The teenage years often bring about many changes.
From desiring more independence, having to deal with a changing body, as well as the newly given, looming responsibility of deciding what it is that we want to do with our lives – it’s certainly no secret that our teenage years can be some of the most tumultuous of our lives.
But, out of them all, which teenage year is the hardest? In this article, we are going to be taking a look at what many people agree is the hardest teen year, as well as provide you with some tips and tricks on ways that you can help to navigate your teenager through their teenage years. Let’s begin.
What Is the Hardest Teenage Year?
From a parenting point of view, many agree that there isn’t a specific year that is necessarily harder than the rest.
However, many parents do agree that the period between 15-18 years of age tends to be the most challenging, as it is the time in which many teens begin to push limits and rebel due to having more freedom than in their early teen years.
It is also important to note that this is the stage when teenagers are starting to mature into young adults – which means that they naturally become a lot more critical thinking and complex.
This can lead to persistent occurrences of conflict (particularly within the home) as they go through the stages of becoming a young adult and wanting to break away from any authoritarian constraints.
This is why it’s so common for late teens to be rebellious, want to go out with their friends, and get in trouble at school.
However, even though these stages of being a teen (as well as raising a teen) can be confusing and frustrating, it’s important to provide your growing teen with the ability to experience all of these various learning stages, as it will be necessary for their growth and development.
On the contrary, it’s important that you make sure that you make your teen aware that you are always there for them to offer support and guidance. This brings us to our next point.
Ways to Encourage Teens to Feel Good About Themselves
Now that you have a better idea of what the hardest teen years tend to be, we are now going to be sharing some guidance on ways that you can encourage teens to feel good, valued, and supported as they grow into young adults.
Encourage Exercise
While this should come as no surprise, exercise is one of the most beneficial things that anyone can do for themselves.
Besides making sure that your teen will be leading a healthy lifestyle, exercise can also help to improve negative feelings, while also having the ability to increase feelings of self-worth and esteem.
In fact, many regular gym-goers often report that the discipline and personal reward that they gain from working out is something that has a positive effect on all other areas of their life, while also making them more equipped to handle challenges and issues head-on.
So, by encouraging your teen to exercise (it can be any form of exercise, from hitting the gym to picking up a new sport to play) your teen will no doubt begin to feel healthier, more confident, and empowered.
Reduce Screen Time
Have you ever heard the saying, “comparison is the thief of all joy?” When it comes to social media, this can quite often be the case for many.
There have been many studies and research undertaken in recent years that suggest that social media platforms can cause teenagers to question their self-worth due to comparing themselves to others.
From comparing their appearance to other people, all the way to wondering why they might not be getting as many likes as their classmates – it can be easy for young people to draw comparisons.
For this reason, if your teen is struggling with these issues or you simply want to try and safeguard them in the instance that it does, we recommend that you encourage them to spend a certain amount of time each day doing something that doesn’t revolve around social media.
This could be anything from reading a book, going for a walk, or even spending time with family and friends, and will help to lower the emphasis placed on social media, while also providing them with a more positive way to spend their time.
Pursue Passions
Another way that you can help to make your teen feel good about themselves is by encouraging them to pursue the things that they are passionate about.
There has been much research to suggest that young people feel more capable and empowered when they have a specific hobby or interest that they focus on alongside their studies.
In fact, many people suggest that having the freedom to pursue an interest or hobby during teenage years can actually be extremely beneficial, as it will serve as a safe space to retreat to when dealing with all of the different things that come with growing up.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have read through all of the above, we hope that we have helped to shed some light on what the hardest teen years tend to be, as well as provide you with some navigation tips for both you and your teen.
The truth is, there’s no “one size fits all” answer, as every teenager that goes through adolescence will have an entirely unique experience to the next.
However, by making sure that you are there for them, you will help to ensure that they feel valued, loved, and supported throughout every stage of their teenage years. Thank you for reading this article, we hope that it has been of help.
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Over the years, I have seen my fair share of teenage issues. I have also seen plenty of worried parents at a loss of what to do with their children.
My aim with Talking Teenage is to put a stop to this and help you to communicate with your teenagers better. This will leave you with a better relationship and help you to keep such a close bond.
Please take the time to read my website and learn anything you can - we were all teenagers once!
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