Teenagers go through many changes, some are confusing and some are just strange. The teenager years can be quite difficult.
During this period, many young adolescents are still trying to find themselves, discover who they are. In order to discover yourself, you have to go through many phases.
Independence – Rebellion is a symbolic way for teens to show their independence. They want to show their friends that no one tells them what to do. They make their own decisions and do not have to answer to anyone. If parents disapprove something teens do, it often makes them behave worse and creates arguments. Teens love going against adult restrictions in order to assert their independence. Teens generally feel limited because they see themselves as adults, but they are not permitted to do the same things adults do.
Risk-Taking – Taking risks is a great way for teens to learn about responsibility for their actions. It is a step in the right direction to becoming a mature adult. By taking risks, teens will learn how to make mature and wise decisions, and how to avoid decisions that will get them into trouble. Adults may see teen behavior as “dangerous” and “stupid”, but teens see it as a way of trying new things in order to find who they are and what they like.
Mood Swings – Teenagers are not crazy, unstable people. There is a good reason for why teen behaviour can seem erratic at times. Inside a teen’s body there is a fluctuation of hormones. When this happens, it is usually accompanied by irritability, recklessness, aggression and depression. That is why a teen can go from being extremely happy to very sad to violent in a matter of minutes. All this makes it even harder for adults to understand teens.
Physical Changes – You often see teens staring at themselves in front of the mirror. Can all teens really be so vain? Well, no. Teens are going through a stage in their life in which they will see many physical changes causing them to be more self-conscious. They often spend hours in the bathroom, gelling their hair, putting on make up or putting on face cream to feel more accepted by their friends. Since physical changes often happen before mental changes, a teen can feel like a child trapped in an adult’s body.