With a rapidly changing body and brain, adolescents seek out the independence they crave, while still not having the capacity or capability to truly be on their own. This can cause a great deal of imbalance within the parent-child relationship (Steinburg, 2008, p. 43). For some parents, adolescence is the first time they have seen any indication that their child is no longer that perfect, sweet baby that they once held in their arms. This often causes confusion, and is concerning to them. It is usually at this time that I will get a phone call from a parent asking for my help in dealing with their “out of control” teenager, and Tracy Freeland is no different.
To be a teenager is to be in a time of fluctuation and more often than not in western society, a time of rebellion. There are certain rituals that take place during the teens such as socializing with friends in a place other than school, more responsibilities around the house and less juvenile relationships with members of the opposite sex. Biologically teenagers change dramatically, with girls usually starting their periods and maturing into a phase where their bodies get ready to have children whereas boys develop facial hair, their voices deepen and other matters. They also become more aware of themselves sexually and it is this period in which most people are experimental with their sexuality as well as drugs and their own personal style. In today’s modern and fast paced society, teenagers have had to rush through life and begin adulthood earlier than the generations before.
Those at highest risk of teen pregnancy are girls from single parent homes, families with low socioeconomic status, and girls with a sister who became pregnant as a teenager (Talashek, Alba, & Patel, 2006). A significant risk factor identified by the National Center for the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy (NCPTP) is that 75% of pregnant teens have mothers who were also pregnant as a teenager (VanLenten, 200?). The lifestyle of the average teenager is not conducive to fetal development. Teen mothers are more likely to smoke, eat a fast food diet, less likely to have adequate prenatal care, and more
You Haven’t Had Sex Yet? : How Heckerling Argues That Sex Is Essential to the Teenage Plight The most brazen argument Heckerling makes in Fast Times at Ridgemont High is that of the varying teenage takes on sex and just how vital it is to a high school student’s self and social images, however little they know about it. Heckerling depicts sex from a variety of characters’ standpoints. The easiest identifiable character in the film in which depicts this struggle with sex is Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) (IMDB). Even as a young freshman at fifteen years old, Stacy struggles with the fact that she remains a virgin.
Imaginary audience arises from the larger concept of adolescent egocentrism. Teens will feel that the imaginary audience is always commenting and judging them, teens at times can get caught up in their imagination and consider themselves “celebrities” but no one is actually watching them. The adolescent get so caught up in their imagination, that they develop a mood for their “audience”. The mood that the “audience” usually has is the attitude that the teen has that day for example if the teen feels self conscious than the “audience” is going to be judgmental. Children in childhood have imaginary friends, and they do believe that “others see what they see, know what they know, hear what they
Teenager’s brains can be complicated in many ways. Teenagers are trying to figure out who they are so their brain is lost and confused; teenagers do not have a mental illness. Everyone has gone through this stage in life, but yet, not everyone has a mental illness in the
Open versus Closed Adoption As a nursing student, I have had the opportunity to speak with high school students about the issues of teen pregnancy and parenting. One student in particular confided that she was having trouble deciding whether she should put her unborn baby up for adoption. This conversation prompted me to investigate the legal and ethical issues facing parents who decide to give their child up for adoption. Primarily, I wanted to understand the options available to the birth parent, and also, to weigh these against the legal arrangements in the best interest of the child. An adoption takes place for several reasons, as a result of an unwanted pregnancy, lack of a proper home environment or numerous other reasons.
I would definitely talk to her about his age and the fact that he is three years older than she and try to explain her mother’s anxieties. Older boys do seem to practice pressure when dating younger girls and she needs to be made aware of these statics. Also teen pregnancy is a very big worry factor for parents. If this should occur, it not only affects the teen’s life but all who are connected to her. There would big decisions to make about the child, school and future
How do the media portray adolescents? 16 and pregnant is a documentary series that covers the journeys of young women during their unplanned pregnancy. One of the main characters of season 2 was Ashley Salazar, a high school senior with a passion for writing. Salazar relies on her mom a lot, but she has big aspirations to move out soon, go to college in New York, and study to become a photojournalist. However, she may have to reconsider her dreams because Ashley is now pregnant.
The Texas Education Code explicitly mandates that abstinence from sexual activity always be presented as the preferred choice of behavior in relationships for unmarried persons of school age (Wiley & Wilson, 2009). While most teenagers are in the pre-contemplative stage in which they do not recognize a problem exists with their current behavior, some students can be motivated by fear of becoming pregnant, impregnating their partner, or contracting disease (Euromed Info). This learning motivator exhibited by teenagers must be encompassed into the curriculum in order to reach more teenagers and potentially dramatically impact the teenage pregnancy rates within Odessa