Adolescence

Early adolescence marks an important turning point in the life of a child as well as in the parent child relationship. A child’s transition to adolescence coincides with the parent’s transition to mid life in most cases. This throws a challenge into the family system that influences the parent child relationship.

Adolescence is a period when a child is between childhood and adulthood. Usually from the age of 12 a child notices changes in his or her life. The changes are physical, emotional, cognitive and social and can bring anxiety to both the child and the family.

With physical changes come curiosity and anxiety. A child finds it difficult to adjust in the family. This is the phase when he or she cannot exactly fit in with family members and their social circle as the boy or girl feels that he or she is neither a child nor an adult.

Early adolescence brings an urge for independence and the child tries to establish a sense of autonomy. Many parents find this phase difficult as it requires a fair amount of adaptation. The young adolescent is more attached to his or her peers and this brings peer pressure which makes him or her arrogant and demanding. Constant bickering with parents and disagreements over mundane matters are very common. The adolescent feels comfortable only with his or her age group and there is somewhat diminished closeness in the parent child relationship. With the increased involvement with social media, adolescents are exposed to a variety of information, both good and bad. An adolescent usually seeks privacy and space at home and the communication with parents and other family members decreases. A young adolescent has concrete, black and white thinking. Things are either right or wrong. This is the stage for a youngster to become somewhat egocentric.

Adolescence is also a time when the child is very vulnerable and is easily influenced by peers. This vulnerability often makes the youngster unable to differentiate between good and bad and often the young boy or girl chooses unwisely and tend to adopt wrong and unacceptable traits. Romantic and sexual attraction to the opposite sex increases and often distracts the adolescent and focus from academics and extracurricular shifts. The brain continues to change and mature gradually in this stage and this makes the youngster confused and take wrong decisions.

As in the case with toddlerhood, most families are able to cope with these adaptational demands successfully. An adolescent fares best when the family relationship is happy. A home where parents are supportive and accept the child’s need for psychological independence helps the youngster to adjust and accept adolescence easily. Authoritative parenting that combines love and firmness has a positive impact on the development of the youngster and over time he or she shows better psychological development and less behavioral problems.