds leading to inferiority complex. Sometimes, the reverse can also happen, with superiority complex setting in.”
Adolescence is the vestibule between childhood and adulthood.
Most parents need to understand that it is a natural process. Unless there is violent behaviour being exhibited, there is no need to panic. In case of need, they can intervene and advise their kids in a proper way or seek assistance from experts.
When we talk of adolescence, we should also tell you that it is at this age that kids try to be experimentative and imitate behaviours from peers.
“Teenagers get influenced by peers. They get influenced by peer-related activities like smoking and drinking. When a child is caught smoking or drinking furtively, talk to them and see what can be done. The situation (of a conducive environment) should be addressed rather than the child,” adds the psychologist.
Lastly, it is crucial that a parent builds confidence and a sense of trust with their kids.
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