Teenager problems – key challenges in teenage parenting

Dr. Purushothaman
November 29, 2013

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Many people believe that the teenage parenting is most challenging due to various teenager problems faced during this crucial period of your teenager's life. It is the time in your child's life when they are trying to forge their own identity, yet they still depend on you for some of the basic aspects of life. The teenage years are a period of confusion, of trust broken and repaired, of fluid relationships, and of low self awareness. Parents need special skills during these years to deal with the teenager problems. Below is a brief look at the possible teenager problems that you as parent can face:

Behavioural Problems:

These are teenager problems related to the way your teenager conducts themselves at home, at school, and in social circles. These cover problems such as defiance, talking back, ignoring house rules and acting up in school. There are several causes and symptoms of serious behavioural problems that your teenager can face. In the book "Solving Teenage Problems", these have been discussed in depth. Causes can range from stress at school, hormonal changes, peer pressure, to physiological/psychological problems like learning disorders, ADHD, autism or short stature. Symptoms of behavioural problems could manifest themselves in form of anger, depression, poor performance at school etc.

Adolescent Sex

Teenage behaviour problems also manifest themselves in some other serious problems, unsafe and adolescent sex and related sexual diseases being one of them. These are teenager problems related to your teenager's increased sense of sexuality and their need to experience it and the resultant risk associated with unsafe sex. In the book "Solving Teenage Problems", various symptoms of possible unsafe sex experiments that could be used by your teenager are discussed.

Drug and Substance Use/Abuse

Teenager problems can also be displayed in the form of trialling of drugs and illegal substance. While drug abuse could be extreme example of teenage challenges, most parents have to deal with alcohol abuse and excessive smoking. The cause of this problem is mainly peer pressure. In the book "Solving Teenage Problems" various symptoms that can help parents identify possible drug or alcohol abuse are discussed.

Eating Disorders

These are common problems in teenagers, especially girls. These problems are related to a teenager's relationship with food and food intake. One key driver of this teenager problem is to imitate celebrities. If this problem is not identified on time, it could be fatal. In the book "Solving Teenage Problems" various eating disorders and their symptoms are discussed in detail.

Adolescent Stress and Depression

Finally a lot of teenager problems lead to stress and depression. Teenage stress and depression has become a raging issue in the world today. As a parent, if you do not deal with this problem, it can lead teenagers to either misbehave or withdraw, with increased likelihood of illegal substance abuse or suicidal tendencies in extreme cases. In the book on "Solving Teenage Problems", various ways to deal with teenage depression and stress have been described in detail.

As parents you need to realise that whatever the type of relationship you share with your child, you will not be able to influence them completely or make decisions for them, when they face these challenges. You might have to play the role of a reluctant spectator even though you have the skills to help them navigate these difficult times. This phase in your child's life requires a lot of patience and understanding on your part as parents so that you can slowly nudge your child to follow the right route without being too invasive in their life.

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