Being a teenager has never been one of the easiest tasks, but today's teens are facing countless problems and challenges.
A number of adults think that being a teen today is the same as it was when they were an adolescent, nothing could be further from the truth. Although yesteryear-parents may have been strict and life seem hard. On the grand scheme of things, it does not measure up to the challenges and life threatening decisions today's teens face just about everyday.
In the normal course of a teen's day, he or she may encounter any number of these challenges:
Depression With all that they see and do, teens face depression today at an alarming rate as compared to just a decade ago. Depression is not something that just goes away, but can cause them harm and threaten their lives.
Driving Teens drive drunk. Teens drive under the influence of drugs. Teens get in cars that others are driving under the influence. Although a number of teens may be responsible drivers, they share the road with those that are not.
Drugs Kids today are not just smoking basic marijuana - it is laced with other hallucinate drugs. They are also into meth, crack and other strong and deadly drugs. In addition to the illegal list of drugs, teens are reaching into the medicine cabinets and abusing prescription medications such as, Vicodin, Valium, Xanax, Ritalin, Adderall, Oxycontin, and whatever other prescription medications they can find.
Sex Not only are they exposed to it on the television and the movies, but they are encouraged by others. They may be engaging in sexual acts that parents have never heard of - At school, after school, on the car ride home - there are many opportunities for them to do so, and more than likely they are not Practicing Safe Sex.
The Choking Game is a senseless activity causing death and suffering for thousands of families worldwide. It often begins with teens choking each other or themselves until they pass out, as a way to get high without the risk of getting caught with drugs or alcohol. It ends with thousands of kids dying or suffering permanent brain damage each year.
Violence Today's teen problems often revolve around violence. They see friends with guns at school or after school. They witness huge fights. They hear threats. They see anger and deal with it daily.
In additional to the issues listed above teens also have to deal with:
· eating disorders
· obesity
· cyberbullying
Helping today's teenager
Lower level teen problems can be just as deadly. They face lying, cheating, emotional trauma, learning disabilities and divorce. All of these things a child will face daily in some cases. In those cases, it is no wonder that they have low self esteem, high drop out rates and some students will break under the pressure. Teen problems should be noticed and addressed by their parents first, however this is not always the case - and when this occurs, the teen's well being will fall to the wayside.
Whether or not you think today's teens have more problems, bigger problems or just different problems, it is important to get that teen help for those problems before they become overwhelming.
My granddaughter has far too many problems for someone her age. I suspect she has experienced most of the issues you've listed, but not obesity.
ReplyDeleteDear anonymous Grandmother, If you are concern about your granddaughter's well-being perhaps you may wish to consider having a family talk that will include you, your granddaughter and her parents. Or if the parents have no objections, perhaps you can speak to your granddaughter one-on-one just to reassure yourself that all is well with her. I wish you and your family well. Thank you for stopping by and please feel free to browse more of my posts.
ReplyDeleteAs a teen, I'd like to add a problem that is serious to me. I have an enormous amount of homework, and virtually no time to do it. I am up to 12 or later every night, and I am in ninth grade. All of my teachers have assigned multiple tests just this week, with finals next week. With my outside activities, the regular homework load and so many tests to study for this and next week especially is enough to keep me up hours into the night. However, on top of all this, I have been assigned a great number of posters, speeches, research papers, essays, reading, book reports, and completely noneducational projects, such as cooking. When am I supposed to do all of this? Sure, after school. Number one, there aren't enough hours in the day after school to complete this amount of work, even managing my time wisely, as I always do, but I also have my outside activities, leaving me NO time to do ANY of this. When does all of this work get done? That's a very good question. Now, some of the assignments listed aren't due until Monday, after the weekend, but I have so many mandatory outside activities this weekend, I am left with exactly six hours to get all of it done going to bed rather late, again. NOT possible. I see myself staying up until possibly four in the morning if I am to get all of the assignments listed above done, and others as well. Will I function well in school this way? NO. I definitely will not. Especially after staying up so late for the past couple of months. And with finals coming, not only will I have somewhat uncompleted work, but I will also be exhausted to the point of my inability to think. I have experienced that. If I were to list all of my homework and tests for this week, it would most likely fill up a page. All in one week. This is repetitive, yes, but I can't stress how much I am being pressured to get all my work done, yet be committed to the few activities I signed up for without letting every one and myself down. I have already skipped some activities, but in order to continue with these, I need to do my part. With my homework load and all. NOT possible. I should be doing homework in every spare second I have now, so I will conclude this comment in order to continue my massive amount of not even possible to do in one week or more homework.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous Teen,
ReplyDeletePhew! just reading all you are obligated to do exhaust me. Perhaps you may want to consider placing some of your outside activities on hold until you can get a handle on all the mandatory homework you are required to do. You may also wish to consider speaking to your parent(s) about your (home)work load - perhaps they can help or offer suggestions. Either way, you should not be stressed at such a young age over school obligations - it is not healthy, I employ you to seek assistance before you become ill. Please take a break from ALL your many obligations and just breathe and be a teenager.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and leave your very interesting comment. I am certain there are others out there facing the same challenges that you are and need guidance. If you have suggestions that you think can assist you and others, please feel free to share.
Chrystal