The teenage years can definitely be a difficult time for many teenagers, as well as a very enjoyable experience.  There are so many difficult choices that teens often have to make in their lives, some of which could change their lives forever.  Often times, parents may have a difficult time making sure their teenager is staying out of trouble and making the right decisions, but one solution is to purchase one of many books on teenagers and what to expect that deal with parenting teenagers, teenage development, puberty, hormones, stress, education, traveling with teenagers, and many other issues.

It is important to realize that teenage development plays a crucial role in the decisions adolescents make such as choices regarding teen dating and sex, teens and drugs, and underage smoking and drinking.  The prefrontal cortex of a person’s brain goes through significant developmental changes during the teenage years, causing an adolescent to not make the best choice in a variety of situations.  Parents need to understand this concept and help their child to make important decisions of what is the right thing to do.

Peer pressure encompasses a large portion of a teens and social life.  Teens see peer pressure wherever they go, and they are affected by it in some way.  High school is the major place where peer pressure exists due to so many students making the wrong decisions concerning drinking, drugs, partying, and sex.  Many teens feel weird about not participating in these activities because so many other students are choosing to partake in them.  The hormones of teens are also going through significant changes during high school years which can cause teens to make irrational, unwise choices.  Peer pressure can also stem from pop culture which sometimes makes teens feel that they have to like the new popular artist just because everyone else does.  The decisions made in high school often display if a teenager can think for themselves and make their own choices or just go with the flow and take part in what everyone else is doing.

Teens and discipline is an idea that parents can often have trouble dealing with.  Many parents do not know whether to be too strict or not strict enough with their children which can cause teens to sometimes rebel or not listen to their parents.  Most parents enforce curfews and rules for their kids to ensure that their teenagers get home safe and do not make life-changing mistakes like becoming addicted to drugs or entering the scary world of teenage pregnancy.  A curfew shows teens that their parents still have control over them and want what is best for them.

A lot of teenagers are serious about exercise and staying in shape.  Teen sports and fitness is a large part of the teenage years because it is the time when adolescents are often determined to win sports scholarships for college.  Teen eating and nutrition can easily be a source of teen stress because teenagers often feel pressured to be very skinny and fit the body type that seems appropriate.  Stress can also come from teens and first jobs because adolescents are forced to balance work and school which can easily turn into a difficult situation.  The teenage years can definitely be difficult and stressful, but overall they are a memorable and rewarding time that many people wish they could return to.