You may think you know what’s going on in the mind of that moody creature on the couch, but you could be way off target.
The thing is that while your teen might not be discussing lots of things with you, she and her friends could well be writing to Health24's Teen Expert. So why not let him do the talking?
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He says there are five areas that stress teens out more than any others do:
Fears of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection
after some kind of sexual involvement. A number of teenagers display a worrying lack of basic knowledge about pregnancy and safe sex.
Questions about aspects of relationships.
Many teens write in with questions on how to handle boyfriend/girlfriend issues such as break-ups, rejection or dating.
Conflict with parents.
Teenagers need to know how to resolve conflict and how to negotiate with their parents.
Questions about their body/identity.
Teens are vitally concerned with what is considered “normal” - often in relation to sexual identity and experimentation, or development and physical appearance. Often all that they need is to be reassured that what they are going through is normal and that things will eventually reach an even keel.
School or study problems.
Teens regularly want to know how they should negotiate difficulties with teachers or their peers. These situations are usually regarding conflict or popularity, and the teenager needs to fit in with the given peer group.
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