by Harry

How to talk to your teenage son, by a teenager

Dear parents,

 As a teenage boy, our day to day life fluctuates enormously. 

We feel like life hates us and is after us. We feel like the teenage years are ridiculously crucial, hard, and, um, awkward. It stresses us out!!  

Communicating with people who speak a different language is incredibly difficult. We occasionally speak the teenage language: a one-word response, grunt or nothing at all doesn’t mean “I’m not ok”, it might just mean that “I’m tired” and don’t want to talk.  

When you do have a conversation with your teenage son, it should be less talking and more listening. The one thing we can’t stand is getting cut off or not listened to. 

These years can be scary. Mood swings, sensitivity increases, intense emotions, anxiety, stress and self-consciousness are vital we know, we just juggle to keep them in control.   

These feelings change the way we communicate; our emotions could be high, or we simply fall apart with anxiety and stress. Puberty dominants our teenage years and is a central link to understanding how boys communicate.  

Teenage boys want to be trusted and taken seriously. Puberty matures us and gives us an understanding of our new responsibility.  It’s at this time that parents need to trust us and allow us some freedom.

A teenage boy’s life is tough, and communicating can be the last thing we want to do. Feelings control our communication and actions; puberty changes us mentally, creating mood swings and intense emotions. 

We love our parents but warn to tread with caution and insight.

Understanding teenage boys is a journey for us all.

Regards,
Harry

 

Brought to you by Brighton Grammar School

Harry is a 13 year old student. He wrote this article in response to a writing task offering an insight into the communication channels of a teenage boy. This article is about