Teenage Behavior
Teenage boys and girl act out at this age for a variety of reasons. A mix of hormones, stress, and change are all common suspects of causes for teens to act out. Teens are far more likely to make decisions they may soon regret due to their inclination to make gut decisions or to fit in.
Acts of acting out can range from drug and alcohol abuse to cutting, to aggression, to theft. Unfortunately these are all common ways that teens act out, and in a lot of cases, is an essential step in a teens development.
Providing a routined and structured environment for your teen will help improve the chances that your teen will act out via constructive means such as sports and other extra curricular activities, rather than turning to drugs, sex, or violence to relieve their stress.
While its important to keep your authority stature intact, try to talk to your teen on a personal level. Though your teen may hate the first few talk, once you've established a more open relationship, your teen will be more comfortable to share whats troubling them rather then brushing it under the rug of the psyche.
The internet has made teen angst an all new playing field for better and for worse. Teen chat rooms allow for those under pressure to release whatever may be troubling them. Chat rooms are a hunting ground for sexual predators so be sure your teen is chatting safely. Message boards or forums and social networks such as MySpace and Facebook can allow teens to converse with those that share similar interests and problems.
May/24/2008
