Most people believe adolescence is the finest time of one’s life since it is filled with pleasure, freedom, and enthusiasm. This glorious period, however, is not without its difficulties. For example, you may discover that your daughter is suddenly dealing with several teenage girl problems, such as bodily changes, their first menstrual period, and emotional dilemmas. Teenage is a time of uncertainty since even minor issues may seem like major problems. As a parent, you should support and help your daughter deal with these teenage issues. Read on to learn about the various issues your daughter may be dealing with and how you may assist her in handling them.
Top 10 Common Teenage Girl Problems
The most common problems of girls are appearance, education, dating, bullying, friendship, self-esteem, peer pressure, substance use, menstruation and depression. Here we list these top 10 problems of a teenage girl in detail along with the possible solution. Understanding these better will help you support and help your little lady even better:
1. Appearance:
This probably features as the number one problem on every teenage girl’s problem list. 30.4% of all teenagers are believed to have issues regarding their body image (1). This is the time when her body is constantly changing and she has to cope with it. To top it, she keeps seeing and hearing about these figure-perfect bodies. Media and peer pressure also play havoc. Family environment, ability, disability, the attitude of pees, and, cultural background are some factors that influence your child’s body image (2). Solution (2):
Monitor your teenager very closely. Discuss how these perfect images on social media are highly digitally manipulated. See to it that your young girl doesn’t adopt unhealthy eating habits. Ensure the people she spends time with do not act in an adverse manner.
2. Education:
This is a time when your teenage girl has to constantly prove her mettle by scoring high, doing well in exams, and on other educational fronts. This creates immense pressure on your young girl and leads to stress and undue pressure. 33.8% of all teenagers are found to have school or education-related stress (1). Solution:
Make your teenage girl understand that she should study well and score good marks, but that grades are no way of judging someone. Low grades do not make anyone less educated or less talented. There is always another test she can prove herself in. Encourage her to take up extra-curricular activities that she likes. This will help her unwind while building more focus and concentration power.
3. Dating:
Teenage life already comes with a lot of problems and challenges. A sudden increased in the flow of sex hormones inside the body makes it even worse. You might find your girl falling for her first crush and vulnerable to romantic liaisons. A lot of teenage girls experience healthy crushes and early-age love too. However, peer pressure, changing times, and the advancement of media have sort of associated sex to such teenage romantic relationships. This makes your teenage girl feel that sex is but natural in romantic relations even at an early age. Also, since this is an extremely confusing time for her, it is important for you to explain to her the importance of taking the necessary precautions, indulging in safe sex, and the importance of consent. Solution:
Tell her it is perfectly alright to say no to sex. Educate her on the sex front. It is very important for you to pass all relevant information about sex as and when she grows. Be open and discuss sex with her, it is not a taboo. Teach her how to be safe and all about precaution too, as you may not always be able to control her relationships (3).
4. Bullying:
Bullying is one of the other teenage girl issue which bothers them a lot. About 55% of all teens say that bullying is a major problem among their peers (4). About 16% of school students in the US reported cyberbullying (5). This starts affecting their personality and behavior. Your teenage girl might also feel depressed and react strangely by keeping to herself. Solution:
Make sure your teenage girl discusses everything with you. If you feel she is being bullied, advise her on how to face it and stand up against it. Teach her how she can come out of such situations and how you too were bullied sometimes when young. Children should know that they are not the only ones who face such problems. This eases them out a bit.
5. Friendship:
Teenage makes every relation seem complex. Even the beautiful bond of friendship often meets shaky grounds. This is because as a teenager, your child is developing social skills. Your daughter might love her best friend one moment and might pick an ugly fight the next. This may result in aggression and mood swings. Solution (7):
Teach your teenage girl that it is alright to fight with friends. But fights don’t make any friend bad. It is alright to have problems and differences of opinion. Even her best friend might not always agree with her on something. The best way is to discuss these problems and then forget about them. Monitor the kind of friends she makes. Ensure she is in the right company. Teach her that it is okay to apologize when wrong (6).
6. Self-Esteem:
Teenage girls have this habit of comparing themselves, their body, and their appearance to other girls of their age. This unconsciously creates a pressure on them. The changes in your teenage girl’s body might make her doubt herself. She might get extremely conscious about everything she does, wears, or even talks about. This might adversely affect her self-esteem. Solution:
Make sure she doesn’t idolize models and actresses. Patiently explain to her that everybody is different from each other. We all are unique and we all have our own set of positives and negatives. Encourage her to indulge in her favorite activities and hone her skills instead.
7. Peer Pressure:
Peer pressure forces teenage girls to behave a certain way that gives them a sense of belongingness. By giving into peer pressure they feel one with their peers. This even leads them to take up habits that they otherwise aren’t supposed to or are interested in. Solution:
Explain to your daughter what peer pressure is to help her identify it. Tell her that she is unique in her own way and may choose to like a certain band that her peers might not approve of. She can choose to be a certain way without feeling any detachment from her peers. Her opinions, views, choices, hobbies, fashion sense, and even eating habits make her entirely what she is. She need not give in to any peer pressure just to make her peers feel good.
8. Substance Use:
This is a major problem that most teenagers, girls, and boys, face across the world today. Substance use has a huge impact on the child’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being as well as their academic success. (7). In most cases, peer pressure introduces teenage girls to this dangerous habit. Teenage girls retort to substance use to ease their stress, feel secure and assured from within. Solution:
Talk to your young girl about the bad side effects and detrimental effects of substance use. Explain how these give temporary good feelings while ruining her system, body, mind, and soul from within. If she wants to try a hand at drinking, make her do it in your presence. Let her experience everything but only under your supervision and in your presence.
9. Menstruation:
This is the time your teenage girl will enter her menstruation phase for the first time. She might develop a lot of misconceptions and queries too in regard to her menstruation cycle. Solution:
Clear all her doubts first. Make her accept the fact that this process is natural. Tell her how every girl goes through this in her life and that it is part of leading a normal life. Teach her how to deal with emergency situations. Tell her to always carry an extra pair of underwear and tampons or sanitary napkins in her bag. She must also keep a few medicines with her always, in case she suffers from headaches or bad menstrual cramps. Teach her how to track her monthly periods and talk to her about PMS-ing too.
10. Depression:
Teenage girls are twice as likely to be diagnosed with mood disorders than boys (8). When things don’t go their way, or when they don’t meet the standards that their peers have maintained, they feel pressured and might feel depressed. Low grades, breakups, high parental expectations, weight gain, substance use, are some of the many factors that trigger depression and are the major teen girl issues. Solution:
Look for signs of depression in your teenage girl. If you think she is losing interest suddenly in everything she does, talk to her about it. See to it that she behaves normally, remains happy, and occupied in various activities that she enjoys. Excess desire to sleep or total sleep deprivation is also a sign of depression. Also look for signs like if she talks suddenly about death, suicide, etc. Seek professional help immediately.
References:
