Teens Strain The Family

How do Teens Strain the Family?

Adolescents cause many changes. Families have to adjust to these changes. For example, before entering into middle school, my primary concern was pleasing my parents, hanging out with neighborhood friends, and getting up and ready for school everyday. When I finally began my teenage years, I was more concerned with social relationships, having the popular clothing, pleasing my peer and fitting in, and getting to social engagements. I also became more secretive and this strained the family. Now, teenagers are equipped with cell phones, laptops, and cars, none of which I had. I can imagine that this puts a terrible financial burden on the parents. Teenagers must also think about their futures. Will they attend college, a technical school, or enter the workforce? Who will support them in their decisions financially, emotionally, and socially? Because teenagers are in a time of transition, the family transitions with them which can also strain family relationships.

I wonder how teens strain the family in this generation. How is it different from the strains I placed on my family in my generation? Is there an overarching and labeled phenomenon that can be stated about the strains placed by most teens on their families? How can we help teens so that strains on the family are less severe?

Strains on the family can be seen in different family unit types: single parents, stepfamilies, and intact families (126). When I was a teenager, my parents were (and still are) together. I have had no experience outside a two-parent household. This may be one major difference between generations, or at least in my perspective. No mention is made by the text about any specific differences between teens in different generations. One phenomenon that strains most families, namely parents, is “de-idealization” where children entering adolescents begin to see their