Teenagers, or those who are between the ages of thirteen to nineteen, are children that has entered the stage of adolescence. They are in the point of their lives where they are trying to discover one’s self. More than the identity they had when they were kids, they are trying to find out their true self —- their passion and purpose.
Teens normally encounter problems alongside the process of learning more about themselves. Most common problems arise from their families. Misunderstandings between children and parents often starts to get more frequent during this stage of human development. From the children’s point of view, they are not being heard and understood by the adults. Moreover, they have this belief that they now know what they are doing with their lives leading to a conviction that they no longer need much supervision. On the other hand, parents see the teens actions as a rebellion from them or from the family resulting to a stricter implementation of the rules in the household.
Another crisis encountered by a teenager is peer pressure. Part of the development of one’s self is socializing with other people. We tend to associate ourselves with other individuals who share the same values and likes. However, this is not always true during the teenage years. Some teens just want to belong to a group and are willing to give adjust his personality to be accepted. This is where peer pressure comes in. If the values foundation of an individual is weak, it is easier for them to be swayed —- this applies not only to teens but all throughout our lives as well. Being in a group that is leading one to do unpleasant or harmful things will prove to be detrimental to the teenager.
During the time when they are going through their crisis, both the family and society have different reactions. The more common reaction are anger and judgement. With the premise that the parents know that they are doing what is best for their children, they tend to react negatively. Society also brand teenagers as problematic and sometimes blame the parents.
Given that not all adolescents go through a difficult phase, the adults should try to lessen the pessimistic view on this stage. Possible solution is to be more prepared for this stage by strengthening a child’s foundation of values and to reinforce their trust to the family’s support. The family and society should also try to be more understanding and to listen more to teenagers. No matter how trivial or how petty their problems might seem to us, we must try to look at them through their point of view and encourage them to conquer their problems. Lastly, if we can no longer handle the situation, we should consider the seeking of professional help or counselling.
By: Elaine V. Cuadra Teacher I | Bataan National High School |Balanga, Bataan
