A Guide to Better Understand Teenage Behaviours

Parenting is no easy task, especially if your children are transitioning into adolescence. However, understanding adolescents—how and why they behave the way they do—is often a challenge. Suddenly the adorable kids you have been pampering over the years are displaying adult-like qualities.

When major changes like this happen, it can be a shock for the adults involved, particularly when adolescents display changes across a wide range of emotional and behavioural areas. As this is a crucial stage in their life, parents, teachers, school administrators, and all adults who work with adolescents have to understand the radical changes that children go through.

Let’s take a closer look at the different adolescent development stages. We’ve also gathered some tips on how to provide support to adolescents.

Adolescent Development Stages

A young person goes through a variety of changes. Each person can experience these changes in different ways. Understanding your teens comes with the awareness of the development stages that they experience at different rates and degrees.

Below are what you should know to help you be prepared for what to expect and how to support your teens.

Physical Changes

The most obvious change you will notice involves physical appearance. These changes are generally a good sign that other developments are happening at the same time, and they’re easy to spot. For example, growth spurts and puberty changes.

A young person may grow several inches in several months. They may have another growth spurt, followed by a time of very slow growth. Every person’s body develops physically at a different rate, and supporting them with these changes simply involves communicating that you’ll be there for them.

For male teens:

• The start of puberty occurs somewhere between 9 ½ to 14 years old.
• The first puberty change usually manifests as an enlargement of the testicles.
• Penis enlargement begins a year after the testicles begin enlarging.
• At about 13 ½ years old, pubic hair appears.
• Nocturnal emissions or wet dreams occur at about 14 years old.
• 15-year-olds often grow hair under the arms and on the face.
• They also experience voice change as their Adam’s apple develops.
• At about 15 years old, they are also likely to experience acne.

For female teens:

• The start of puberty occurs somewhere between 8 and 13 years old.
• The first puberty change usually manifests as breast development.
• Slowly after breast development, pubic hair appears.
• Girls grow hair under their arms at about 12 years old.
• Between 10 and 16 ½ years old, they start menstruating

Psychological Changes

Psychological characteristics of adolescence manifest in different physical actions. Young people may start to get angry over the little things or keep to themselves more. They may push boundaries as they try to find out who they are.

It’s common for adolescents to take risks and not know the consequences of their actions. As a parent, keep an eye out for signs of anxiety or nervous behaviour and remind them that you’re there for them anytime they need you. You have to remember that they need space to grow but can also use as much support they can get.

Emotional Changes

As they move into adolescence, young persons can develop emotions they’ve never experienced before. Understanding adolescents means that you have to accept the times when they become irritable, show moodiness, or get frustrated at things you do and say. While these emotions fluctuate in different ways, adolescents can manage them better over time and with the support of adults around them.

Cognitive Changes

Cognitive changes are among the most crucial in adolescent development stages. This is where teenagers develop a more complex and abstract thought process. They develop new skills, which include:

• Organising thoughts
• Planning
• Prioritising
• Problem-solving
• Suppressing impulses

Help build trust by encouraging adolescents to make their decisions and assist them in setting their goals.

Social Changes

This stage is where teens rely on their friends more and less on their parents. Here, they may start to pursue intimate and sexual relationships. These social developments allow them to develop their own identity and gain independence from adults.

Understand Your Teens Better

So, how can parents respond and support these adolescent developments? While there’s no clear-cut solution to understanding adolescents, here are some things you can do to assist them in this crucial point of their lives:

Give Your Teens Space

One of the best things you can do to support the development of your teenager is to give them time and space to grow. Doubling down on your rules and enforcing them more only puts pressure on your relationship with your teenaged kid. Work out some reasonable boundaries by having constructive conservations.

You may have to adjust these boundaries a little as your young person gets older. So, always strive to have open and honest conversations with them. This shows that you truly care and that you’re always there for them.

Show Interest in Their Activities

Whatever your young person does or like, show a genuine interest in them. This can be a great way to understanding your teen better. Talk to them about their homework, join in with them to play video games, or simply ask them how their day is going.

If they’re not interested in communicating with you, don’t be disheartened. Continue expressing your interest in their activities to show that you want to better understand them as individuals. You can build a stronger relationship by simply encouraging them with the things they’re into.

Be Empathetic and Compassionate

Show empathy and compassion to a young person by listening and being curious about their experiences. Adolescents can feel confused about themselves and the world around them as they grow up, and showing that you understand where they’re coming from can help.

Remember these tips as you build a relationship with your adolescents.

Think Your Teenager Needs Adolescent Counselling?

Anxiety and nervous behaviours can affect how your teenager navigates the adult world. If your teenager is showing symptoms of social anxiety, know that psychological services are available to help them go through the different adolescent development stages.

Understanding adolescents may be a challenge for most parents, but you don’t have to do it alone. For counselling and advice, Sunshine Coast Clinical Psychology is here to help you. Contact us today to discuss your needs.