The age between 12 to 18 is considered adolescence, the period between childhood and adulthood. Often, it is considered one of the most complicated and challenging periods of parenting. It is the time when your child appears to become a stranger overnight. He or she is challenging your views, distancing themselves from you, dressing differently, spending more time with friends than with family, and slowly disengaging from you. For many parents this is alarming. However, it is relatively normal. Your child is doing what they need to do to successfully navigate this period of their lives.
According to many theories of development, adolescents are supposed to learn how to have intimate relationships, friendships as well as dating relationships. This is what they are attempting to do when they spend so much time “hanging out” with friends, talking on the phone, and text messaging each other. In this phase of their life they are also deciding who they want be and the kinds of values and morals they want to embrace. This is manifested in their changing appearance, clothing, and the friends they choose.
To learn more about the normal expectations of childhood, as well as adolescences, join me and my cohost, Dr. Dea Rabon Montgomery, on our radio show, A New Village, Parenting in the New Millinneum, Fridays at 12:00 on blog talk radio. This program is devoted to parenting children of all ages in todays world.
