Written by Jiya Rajput, a grade 10 student of Sumermal Jain Public School.

Teenage years: Someone who is between the age of thirteen and nineteen is taken into account to be an adolescent. The adolescent period is considered to be one of the foremost fun and memorable times of one’s life. This age is like riding a roller coaster, with amazing highs and lowest lows. It’s also the age where energy and enthusiasm touch the sky, one has the flexibility to explore new things and have great experiences as well.

Challenges faced: As teenagers grow, the necessity to experience new challenges and explore possibilities increases. The liberty of taking decisions independently is one of the few freedoms that every teenager demands.

The life of a teenager is usually considered to be one of fun and freedom but nobody talks about the challenges that are a part and parcel of this period. The pressure of studies, the pressure of fitting in, and the need to excel and find one’s true calling are at their highest. Ironically, a teenager is anticipated to act like an adult but is treated as a child.

On top of that, a teenager has to face physical changes as well. Adolescents feel awkward and sometimes get embarrassed due to their disproportionate body parts. Puberty brings hair, acne, and also a deepening of voice in males along with genital organ growth. Girls, on the other hand, experience the onset of puberty one or two years before the boys. The advent of the bosom, widening of hips, and appearance of the netherhair are the common changes girls experience during puberty. Girls experience menstruation in puberty; therefore, the first menstrual event is referred to as menarche. These physical changes often make adolescents insecure about their bodies and may sometimes result in body-shaming.

Some more challenges: Apart from the physical changes, teenagers also exhibit a spurt in emotional and mental faculty. Many teenagers face their hardest times during schooling especially when bullying is exercised. Bullying is traumatic in itself and in its extreme form leads adolescents to depression. Adding to that is peer pressure, which makes teenagers pick detrimental habits and addictions leading to self-destruction. Some teenagers aim to appear more grown up and funky and see drinking and smoking as marks of adulthood. These addictions end up causing damage to their body.

As hormones develop, the urge of getting physically intimate is extremely common which may lead to teen pregnancy. Though physically grown, teenagers lack the emotional maturity to handle a physical relationship. This may be prevented by providing teenagers with proper education about sexual relationships.

Smoothening the transition: Adolescents often feel alienated by their parents. To avoid this, parents of young teenagers must keep the communication going and try to be non-judgemental and non-sermonising. The age of adolescence isn’t just a fun age but also an age where teenagers bear plenty of issues and frequently don’t discuss their problems for the fear of being judged. Educational institutions should counsel teenagers regularly, adults too can contribute by sharing their teenage experiences and also lessons learned from their mistakes. An age of disconnect can be made memorable through regular connections.

Jiya Rajput is a grade 10 student of Sumermal Jain Public School. She is very passionate about writing and loves to write poems and articles based on everyday things and teenage life.

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