Friendships and loving relationships
The subject of greatest concern for teens is the friendships and probably even the romantic relationships they’ve been building since high school. You have to understand that at this age your child is going through more than just school and they need not only paper help, but also to be able to control the action of a lot of hormones, and this can make them especially sensitive to social circumstances. They may feel a deeper sense of embarrassment or awkwardness than adults, and in addition, it is far from uncommon for a group of friends to be tense, causing considerable distress. This usually goes away quickly, but when it becomes a long term problem it can have a big distraction from the child’s learning and therefore have an adverse effect on his or her school performance. Such situations are difficult (if not impossible) to intervene in, and as long as it doesn’t come to threats-something we’ll explore a little further-they’ll have to deal with these difficulties among themselves. But you can at least be present as support and be the person to talk to if he wants to talk to you about a situation. You can help by offering his attention the perspective of someone older and wiser. He may not listen to you, but at least you will feel that you did your best to help him. The exact opposite problem may also be true: Your child gets along so well with his friends (or his significant other) that he spends too much time with them, while neglecting his studies. If this is your child’s case, it would be helpful to outline the bigger picture, that school may not seem important to them now, compared to their friendships, but they work for university, and university will provide them with a path to a high-paying career and a comfortable life. It’s hard to do anything about it when your child, while in school, spends periods of free time hanging around with their friends instead of studying, but you could try to limit the time they spend socializing outside of school. You could influence them to see socializing as a reward, as something to look forward to on their homework. You could also offer other incentives for them to work harder. For example, there are incentives with money, the effectiveness (or even moral acceptability) of which is debated, but pocket money might be a good way to motivate and focus your teen’s attention more on learning.
Intimidation
This is a problem your child may experience throughout his or her time in school, no matter what age he or she is. It comes in many different forms, but they can all have a profound effect on your offspring’s happiness both inside and outside of school. Bullying can be verbal or physical, but it can also be emotional – for example, by excluding your teen from social events, spreading vicious rumors, etc. It may be difficult to determine if your child is feeling threatened because they may not involve you for fear that the situation will get worse. Watch for changes in behavior, such as if your previously outgoing child has become quiet and withdrawn. If you find that bullying is the cause, talk to your child about it, go with him or her to the teacher and discuss it with him or her. Agree on a course of action to take to deal with the problem, and insist on regular meetings to be able to discuss whether or not the situation has improved. You can find more information about bullying here: BeatBullying.
Home Life
Your home life has a big impact on your child’s well-being at school, as stresses at home affect how well he or she will be able to handle the stresses of school. Creating a peaceful environment at home is just as important because it allows your teen to focus on learning. If they have younger siblings, for example, you can do your part and help your child by keeping them quiet so they can study. The following are also other complexities of home life that can affect your teenager.
Frequent moves
There is an abundance of incredible facts that advise that frequent moves during a child’s education have an extremely destructive effect on them, as well as causing stress. School is stressful enough without the fact that your teenager has to settle in many different schools. For this reason, if possible, try to minimize the number of times your child has to change schools while studying. If this is unavoidable due to your work responsibilities, it may be worth sending them to a boarding school, since it can become a permanent part of their life and they won’t have to make new friends all the time.
Intimidation through information technology
Thanks to social media, your teen is not safe from threats, even when they are at home. “Cyberbullying” is a threat that occurs over the Internet, and it is particularly damaging because it strikes children when they are in their own homes and where they should be safe. Among the many possible manifestations, it includes insulting or threatening behavior on social media, spreading evil gossip, or posting compromising pictures of your child. “Cyberbullying” can gradually eat away at your teen’s self-esteem as well as affect their academic life, so keep a close eye on their computer behavior (for example, it can be a warning sign if they quickly roll down their window as soon as you approach). Also watch his general demeanor to notice any changes that might indicate something bad. Make rules about how long and when they are allowed to be online, and at the same time talk to them about how safe it is to be in this mode. Make sure they know how to block or complain about people who insult or threaten them online. This can help you become familiar with the social media that they are a part of, so you will know what to do in case there are any problems.
Homeschooling
If you choose to homeschool your child, it can cause a whole different set of problems. One of the first things you’ll have to deal with will be a lack of social interaction. Your teenager may feel isolated when learning everything at home, and they won’t be motivated to compete with their peers regarding learning. Therefore, it is important to encourage them to take up a hobby outside the home so they can see other teens and make friends. You may also find that you have to do something to motivate him. You can solve this by instituting a strict, school-like schedule and routine that requires them to get up and start studying at a certain time, and by arranging subjects in the order they would have been in school. Taking care of a teenager’s well-being is rarely a simple matter, and each parent will have a different way of doing it. In this article, we have tried to encourage a culture of frank and honest discussion in your home. You will have to spend a lot of time recognizing any of the difficulties we have talked about in this article, and to deal with these emerging problems before they grow and begin to affect your child’s academic progress and well-being.