Know about middle adolescents, understanding
middle teens and parenting kids during adolescence.
Middle Adolescents (15 - 17 Years)
Middle adolescent is the phase, when a child is on
the road of transformation. There are a whole lot of changes that occur,
be it, physically, mentally, cognitively or sexually. While most of the
girls cross their puberty stage, boys are still on the road of maturing
physically. It is that time of life, when your kid would be most
concerned about his/her look, body and appearance. Middle adolescent is
the time when, your teenager is developing his/her unique personality
and opinions. Friends play a pivotal role during these years. Young
teenagers take great care to maintain their identity in the peer group.
Competitiveness also becomes a major priority in the life of middle
teens. Many of them try to analyze the experiences they are going
through and try to understand their inner turbulence by writing diaries
and journals. Remember, middle teens are more capable of setting goals.
However, the goals they set are often too high and as a result succumb
to their own expectations. A withdrawal from the parents is also one of
the key characteristic found in children of this age. However, there are
ways by which, as parents, you can curtail the problems and develop
healthy relationship with your teenage child. To get parental tips on
how to deal with your middle adolescents, browse through the following
lines.
Parenting Tips For Middle Adolescents
- A cordial relation with your kids, when he/she is in his middle
adolescent years, is very necessary. During this phase of life,
children undergo various changes be it physically, mentally
emotionally or even psychologically.
- Have a friendly relationship with your teen son or daughter. Ask
him/her about his/her concerns and pay attention to any changes in
behavior. There is no harm in asking the kid, whether he/she had
suicidal thoughts, particularly during the times when he/she looks
sad or depressed.
- As parents, you need to show interest in your teenager's school
and extracurricular interests and activities. If your kid is
interested in activities such as sports, music, theater or art,
encourage him/her to engage himself/herself in the art.
- When your kid scores well or does a good work, make sure you
praise your teenager and celebrate the hard work put in, his/her
efforts and accomplishments.
- Spending time with middle adolescent is very crucial. For
instance, if both of you love swimming, the best bet would be to
head to the pool together. This way, not only you would be able to
spend time with him/her, but also enjoy and have fun together.
- The most important thing would be to render a patient ear to your
kid. Respect his/her advice and suggestion. Even if you feel that
the opinion is not worth considering, do not let your teenager know
this. Instead, say him that you are considering the option given by
him. This way he/she would feel that you are considering him as an
adult.
- It is very important to teach your child the civic sense.
Encourage your teenager to actively participate and engage
himself/herself in civic activities in his/her community.
- Decision-making is an important aspect for a teenager to learn at
this phase. In case of a conflict or a problem, encourage your
teenager to solve the problems by his/her own. However, make sure
you are always there when he/she needs advice or support.
- Teaching the kid the importance of time is very important. Make
him/her realize that it is only when you respect time, time respect
you. In case your kid spends a lot of time in interactive internet
media such as games, chat rooms, and instant messaging, encourage
him to be disciplined.
- Public manners and etiquettes play a pivotal role as we grow up.
Remember, your child is no longer a small kid. He/she should have
the basic manners and etiquettes.
- In terms of nutrition, encourage your child to get enough sleep
and exercise, and to eat healthy, balanced meals. As parents,
encourage your child to have meals with the family. This would give
family members time to talk with each other, apart from promoting
healthy weight and proper nutrition.
- Do not be too interfering. Remember, your teenager also needs
privacy and a space for his/ her own.
- Middle adolescent is the phase when the child can get involved in
activities such as drugs, drinking or even sex. Discuss what he/she
can do if someone in a group forces him/her to consume drugs or is
under pressure to have sex with someone, or even offered a drink by
someone.
