Parenting: Adolescence and its consequence

A person’s life goes through different stages. As a child, the needs are different as compared to when he grows up. At adulthood, more changes are experienced and more challenges are faced. But somewhere in between is a time that is most crucial and oftentimes most difficult for many. This stage is called adolescence or puberty which needs a lot of practical parenting.
Puberty is that stage where an individual’s sexual and physical characteristics change and mature due to hormonal changes. Adolescence, on the other hand, is the time between puberty and adulthood.
There is no strict age for the onset of puberty because this is affected by factors such as genes, nutrition, and gender. And boys go through changes which are different from those of girls.

Girls’ puberty

• Breast development is perhaps the first sign that a girl has entered puberty.
• A girl will also suddenly grow inches taller and her body starts to have shape. This shape means wider hips and a narrower waist.
• She will also start to see some vaginal secretions which are normally whitish or clear.
• Hair growth will also be experienced in the different parts of her body including the armpits, legs, and pubic area.
• After about 2 years from the time a girl’s breasts develop, menstruation occurs. Menstruation happens when a mature egg cell from one of the girl’s ovaries is not fertilized. It travels through the fallopian tube where it stays in the uterus. When no sperm cell (male reproductive cell) unites with the egg, the walls of the uterus together with the egg will fall off in the form of blood which is menstruation.

The first menstruation is called menarch and from then on, it occurs once every twenty eight days ideally.

Boys’ puberty

• A boy entering puberty will first notice that his testicles are growing. With this, his penis will also increase in size.
• A boy also begins to grow taller faster.
• His shoulder width also increases and he will begin to experience “wet dreams” or nighttime ejaculations.
• The most obvious among these changes is the growing voice of the boy.

At this time of the adolescent’s life, confusion starts to set in. That is why parents really have to be there for their children. An important parenting tip is to understand them and not pressure them into becoming the people that you want them to be.

Adolescents also begin to distance themselves from their parents and feel that their friends can understand them better. This is going to happen to almost all children so parents should be ready. But rest assured that these occurrences are very normal.

Another distinct characteristic of adolescents is that the relationships they make around this time are non-romantic friendships like gangs and clubs. As they go into mid-teen ages, they begin to engage in romantic friendships.

Parenting blog suggests that parents should be extra careful when dealing with their adolescent children. This time is a stage of confusion so they are very sensitive. The words “wrong”, “sick”, and “immoral” should be avoided in order not to hurt their feelings.

Adolescents would also want to be independent and so they should be given a little leeway to explore their environment. They should not also be pressured or embarrassed in order for them to keep their trust in their parents.