Social-Emotional Development
Family Relationships Alter
During adolescence, independence and autonomy become very important. However, it is very important for familys to integrate time with one another. It is very common for teenagers to maintain a postive, high quality relationships eith both peers and family members. Some common topics that parents should encourage to discuss is sex education, sexuality, and also substance abuse. We are not promoting these acts in young children, we are simply encouraging parents and children to feel comfortable to discuss such topics. Children might find other resources that are not as reliable.
Activity for Parents:
One activity we promote for all of our parents is to have dinner with their family every night. Even making dinner together creates converstation and also a bonding experience. Parents and children have a better chance of having a stable relationship if they spend time together during times such as these.
Depression and Suicide
Unfortunately, suicide rates increase during adolescence typically in puberty. Teens with depression have low moods or irritablity most of the time over at least a 2 week period. Also, they experience a loss of interest in activities and experience a weight change whether gaining or losing. Other factors that parents can notice as a sign is sleep disturbance and feelings of worthlessnes or guilt. Statistics state that teen girls are more than twice as likely to experience depression than teenage boys. This does not mean that teen boys do not experience depression by any means. It is importance for parents to acknowledge different reactions or appearences within their children to be able to prevent depression or suicide. It is important for the teenager or child to feel have support during this stage of life. If a friend of your child commits suicide, the parents and teachers need to offer support and offer counseling if they need it.
Activity for Parents:
It is important for parents to acknowledge their children's problem instead of thinking it is normal for them to have mood swings. Children need to be heard and supported by family members during adolescence because they are experiencing different situations and peer groups. If parents and children have a steady relationship where they can express their feelings, it is more likely for the child to open up to their parent.
Bullying
Bullying and school violence is very prevelant in our society today. There are new forms of bullying that has become more common throughout adolescence. Cyberbulling is the use of electronic technologies, including e-mail, text messages, digital images, webpaging, blogs, or chat rooms, in order to harm others. Social media is very popular amoung teenagers in our culture. This form of bullying is different from many forms in that it is damaging. There can be mass texts sent to more than one person, or posts that everyone can see and comment on. Another factor is you cannot hide from cyberbullying like you can hide from a bully in school. This can be very public and happen at anytime. Fortunately, most social media sites have acknowledged this and created a "block for bullying" tab. This form of bullying can be psychologically damaging. Seek help if the child needs it.
Activity for parents:
It is important to explain to your children that there will always be someone who will look down upon them. Inform the other parents if it gets out of hand and acknowledge the problem head on. Teenagers should talk to parents and friends if they are consistently being bullied in school or elsewhere. There should be programs within schools to handle different forms of bullying. Tell your children to feel free to talk to you or conselors.
