ESSAY 1

THE ATTITUDE of PARENTS TOWARD ADOLESCENCE

Adolescence is the first step in the transition from childhood to adulthood. This is the process that starts from age 11-12 to continue early 20s children begin to emotionally, mature physically, mentally, sexually, morally, and socially. So, what do children experience in this difficult process and what should be the attitude of families towards it? In this essay, what children experience in adolescence, the conflict process of adolescents with their families, and how this process can be overcome more constructively and easily will be explained.  

In this case, multiple hormonal changes occur in the body of adolescents. These changesalso cause mental health problems like depression, behavioral disorders, violence and aggression, eating disorders, suicide, alcohol substance use and addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder. These mental problems and changes that occur in their bodies can be quite influential in the social life of the adolescent. Conditions such as acne on the face, excessive weight loss or weight gain cause adolescents to approach shyly towards their environment. In contrast to this unsociable effect, being prone to violence or displaying an aggressive attitude can be given as an example.  

The children who have entered adolescence retreats into their shell in order to notice the changes within themselves. During this realization process, they spend more time alone and with their peers than with their families. This situation may worry their parents. The curiosity of that age group to new things can put them in harmful and dangerous situations such as alcohol, drug, and cigarette use. The justified uneasiness of families on these issues may cause them to be too restrictive. Examples of these restrictions can be prohibitions such as internet bans, going-out bans. The nervous and critical approach of some parents towards the aggression of their children in this age group may make adolescent children even angrier. This situation pushes the child and the parent away from each other rather than bringing them closer to each other.  

So, as a result of the situations described above, what should be done for parents to get through this process more constructively and easily? First of all, it is recommended that families read informative books or participate in seminars organized by experts in order to understand this process their children go through and to be solution-oriented in this regard. Moreover, as many experts have pointed out, the most important and most effective solution is for parents to establish good communication with their children. The most basic condition for this is to have an insightful approach rather than a critical approach. Communication within the family is as important as the parent-child relationship. support can be obtained from a specialist family therapist to strengthen this communication. At the end of these solutions, the children should be controlled by their parents, without making the child realize that they are not trusted, but by giving them a private space.  

In conclusion, adolescence is a natural process that every individual goes throughn the transition to adulthood. It should not be forgotten that this process is in temporary like any other process. The important thing is how healthy and non-tiring this process can be overcome.