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Adolescence
Adolescence is the period of psychological and social transition between childhood and adulthood. As a transitional stage of human development it represents the period of time during which a juvenile matures into adulthood. Biological development (that is, puberty) and psychosocial development are largely overlapping during the period of adolescence, however clearer boundaries relate to physical development. The major task of adolescence is to become 'your own person'. Adolescents learn to make choices and commitments, follow through with them, and stand up independently in the world. They need to be respected for taking on these tasks. They are complicated and courageous actions. The ages of adolescence vary by culture. In the United States, adolescence generally begins at age 13, and end at 20. During this period of life, most children go through the physical stages of puberty which often begins between the ages of nine and thirteen. But teenagers swing back and forth between dependence and independence as they work on these tasks. It's easy for parents to get frustrated. And it's easy for a parent to assume that if the teenager would simply follow the plan that makes sense to a parent, things would be all right in the end. Adults, however, comparable with teenagers, usually have a greater sense of who they are - what they value, what they need, and how best to get what they need. Teenagers encounter such challenges as: false starts, mistakes, poor judgment, or impulsive action are part of growing up. The main tasks of adolescence require teenagers to learn, and this kind of learning is not just a matter of getting the right answer. Most important is to understand the meaning of the right answer. And maybe "the right answer" is something that teenagers need to build up, responsibly, from lessons of experience. This is truly difficult work and it absolutely requires support from parents, relatives, and neighbors.
To help adolescents grow up, parents need to be aware of their own growth. Everyone who is alive is changing, growing, and developing. It's easy for a middle-aged adult to forget this fact, especially when confronted with a difficult teenage problem. But parents who are working on their own growth are in a good position to understand teenagers and to respect what they are doing in the struggle to grow up and become good people in their own right.
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