Most parents don’t realize that with time their child grows into a teenager and wants to live life in his own way. The hormonal changes that occur at this time make the teenager testier.
His own expectations add to his stress. All in all, it is a most exciting, yet most stressful time, in the life of any teenager.
Also, high school is a completely new environment for teenagers who have just graduated from junior school. Most of them are unable to cope with the changes effectively.
They become withdrawn and may turn into loners. Some may fair badly in studies as the workload increases. Unexpected failure over their first relationship too can lead to temporary depression.
The first thing is to recognize that temper outbursts and aggressiveness can be caused due to stress. You should take time out and try to find out the cause of stress.
At this stage, good communication is the key to reduce stress and related problems.
You should always assess the potential and abilities of your child before burdening him with meaningless targets. All children cannot be winners or all rounders.
The faster you, as parents, realize this the better it is for the child. You should instead encourage him to excel in his field of interest.
The field can be sports, drama, gardening, or reading novels. These activities can serve as great stress busters. Applaud and celebrate his small achievements. They will boost his self-confidence and esteem.
With the increase in workload, most children find themselves tied to their books for an entire evening. This leaves them with little time for other recreational activities.
As a result the child may tend to lose interest in his studies. This eventually leads to a fall in the child’s grades.
Do not criticize your child over low grades. If necessary convey it gently to the child to improve his grades. Often a small gift in exchange for good grades can motivate the child.
You should spend as much time as possible with your child. It increases the bonding between the child and you. As a result, the child feels more secure.
You can also help the child with homework to give the child extra time for recreation. All this helps in reducing teenage stress.
It has been found that children of single mothers or divorced parents have greater tendency to suffer from stress.
Stress in this case is mostly due to psychological trauma that is caused due to the death of a family member or painful separation. The child often feels torn and ungrounded.
Some of them who are unable to deal with stress use aggressive behavior as an outlet for stress. A few of them might also turn out to become bullies and land into trouble with school authorities.
In such cases, it is necessary that parents do not use their children for taking out their frustrations and their incompetence in life. They should try to understand their child and deal with the situation accordingly.
Lastly, all teenagers should be taught stress management techniques so that they are better equipped to fight stress.
