The Teenage Years

The Teenage Years - One of The Most Complicated Periods Of Person's Life 

The teenage years are an essential period of every person's life which serves as a connection between childhood and adulthood. Basically, it is described as a period of physical, emotional and sexual changes that happen inside the body. During this time children gain over 50 per cent of their body weight and experience some of the most significant moments in their life - they fell in love for the first time, face up betrayal, try to learn how to be responsible and how find a job. It can be confusing and frustrating because you are neither a child, nor a grown up. You are still in the middle and you try to define what kind of a person you are. Sometimes you do stupid childish things and you have the feeling you are still 7 years old. In the meanwhile, your hormonal changes make your body go crazy and you are so confused that you cannot actually understand your own feelings. Having in mind that you are going through your first sexual contact and you do not know actually what you have to do is rather stressful thing.

Should sex be a taboo for teenagers?

Years between 13 and 19 are considered to mark the period of the most dramatic changes in boys' and girls' lives. These young people feel attracted to someone in a way they cannot explain. Some of them feel ashamed, while others - just nervous. According to research girls experience more problems when they have to discuss the sex topic with someone else. Most parents believe it is their responsibility to answer their children's question about the sexual act. They want to prevent kids from making mistakes but they cannot. It is widely known that parents are the last people teenagers want to talk about such things. The idea of having this kind of discussion with their own mothers and fathers is so embarrassing, that they do not even consider there is such possibility. During teenage years parents are not the most important people in their children's lives. Do not get this wrong - children still love their parents and care about them, but prefer to spend their free time with friends. They find the support they need and they talk about feelings and emotions. So if you are a parent of a teenager think from his/her point of view - he/she needs to know you will be there for him/her whenever your help is needed. It is all that matters. You do not have to judge him/her or to force him talk with you about his/her sexual life. Girls develop physically and emotionally faster than boys. For instance, a girl at the age of 15 thinks almost the same way as a boy at the age of 18. That is why teenage girls fell in love with older boys. They feel boys understand them and give them some kind of protection. However, boys at 18 or 19 think a lot about sex. So in some way or another the teenage girl starts asking herself if she is ready to do this and she feels obligated to do this. In that case her mother should stand by her and talk to her daughter as a friend. Once you've overcome the parent - child barrier, your daughter will start sharing her problems with you and she will actually listen to your advices. You can become her best friend if you do not blame her for making mistakes.

 Sports - one of the most important things during the teenage years 

Most children nowadays neglect the importance of physical activity which combined with unhealthy eating leads to obesity. 14 per cents of teenagers in the U.S. have problems with their weight and they can lead to increased chance of having Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart problems. To avoid having Type 2 Diabetes you need to exercise at least 30 minutes a day and to eat low fat meals. According to research almost 50 per cent of teenagers spend 2-3 hours a day in front of TV. In addition to that, they stay in front of their laptops for 3 more hours, playing games or sending messages. If we add to these 5-6 hours of staying at sitting position at home 6 more hours of sitting at the desk at school, and 8 more hours of sleeping, there is almost no time left for anything else. Obesity is not only serious medical problem but it is also a problem that leads to lower self- esteem. It is an issue that can destroy person's life. If we add the acne problem that is common for more than 90 % of teenagers to that, it turns into a complete disaster. Lower self-esteem reflects in not having enough confidence in yourself. It is more difficult for those boys and girls to make friends with other people because they feel they are ugly. Some of them even isolate themselves from everyone and hide their feelings deep inside. Teenagers with acne should not be ashamed of it because it is a typical part of teenage years. It is more likely you to have acne if your parents had the same problem when they were teenagers. Even if you eat healthy, train a lot and do everything right you cannot avoid this skin condition because it is connected to hormonal changes in the body. However, keep in mind only after a few years this problem will be gone.

Some girls who suffer from obesity have suicidal thoughts and others start extremely strict diets which lead to anorexia. Anorexia characterizes with fear of gaining weight and limiting the food intake every day. It is an eating disorder which can cause death. Most people suffering from that disorder vomit immediately after they have eaten something because they do not want to be fat. Teenagers and people who are the beginning of adulthood are the most likely to suffer from this nervosa.

The purpose of this article is to help people better understand teenagers. We have all been through the teenage years so we know what it is about but probably we have forgotten about it. The possible reasons why adolescents cannot control their emotions are the following: hormones that lead to body and behavior changes, concerns connected to these changes, unhealthy diet which leads to health problems, having not enough sleep and finally - relationship issues. If we understand teenage problems - it is more likely to understand better our own children.