Is Your Teen’s Behavior Age Appropriate?
How well do you really know your teen? Is their behavior age-appropriate?
This isn’t a test. Call it more of a reality check. After all, evaluating a teen's behavior is far from easy for parents. You are simply too close to the issue to maintain an objective viewpoint.
However, this isn’t a cause for dismay.
Again, take it as a reality check. Your perspective on your teen may be skewed. Therefore, it’s all the more important to familiarize yourself with warning signs and warning signs about age-appropriate behavior. It's how you recognize and head off problems before they take hold. Follow along with a teen therapist at Focus Counseling who explores the warning signs.
What Does “Age-Appropriate” Mean for a Teen?
If your teen’s behavior is baffling you, you’re not alone. At times, it’s almost certainly baffling them, too!
A lot is going on—socially and hormonally. Plus, of course, there will be some variance from child to child. This may depend on a wide array of circumstances. However, there are enough general commonalities to create some guidelines.
For example, as your kid morphs from a child to an adult-child hybrid, you will likely witness behaviors like:
Choosing to spend less time with the family and more time alone or with friends
Tentative risk-taking, e.g. drugs or alcohol, sex, talking back to authority figures
Focus on physical appearance
Eating and/or sleeping more (due to growth spurts)
Boredom with school routines
Eyes glued to their phone, 24/7
Seemingly disproportionate emotional reactions when things don’t go their way
Again, there will be variations… and variations of those variations. But it really helps to know that even some quirky moments may fall into the “normal” category for someone their age.
Still, no parent can be blamed for wondering. There are many, many possible trouble spots for a teenager in this digital age. Parents would be hard-pressed to identify all the problems, but here are some particular examples to watch out for.
3 Signs There May Be a Problem
Isolation and Withdrawal
This is not about them detaching a bit from the family unit. That may feel sad for the parents, but it’s quite typical. However, if your teen is shunning most or all face-to-face activities, it’s a bright red flag.
The key phrase there is “face-to-face.” These days, plenty of teens will claim to have an active online social life. To some degree, this is fine—but only as an adjunct to “IRL” (in real life), as the kids say.
High-Risk, Secretive Behaviors
This may sound like it’d be easy to recognize but you forget how resourceful a teenager can be. They can live double lives which can include:
Delinquent/criminal behavior
Sexual promiscuity
Substance abuse
Pornography fixation
More obvious to you would be their flaunting of your house rules. This could be nothing more than gentle testing of boundaries. It could also be the tip of a Titanic-level iceberg.
Obsessive Focus on Their Body
At first, if your teen gets into working out and a healthy diet, it may have you jumping for joy. However, watch things closely without being obvious, of course.
Sadly, it is increasingly common for teens—boys and girls—to become obsessed with their bodies. This path often leads to dangerous situations like over-exercising and disordered eating. Worst case scenario, it may end up in an eating disorder. And that's a whole new can of worms.
Once Again, You May Be Too Close to See It All
Obviously, there’s a whole lot of gray area lurking in the above information. You don’t want to miss a warning sign. But you also don’t want to drive your child away with your over-concern.
That's why it makes sense to seek out a teen therapist in Columbus, OH. Get the guidance you need in order to give your teen the guidance they need.
Get Started With Teen Counseling in Columbus, OH Today!
I would love to be that guide for you and your teen. Read here for more information about my approach and the story of Focus Counseling. If you’re ready to start teen counseling, follow these few steps to get started!
Contact us or call 614-489-8759 so we can learn more about your teenager.
Understand if your teens behavior is age appropriate!
OTHER SERVICES OUR THERAPISTS OFFER:
At Focus Counseling, we offer a spectrum of specialized services aimed at addressing various facets of your well-being. Our services range from depression counseling, teen counseling, and couples therapy. Our team also provides therapy sessions tailored to your unique needs like family counseling, anger management, grief counseling, and child counseling. We’re committed to offering diverse and compassionate care to guide you on the path to a healthier and more fulfilling life.