Alan Prasad Jr.

FHS 1500

4th period

Unit 5 Essay

ADVICE TO PARENTS

Just one question. How can parents help their teenagers deal with the conflicts of adolescence?

I believe adolescence is one of the most impactful developmental stages. This is when an

individual starts to develop physically and goes through puberty (Berger, 2014, p. 319)

Adolescence is also a time where we are given the chance to experiment with our lives. It is a

great time to find out what it is we like and dislike. We start to figure out who we are and where

we fit in. Adolescence can be very stressful because teens are finally starting to learn how to

make decisions on their own. Along with school work, regular work, extra curricular activities

and a social/ family life to keep up with. As adolescents we have more commitments and

responsibilities. But, we also learn more skills to help us. During this developmental stage, teens

tend to argue with their parents more than agree them. We want the independence, because we

think we are close enough to do it on our own. We tend to be more impulsive than relying on

logic, like we should. (Berger, 2014, pg. 336-337) Parents need to be understanding and

supportive during this difficult period.

I would advise parents of teenagers to be understanding of their child. Children need to

know they have a trusting relationship with their caregivers. Otherwise, they will start to keep

important details from their parents. There are some parents that tend to be overly strict with

their teens. Parents should need to have somewhat flexible rules and schedules, but they should

listen to what their child wants to do before enforcing the code of conduct. The best parenting
style for adolescents is authoritative. (Berger, 2014, pg. 364) Its common for parents to want

their child to act just like them, parents need to also understand that their child can be a

completely different person.

During adolescence, teens are faced with many difficult decisions, which can be life

changing. For example, teens can be pressured into taking drugs, drinking or becoming sexually

Involved. Peer pressure can facilitate teenage romance, form small groups of exclusive friends,

and possibly harmful. (Berger, 2014, pg. 365) As a parent, I would want to talk to children about

a wide variety of these topics before they are introduced to them by other people. They need to

learn about the consequences that could come from choosing to get involved with drugs,

drinking or sex. They need to hear some truth, and learn from the past. I believe these topics

should be discussed openly with children. I also think that the more educated a teen is about

drugs, alcohol and sex, the more they will refrain from it. Educated people tend to make better

decisions.

I know that psychical appearance means a lot to many adolescents. With physical

appearances comes body image. I would encourage them to love their bodys and not do

anything to harm it. As Gandhi said, It is health that is the real wealth, not pieces of gold and

silver. Eating disorders are common in teenagers, especially in teenage girls. (Berger, 2014, p.

329). I would hope that my children would come to me if they were dealing with any of these

issues. Communication is crucial for parents to ensure a healthy relationship with their children.

Reference List
Berger, K.S. (2014). Invitation to the lifespan (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Worth