Parents and teens normally tend to disagree over petty issues and when ignored may lead to conflicts. Such disagreements come from difference in opinion. Conflict arises because parents have different perspectives about life issues. Whereas teens see issues as a matter of personal choice, parents see them as right or wrong. Some issues affecting parents when their teens are passing through teenage includes worry about the body physical changes and perception of the future.
Some of the changes in the family needs at the adolescent include; change in the whole family as a unit. The economic status also changes in that there are increased unplanned expenditures and financial demands. The relationship with peer groups changes as well the family functions (Weaver, 2001). There as certain transformations that occur in the family as a result of adolescence for instance, changes in the balance of power where teens shift towards having equal relationship with the parents. There are also biological changes which is cognitive maturation of puberty that makes the family system to balance out (Sears, 2012).
In terms of sex in family relationships, there are minor differences between male and female adolescence. Parent’s sex is more important because it has much influence when compared to that of the parents. Generally, most teens tend to be closer to the mother. The four main parenting styles include; authoritative parenting whereby the parent is firm and fair to the adolescent making the teenage to be more responsible, successful, adaptive, curious, and social. Authoritarian parenting in which the parent values obedience and conformity, this makes the adolescent to be more dependent, less curious, self-assured and less social. Indulgent parenting whereby the parent behave in an accepting, benign and passive way leading to an adolescent who is mature, and indifferent parenting in which the parent minimizes the time and energy that he or she normally devotes to for interacting with his or her adolescent. This leads to an adolescent who is impulsive, normally engages in delinquent and is likely to use drugs, alcohol or entertain unprotected sex (Steinberg, 2002).
Authoritative is where the parent provides a balance between restrictiveness and autonomy. They also engage in verbal communication with their parents. The relationship between the parent and the adolescent is warm and they both understand each other. According to theorists of Emotional Autonomy and Individuation, Individuation is a situation where an individual just continues to be independent and autonomous. There are four components for measuring emotional autonomy which are; extent to which the adolescent de-idealize their parents, the e4xtent to which the adolescent see the parents as people, independence or the extent to which the teens depend on themselves and not the parents, and the extent to which the adolescent in a parent-adolescent relationship felt individuated.
The first model relates to adolescent’s appearance. According to this model, changes how the teen view his or her relationship with the parent thereby leading to a change in parent-teen
relationship. The second model is social cognitive development that helps the adolescent to have a better understanding of themselves and their parents better. There are certain parenting practices which may have either positive or negative influence on the teen-parent relationship. Positive mental health together with healthy individuation can be promoted through close rather than distant family relationship. Those teens that are normally close to their parents do less conflict with them. Parents who are too overprotective with a lot of psychological control may have difficulty in individuating. Teens who are allowed to make their own decisions and rules in authoritative families help in promoting emotional autonomy. Giving teens such responsibilities helps them to slowly become mature because it encourages responsibility without threatening the good relationship between the parent and the teen.
References
Sears, W. (2012). Creative parenting: How to use the new continuum concept to raise children successfully from birth through adolescence. New York: Everest House.
Stepp, L. S. (2000). Our last best shot: Guiding our children through early adolescence. New York: Riverhead Books.
Steinberg, L., & Silk, J. S. (2002). Parenting adolescents. In M. H. Bornstein (EdNJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Weaver, S. (2001).Teenage boys talk. Auckland: Random House.
