Читать книгу Yes, Please. Whatever!: How to get the best out of your teenagers - Penny Palmano - Страница 35

There is no time more important than adolescence for your teens to have friends. Teenage friends have tremendous influence over each other; they are like a halfway house between parents and being completely independent and replace parents in many areas. They discuss everything with their friends and look to their friends for approval, support and loyalty. Adolescents think alike, feel alike and they understand what each is going through. Friends don’t stand in judgement as some parents do; they allow their friends just to be themselves. And teenagers need someone to share their innermost thoughts, feelings and anxieties with.

Thirteen and fourteen year olds crave popularity at school and acceptance by their circle of friends. Girls’ relationships with their girlfriends are very emotional and that is the reason they can become so nasty and jealous. But this stage usually passes by the time they are fifteen and they settle into more relaxed, respectful relationships.

If your teenager seems worried about a friend of theirs, try and get them to discuss it with you and offer some helpful advice. If there is a suspicion that the friend has a problem with drugs or alcohol, suggest ways in which your teenager can help and remind them that ignoring the problem is never helping.

Teenagers tend to be very loyal to each other but if your child starts moaning to you about someone in particular, try and work out with your teen why that person is behaving in that way. After all, they are going to have a lifetime of meeting and working with people, so discussing why people behave the way they do is fairly interesting and sometimes quite intriguing.