Worried About Your Teen? Look Out For These Three Common Problems
As kids grow up they enter an uncomfortable period when they’re learning who they are. Some of them experience adolescence in a volatile way. There’s no doubt this behavior tends to pop up once they hit the teens.
To be fair, being a teenager is hard. So, sometimes your otherwise well behaved kids start acting out as they first experience their emotions, peer pressure, and just generally want to explore how far they can take their actions. Even with all that in mind, strange behavior from your child can be concerning.
If you’re not sure why your child is acting out, ask yourself these three questions.
1 -Is Your Child Distant Lately?
Drug slang may change with the years, but the behavior of a child affected by drugs doesn’t.
In fact, if you didn’t know this possession of substances by a minor could even land you in trouble for child abuse. At thefloridatriallawyer.com you can find more info about how and why substance possession by minors is considered as child abuse. Nevertheless, One of the most common signs of drug abuse is a child distancing themselves from family and even friends. Nowadays, teens are vaporizing, which may be hard for parents to spot. Electronic smoking devices are easy to hide, and can often look like USBs which teens may need for school already.
If you’re concerned about drugs, watch for changes in behavior of your child. Common changes besides distancing include lack of motivation, general changes in personality, and an alteration in their activity level. If this raises alarms, then it’s important to get them tested.
Let’s say the test comes back negative but you’re still noticing erratic behavior.
Is your child faking a drug test?
In this situation, it’s natural for this question to cross your mind. The answer, unfortunately, could be yes. There are a few common ways to fake a test that your teen may know. So don’t be afraid to test your child again or bring them to see a medical professional if you feel you are being manipulated. It is always better to be safe than sorry, and seek help.
2 – Is Your Child Always Alone?
Another common reason some teens act out is the lack of network of good friends. If your child doesn’t feel like they have a strong friend group to rely on they can start to get into less than wonderful things. Of course, some kids like their alone time. That is great too, but being alone should be their choice, not their only option.
It’s important to create organic opportunities for your child to make friends if you think they’re lacking a social circle. Get them to sign up for a class, club or volunteer opportunity to connects them with people with similar interests. If your child or teenager is part of a group, in person or even online, they will be much more resilient to depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. That’s why if you’re seeing a change in behavior pop up in a child who’s alone, you have a right to be concerned.
3 – Is Your Child Falling Behind?
If your usually bright child is falling behind in school, it could be more than the difficulty of the class. One possible culprit might be bullying. Bullying is the repeated action of harm against another person, traditionally characterized by an imbalance of power. Of course, teasing is something most of us deal with throughout the years, but bullying is more intense.
Bullying can cause a child to avoid a class or even the whole school if they know they can avoid the person ruining their day. Bullied kids are often tormented publicly. So as a result, they skip school and their grades fall.
In The End
All in all, you’re just a parent trying to do the right thing. Listen to your kid, and be proactive where you can. There are tons of call centers, and other resources built by parents and professionals alike to help you communicate with your teen in the healthiest way possible. If you feel like you don’t know where to turn, use these resources to help you do the best for your child!
