WHAT'S NORMAL FOR TEEN DEVELOPMENT?
Colleen Gengler, Extension Educator, Family Relations, University of Minnesota Extension
What's teen development all about? Parents often blame the ups and downs of raising a teen on one or two things such as changes in hormones or the influence of peer pressure. The preteen and teen years are filled with many changes.
Teens have many developmental tasks to accomplish, far more than those of infancy and early childhood.
Normal teen development is made up of not only biological and physical changes, but also social, emotional, and intellectual changes. A teen is experiencing many changes in:
Their friendships and relationships.
How their brain functions.
How they think.
How they exist in the larger society.
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Teens are also figuring out who they are or in other words, their identity. Part of this process is working to become more independent while still maintaining ties with parents and family. Accomplishment of these developmental tasks happens gradually, sometimes independently and sometimes together with another task, and in no set order. Each teen matures on his or her own timetable. Teens can be ahead of the typical age in one area of development and at the same time, behind the average age in another area. For example, consider the awkward 15 year old boy who has not gotten used to the extra inches he grew in a few months; this same 15 year old boy might possess wonderful social skills that allow him to easily make friends. What parents can do:
Expect change in your teen.
Learn more about teen development and what’s normal. Remember your teen is an individual, and everyone develops differently.
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Although it can be helpful for parents to remember back to when they were a teen, that isn’t enough.
Parents need some basic knowledge of what to expect
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