Time are changing, society is fast developing, the jet age is an issue that cannot be over emphasized. Young people have different ways of engaging in life’s endeavours. They can’t be expected to acts as our parents and great grandfather.
Who are adolescence? Adolescents are young persons who are developing from children into adults. They are those young persons who fall between the ages of 12 and 18.
ADOLESCENCE
Adolescence means ‘to grow up’ or “to grow into maturity”. It is a transition period between childhood and adulthood.
ADOLESCENCE PERIOD/STAGE
Adolescence stage is a very interesting and conservative stage of human development and needs to be handled more patiently and with care. Adolescence Period is a period when the individuals are in the process of growth from childhood to adulthood, it is the time in a person’s life when he or she develops from a child into an adult. Adolescence stage can also be called “Puberty Stage”.
ADOLESCENTS AND ADULT RELATIONSHIP
Adolescents and Adult relationship refer to the way in which the adults and the adolescents relate or behave towards each other.
The adolescent live in a world that is built, direct, controlled and nurtured more by adults therefore, these adolescents are to be guided and supervised by adults. The adults are to ensure that their life styles connote what they say or teach the adolescents.
The adolescents always feel unsafe of their own pattern of living. They do so because the affairs of the society and environments in which they find themselves are controlled by the adults. The adolescents want to be where things are happening. They want to be exposed to all sphere of life to enable them adapt well in the society without thinking of the implications.
They create their own world which sometimes are not accepted by the adults. And, the inability of the adults, maybe their parents, to accept or welcome their own pattern brings demarcation between the two parties. There is great contradiction. If out there (outside the family) these adolescents find people who welcome their ideas, they automatically ignore the family and seek shelter elsewhere.
The adults themselves are in a constantly changing society with external and internal conflicts, distress, anger and bitterness. They are always in pursuit of wealth. These problems influence adult’s relationship with the adolescents.
When the adolescents need someone to talk to, someone to confide in but find none, they resort to their own decision. They want to do things the way they fancy them. They do not want to run counter of their peers in order not to put them out of step with their peers. To the adolescents, there are inconsistencies in the adult rules which they fail to understand and therefore they sort for alternatives.
It is pertinent for adults, most especially parents to create time for their adolescents. They should give them listening ears and try to supply their needs. They should also know the adult friends of their adolescents. They should find out if they are people of worthy character. Adolescents need to develop cordial relationship with good adults to be able to escape the mistakes of some adults. They need to have adults of non-questionable character as friends and confidants for them to be good role models. They need good guidance and counseling from the adults.
Did you know that adults due to search for wealth and identity ignore their duties to the adolescents, it negatively influences adults’ relationship with the adolescents. The adolescents want to live a life completely different from the adults. They want to escape from the tension and stress undergone by their fathers. They always want to create their own world. This is one of the problems we face today in our families and society. These are the reasons why things have fallen apart. Adults want to do things their own way without having the interest of the adolescents at heart.
Guiding and directing the adolescents is both personal and social expectation that tend to enhance or jeopardize the relationship between the adults and adolescents. The accomplishment of these guides and directives (in a healthy way) creates well adjusted adolescents, while unhealthy accomplishment means that the adolescents have failed both the parents and their adults.
No teenager or adolescent should be looked down upon. Parents and guidance and teachers alike both at home, school and in the churches and mosques should get them involved in the scheme of things. ##
Angela Inyena Anietie
08065189975 (SMS Only)
E-mail: angelstars.emp@gmail.com
