Most of us cherish our childhood days as the most amazing moments of our lives. However, we forget what struggles and stressful situations we had to deal with every day, growing up. While some of us were instructed not to talk or spend time with a certain group of people, some were always pushed to score more and top the exams. Studies were unanimously treated as the most crucial part of our young age.
Comparison Between Kids
Despite being a heavily discussed theme, no change is observed in society's attitude concerning this. Several television programs and newspaper columns have addressed this issue to spread awareness about the adverse impact it has on children, but to no avail. The unreasonable expectations of neighbors, family, and friends from the kids, leads to dreary effects in the long run, not recognized initially. Parents want their kids to be better than the others. How else will they be able to survive in this cut-throat world?
Every child has a distinct set of strengths and weaknesses, and can flourish in their area of interest, if properly guided and encouraged. The more they are discouraged and scolded for their weaknesses, the more drastically it will affect their growth and reasoning capability. Being a part of society, it is our collective duty to offer a positive ambience to our future generation. Encourage your children to indulge in the things and activities which they like. Allow them to grow using their talent and skill.
Children Facing Untoward Questions
After the exam results are declared, be it the final exam of class 8th or the 10th board exams, relatives and neighbors start hounding the students and their parents unnecessarily. As a student, whenever we failed to score well in a particular exam, the first thought to strike our minds would always be ‘What will everyone say?’ Not surprisingly, the interrogations of the neighbors and their cold emotionless comments massively affect the children. The statements of the relatives and other family members put the child in a situation where they end up losing their self-esteem and self-confidence.
The only option is to teach your kids to ignore these unending queries of the society from the first day, since there are no answers that can satisfy them. The more you entertain them, the more they will bombard you with stupid and bothersome questions. It is better to stick with your kids at the start so that they learn to face these situations boldly and once they ace the ways to tackle these questions, they would stop putting undue pressure on themselves.
Dealing with Emotions and Cognitive Changes
The comments and questions by the neighbors and relatives affect the child’s emotional stability adversely. With growing age, they go through many physical and hormonal changes. It might make them impatient at times while some might become short-tempered or even extremely quiet. They try to offer themselves an individual identity and tend to get detached from their families.
The external societal pressure makes them stiffen inside and unable to express their thoughts freely, making them go through many emotional rollercoaster rides. The children have to deal with new experiences and feelings every day at this age. In addition to their studies, their attempts to adapt to the new changes in themselves, and the societal pressure, takes a toll on them. The relationships with their friends and family complicates and even before they can figure out what’s wrong, a negative external pressure floods into their life making them feel more lost and confused.
Gender Harassment
Another change that increases the strain in the teen’s mind is the situation where they have to answer questions related to their choices and beliefs. Besides the biological changes, a pubescent goes through several psychological changes too. Their ways of expressing their interests, sexual orientation, and preferences are completely normal at this age. However, their choice of dressing up in a certain way or having a certain hairstyle might make them face several questions.
Adolescents prefer to start experimenting with their choices and that gives rise to a lot of gossips amidst their relatives, neighbors, and even their friends at times. There are many situations where the guys are taunted for not being ‘masculine’ enough or the girls get teased and taunted by the relatives for being too ‘manly’. The desire for their self-expression and individuality increases with age and that might lead them to try and experiment - cross-dressing, getting a tattoo or piercing - a way to rebel against the convention. Children who prefer to be a bit different from others face more frequent harassment.
The opinions and thoughts have changed a lot today compared to the olden times. As a parent or close relative, you can always help your child to cope up with these situations by following the below-mentioned tips:
● Communicate with your child. Let them know that they can always come to you whenever they are feeling insecure or stressed about anything.
● Help them believe in themselves. Help them to cope with the changes and societal naggings.
● Encourage them to indulge in their hobbies. Spend time with them and allow them to trust you and open up about their points of anxiety.
● Get to know your child’s peers and get in touch with their family in a pleasant and friendly way if a problem arises between the children.
Conclusion
We forget to notice what else a student has to face besides spending an unhealthy amount of time with books and study materials. A teenager goes through several physical and mental changes as they step into adolescence. Most of us deal with the flood of emotions on our own. But at several points, it becomes hard for youngsters to tackle everything without external assistance and support. Listen to them. Allow them to confide in you. Do not let these pressures get to them and cause serious health issues.
Written by - Hiya Takal
Edited by - Shivansh Shandilya
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