Blog 1 Question 3

                I think adolescence is the important phase in a person's life. They get both good and bad experiences during this phase as it is also considered as transitional and learning phase from childhood to adulthood. Parenting plays a great role in directing adolescents to the proper path by showing them the right way. All the teenagers fall under adolescents where they get self-conscious about their looks and appearance, dress up, opposite sex etc. It is the phase where the child can pick up anything depending where they get more influence. Therefore, it is more important that adolescents be guided and directed towards right path by parents and teachers. They should be taught healthy behaviors in school and at home too. For this, education is very important. Educated adolescents can make better and wise decisions that will always help them to move forward proudly. Adolescents can go through any phase such as happy, sad, depression, confusion etc as they develop the biological, psychological, cognitive and social characteristics during this phase. We should always encourage adolescents to follow healthy habits and healthy behaviors as they are constantly learning new stuff everyday . I would encourage them to have an open discussion with their parents and ask them for help if they needed.

                 For parents, I would suggest handling this stage of their kids in a positive way instead of forcing them to do certain things. Adolescents are in that odd age where they may think that they know everything which is conflicting with what parents might think. According to Parenthood .library, parenting is much more complex than just providing food and safety to their child (Lerner, Noh, Clancy, n.d). Parents are charged with the responsibility of enhancing the development of youth especially when the child is going through adolescence. I think parents should handle this stage very responsibly. Health Care providers should be friendly as they are the one who could advise and give them healthy advice. At this age, adolescents might be more interested towards opposite sex, their own looks and appearance, therefore, they should be handled gently and advised politely. Health educators should also advise them sensibly as they might have various questions and confusions about their own health and body. At this stage, they might undergo through various changes such as voice change, bodily appearance, and growth in reproductive organs.

                 Health educators can advise them about how to stay away from different disease, practice safe sex, healthy diet and exercises. Media should play an important role in guiding adolescents towards the positive path. There are various examples of adolescent girls starving themselves to death in order to get that so called perfect figure by media. Media, therefore, should play the positive role by encouraging them to participate in youth development programs. Society should embrace the adolescents in the way they are instead of judging them .Adolescence is that sensitive phase where adolescents easily get carried away by what people say to them. They should be encouraged to be positive and embrace the way they are. There is various news of adolescent suicidal cases due to societal pressure and societal fear. It is sad that society always appears judgmental towards adolescents who force them to be frustrated and depressed. Society can avoid this situation and play the positive role in adolescent’s future by not judging them. They can throw some encouraging words instead. After all, adolescents will grow up to be the part of society and parents in the future.

                                                            Citation

 Lerner, R., C. W., & Noh, R. (n.d.). The Parenting of Adolescents and Adolescents as Parents: A Developmental-Contextual Perspective. Retrieved from http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu/Lerner/Lerner.html