The article I'm writing this post about can be found here:
http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/youthanxiety/a/teenstress.htm
My thoughts:
http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/youthanxiety/a/teenstress.htm
My thoughts:
The article states that the stress felt by many teenagers in the United States is caused by "overwhelming expectations by parents and society". This does not only hold true in the US - it is very evident in Singapore, the little red dot, especially in schools such as RI. For students in RI, the latter part of that statement is very important. Society often expects students from RI to be the best at everything, and when they are not, society leaps at the opportunity to take a swing at Singapore's premier secondary institution.
Parents often place importance on being an all-rounder: they want their children to excel academically, physically, and socially. This could cause the children to become confused and unsure of what they are supposed to achieve. Another possibility is that, in trying to accomplish all of their parents' goals, they neglect other aspects of their lives, which could cause them to miss valuable life experiences.
However, that is not all that the article encompasses. It also discusses how parents should help their teenagers. Some adults may not sympathize with teenagers when it comes to stress. After all, one has to learn how to deal with life's problems sometimes. Parents also commonly use the phrase "When I was your age, I ...". What these parents fail to realize is that times have definitely changed. In this modern day and context, teenagers have to deal with schoolwork, social life, puberty, technology, living up to expectations, and peer pressure. These are considerably more than the number of distractions that adults had in their day.
Unfortunately, this is the wrong way to deal with teenagers. Instead of giving them "tough love", adults should teach their children how to deal with stress, and perhaps, even share with them a personal experience or two. Such techniques create a bond between the adult and the teenager - they are able to relate to each other, as they face similar problems.
I believe that this is the correct way to deal with teenagers. If the parent does not make an effort to understand their child, it is difficult to construct that special bond. Hence, my final message is this: parents, please, please, try to understand your children, and the problems that they face, and guide them in this long journey - life.
Parents often place importance on being an all-rounder: they want their children to excel academically, physically, and socially. This could cause the children to become confused and unsure of what they are supposed to achieve. Another possibility is that, in trying to accomplish all of their parents' goals, they neglect other aspects of their lives, which could cause them to miss valuable life experiences.
However, that is not all that the article encompasses. It also discusses how parents should help their teenagers. Some adults may not sympathize with teenagers when it comes to stress. After all, one has to learn how to deal with life's problems sometimes. Parents also commonly use the phrase "When I was your age, I ...". What these parents fail to realize is that times have definitely changed. In this modern day and context, teenagers have to deal with schoolwork, social life, puberty, technology, living up to expectations, and peer pressure. These are considerably more than the number of distractions that adults had in their day.
Unfortunately, this is the wrong way to deal with teenagers. Instead of giving them "tough love", adults should teach their children how to deal with stress, and perhaps, even share with them a personal experience or two. Such techniques create a bond between the adult and the teenager - they are able to relate to each other, as they face similar problems.
I believe that this is the correct way to deal with teenagers. If the parent does not make an effort to understand their child, it is difficult to construct that special bond. Hence, my final message is this: parents, please, please, try to understand your children, and the problems that they face, and guide them in this long journey - life.
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