Puberty can be a very challenging and confusing phase of one’s life. It is the time when things are at utter chaos and no matter what one does to soothe it there would always be some awkwardness and bewilderment accompanying it which just won’t leave. The individual during this phase goes through physical, biological as well as psychological changes. Even with the gradual eradication of the stamp of taboo on the issue of puberty, it still persists to pose as a great aberration in an adolescent’s life. Given the entire plethora of changes that the child is going through in this phase, s/he becomes prone to several hormonal imbalances as well.
Yes, I did refer to the adolescent as child, because during this time the person is neither of the two, and hence it becomes a transitional phase, from a child to an adult gradually. Adolescents during puberty phase need to be taken great care of emotionally. Here are 10 reasons as to why puberty is the most difficult phase of one’s life.
Uncomfortable with one’s own body
The kids are seeing and feeling their body change. It is a gradual take away from that childlike stature of theirs and they don’t know how to react to it. Often in some cases as a result of hormonal imbalances one even tends to see their body growing disproportionately and that becomes the greatest challenge of all. The young child fails to comprehend this sensibly. This leads to great discomfort and lack of confidence in their mind in terms of dealing with their altering body.
Grabs unwanted attention
A girl matures way earlier as compared to a boy sexually. Her body becomes more womanly even before she realizes it and she is all set to bear babies. A girl’s sexual maturation precedes her emotional development. Rather she is honed into the latter so as to match the maturity level of the two. It is her early maturation which can and probably does grab unwanted male attention. She is mistaken to be a fully grown woman in an age in which she is trying to come to terms with her changing body. It is here that she becomes prone to all sorts of social stigmas and prohibitions right from the way of her conduct to the clothes she wears. She is forced to abandon her carefree life and lifestyle.
People start responding differently
It is pretty common to notice one’s family members making and holding certain expectations from the son of the family as and when he matures into puberty. He is looked upon as the young man of the house and the one who is to take care of the folks, be it a nuclear or a joint family. The teen is expected to carry the rough and tough chores of the house and act as manly as possible. Though this tendency might vary from one culture to the other, it does happen nevertheless. Before he realizes he is entrusted with the responsibility of being the young man of the house.
Cracking voice
Boys reaching puberty develop a rather coarse and hard voice which tends to break every now and then. This could particularly be embarrassing especially being in a crowd of acquaintances. Though this is a matter of time and should not be given much attention to, but it does cause irritation in the boy’s mind. Matters are worst for those who despite reaching puberty do not develop the masculine voice and thus become a source of fun for the others in peer group. It hampers with the person’s self-esteem.
Existential crisis
This is the phase when one gets acquainted with the thoughts of existential crisis. Questions like ‘Why am I here?’, ‘What is the purpose of my being?’ would start to seep through their consciousness. It would seem like there is an answer to it but there won’t be and that would simply add to the frustration. The adolescent would strive to arrive at a definite answer of the never ending questions of their life and yet they would not be able to do so. These deep questions tend to occupy their mind leaving them helpless.
An adult child
This is an in between time period of the adolescent’s life where he is neither a fully grown man nor a boy anymore. It is obvious that being in such state can cause upheaval in one’s life for there would be no particular age gap to identify with. The person would be mature to not indulge in child like activities and yet not mature enough to take the important decisions of their life. This becomes the perfect recipe for anger and resentment towards elders who just seem to add to their helplessness by not aiding them in arriving at an answer.
Acne
There are lucky few who manage to escape one of the greatest side-effects of hitting puberty. But as for the remaining ones, acne poses yet another severe issue that becomes very difficult to be dealt with. Face that is of high value to the young adults in this phase becomes marred with those numerous pimple marks. This is the age in which outer appearance and beauty becomes of prime importance and when the same is badly affected by something so displeasing then it obviously hampers with the way they view themselves. In some cases they also tend to become a recluse.
Peer group
Family becomes of secondary importance and friends top the list during this age. The adolescent tends to become easily persuadable to everything that glitters. There would be very few who are actually able to distinguish between what is right and wrong. Often, the former lot sadly indulges in juvenile crimes and mess up with their lives unknowingly.
Mood swings
This is another new aspect of puberty which takes its toll on the adolescent. There would seem to be no certain explanation for the way they would be feeling. Be it happiness, sadness, anxiety or exhilaration, everything would seem to be so unexplained. This for many youngsters can seem to make a maddening effect for they are not able to judge and determine their own emotions and feelings.
High on impulses
A person becomes pretty impulsive in this age. All that matters is their instincts and they love sticking to it no matter what others say. Their own advice becomes of prime importance and everything else is deemed as not so imperative. Being impulsive often gets them into troubles.
It is entirely upon the parents or the older siblings (who are adults) to guide their children or younger siblings on the right path by providing them with the information that they are rightful to know.
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