Surviving My Teen | Teen induced stress

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Surviving My Teen

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Teen induced stress

Posted by: Dorothy Stahlnecker on July 22, 2007 at 10:10AM EST

I'm amazed at the staggering numbers regarding teen stress... There is evidence that one third of our teens experience stress daily.

Being a 61 year old grandmother, makes it even harder to understand.. Today my grandson is with me and before I wrote this post, I asked; William do you have any stress? His response instantly was yes grandma a lot. William will be 13 this year.
I was shocked, and asked him what his biggest source of stress was, he replied mom. Once again, because of course, I'm on mom's side, as first she is my daughter and second, she has spent the last 21 years raising and devoting her life to her 7 children. ( My source of information and experience for my grammology blog which is..all true). My first response, defense. However, when I asked William the source of his stress, he replied, she won't let me do things. You can bet after I write this article, I'll be researching what it is he wants to do?
How kids perceive their lives, really depends on us. I realize the first thought you have now is okay..great, am I responsible for their stress too? Frankly it's my opinion, we all are.
Children encounter bullies, teachers, what to wear. How to act and where they can go to be popular. Is there a sport they should participate in. Do they have friends, are they loved by their parents. Today there is also the constant threat of terrorism and lets not forget the missing and exploited children we see plastered all over television. I'm not saying we should stop warning kids, I saying this also has an effect on daily lives. To make it even worse, what once was a safe haven (school) has even become a place of concern. Where there are more than fire drills. Now we teach our children how to defend themselves if there ever is an attack by a fellow student etc.
On a much more serious note, whether the stress is biological, psychological or social, it can't be healthy for our children. It can affect grades, how they act at home, and more serious can lead to depression. The web is a wonderful source of information for teen stress. Use your search box type in teen stress and see articles which may help you understand the problem and how to determine if any of your children have more than normal stress.
I realize this is one more thing to think about, however, there is nothing more important than our children..we had them..we must take care of them The good news today..there is a lot of information and help available. I hope you'll think about stress and your children. I'm going to ask each of my granddchidren and see if we can have a family discussion on the subject.
Ignoring it won't make it go away....

Regards, Grammy

(4) Comments

Posted by: Dorothy Stahlnecker on July 25, 2007 12:24AM EST

Sounds like we should write more on this subject. I know I was taken back when my 12 year old grandson said he had stress. Looking for the symptoms is important. Where you least suspect, it may be present. Thanks for the comments. Dorothy from grammology http://grammology.com

Posted by: Kim Donat on July 24, 2007 11:36PM EST

I agree that teens are under an enormous amount of stress, alot of which adults actually create for them and then expect them to be carefree. Adults forget that stress is the product of one's perspective: what may stress one person may not stress another. In the case of teens, because they are in such a vulnerable stage of life in which they are developing their identity, everything is significant. As a result, problems in which adults may view as minor may be viewed as more problematic by a teen, causing them more stress. Because a teen is developing his/her identity, they feel that they have to achieve in so many areas from school, to parental expectations, to peers' expectations to societiy's expectations. The pressure of having to meet all of these expectations results in even more stress; then when it comes down to it the sympathy that they receive from adults is in their response that "this is the best time of your life....What responsibilities do you have to worry about?"

Posted by: Kate on July 24, 2007 2:54PM EST

As a recent high school graduate I definitely experienced stressful times. Managing friends, schoolwork, sports and family time can seem overwhelming. I rarely got enough sleep staying up late to cram for a test the next day because I had been at a volleyball match all night. During the most stressful times of the school year I even got sick with a cold due to the my lack of sleep and overexertion. I think the important things to learn from stressful situations are both time management skills and when enough is enough. Being able to take a break can be invaluable as can a good schedule book to keep track of work and different appointments.

Posted by: BethJ007 on July 24, 2007 11:22AM EST

I am glad you recognize that teens have stress too, because I don't think many adults do. Nowadays the competition we have to deal with on an everyday basis can be overwhelming. We're always trying to be the best at whatever we are involved in because there is so much pressure about getting into college and getting scholarships. And if that isn't enough, the school atmosphere can be brutal- verbal bullying, cliques, pressure to drink, do drugs, and smoke. It is so much to deal with! I think the first step to making it better is for parents to realize how much stress their kids are under and not write it off just because we're young. Maybe then the two groups can finally reach an understanding.