The World of Teenager's Emotions

During the period of hormonal activity and intensive body growth, a teenager experiences many feelings and sensations unfamiliar to him. From ignorance and misunderstanding of his internal processes, he may behave unpredictably and strangely. But parents need to be prepared for this and, if possible, prepare their child for the upcoming changes. While nothing is happening yet, it will be interesting for the child to learn much that is useful about himself and mentally prepare for the unknown that will definitely come.

It is important for parents to study very seriously the peculiarities of adolescent behavior, what difficulties their maturing child will encounter and how they should behave, how to love and what they should not do, and in prayer ask for wisdom and light about this time. The importance of this information is extremely great and necessary, because under the influence of incomprehensible thoughts and feelings, a teenager may not cope with the pressure and influence that has befallen him and commit suicide. Unfortunately, this grief takes place in our world and, strangely enough, according to statistics, in economically stable countries this happens more often than in those where people struggle with poverty.

In the desire to be alone, a teenager may hide his experiences and be in a state of clinical depression. His brain is actively developing, especially in the area responsible for controlling emotions and foreseeing consequences. And when he falls into hopelessness due to mockery, violence, unrequited love or conflict with parents, he may feel that there is no way out of this and life becomes unpleasant. If among the multitude of peers he has no close friends or the society of peers does not accept him, this creates a feeling of deep loneliness that depresses the young soul.

The enemy of souls and his army of demons know what your teenager is experiencing and are always ready to offer him something of their own that will destroy his soul and body, using both cruel methods of influencing his mind and pleasant seduction. They can encourage peers to create bullying against your teenager and show incredible cruelty. And in such a state, the child will not have peace even at home.

Unconditional and active parental love will help the teenager have an excellent alternative for developing positive emotions, while intercessory prayers and confidential conversations will work miracles of transformation in the teenager's consciousness.

It is important for parents to let the child understand that they are his allies and that Jesus is on their side, that together it will always be easier for them to find a way out of any situation and problem.

The prayer of faith casts out evil spirits and brings peace to the soul. Children taught this from childhood will not forget it in adolescence either. Jesus will not leave any sincere and struggling soul in hopelessness or loneliness and will give desired peace to all who come to Him.

The world sets many empty demands and expectations on young people: you must be strong, beautiful, successful, rich, popular, fashionable, and if there is some inconsistency with these norms in you, then you are inferior and will not have a "place under the sun." And unfortunately, many young people swallow this bait and become slaves to worldly standards, trying to reach that rainbow that is so close but so inaccessible.

The emotional world of a teenager is a very complex process of simultaneous growth of spiritual, mental and physical functions of the organism. The fact that a child externally begins to look like an adult does not mean that he is the same inside. He does not yet have enough life experience and knowledge, and the lack of information about what is happening in his organism makes him very vulnerable in many questions.

But this process of growing up and transition from childhood to youth through an abundance of new feelings and emotions was not designed by us. The wise Creator determined precisely this time for such changes, and if one enters the adolescent period competently, then hidden blessing can be found in every incomprehensible problem.

Teenagers at this time may feel unprotected, misunderstood, rejected. Any careless word can plunge them into deep despondency or fill them with excessive joy. Someone said that in this period, to understand everything that happens with teenagers and what they feel, everything needs to be multiplied by 10. Their feelings are so heightened.

Mood swings are similar to emotional swings, which is connected to hormonal changes in their organism. They very much want to be independent but at the same time be under parental care. They strive for independent life but cannot yet provide for themselves. This causes internal conflict and emotional tension.

Unconditional parental love is very needed by the teenager during this period. It, like a strong anchor, holds his "swaying ship" among the excitement and storms in consciousness. No matter how difficult it may be for him, the awareness that he is always loved and accepted without any "ifs" helps him have life orientations and cope with any trials.

In search of his identity, the teenager may surprise his parents with his appearance and behavior. It is very important for him to be accepted in society of those like himself and have friends his own age. Any mistake or failure may cause anxiety and sadness in him.

At this age he begins to better understand other people's feelings because he knows how this looks in himself.

Parents should understand that any whims of their growing son or daughter are a stage of development and growing up. The teenager needs to feel freedom and independence, but within wise boundaries that should be firmly established and not violate the order of other family members.

He needs to be taught to talk about his feelings and analyze what is happening to him. Understanding parents can themselves describe internal processes in the growing body and tell how they went through this stage of growing up. This knowledge will help the teenager accept any new trial as a norm of life and cope more easily with his emotions.

Very important is spiritual and prayer support from parents. Understanding their love and constant reminding of God's love will preserve the teenager from many thoughtless steps and lay a strong trusting connection with Heaven.

The adolescent age is considered a stage of maturity in which young people's decision to make a covenant with God is conscious and they are given the right to accept water baptism and enter church brotherhood with full membership rights.

Parental support during the adolescent period is invaluable and irreplaceable. These are the first people who take the fiercest blows of negative mood and excessive joy. And the more they love, the more they can hear and receive blows directed at them.

And rigid dictatorship in the family suppresses the teenager's emotions, but this can lead to a dangerous internal explosion. Let your love and acceptance of your child make you those people with whom he will boldly share everything bad and good that overflows his inner world. It will be painful, but love will endure everything, especially if you understand what is happening and continue to love.

1. Please read Eccl. 11:9; Jer. 29:11; 1Tim. 4:12; Ps. 119:9; Isa. 26:3; 41:10; Phil. 4:6-7; Prov. 3:5-6; Rom. 8:38-39; Eph. 4:29; 6:1-4, in light of this lesson.

2. What other verses from the Bible came to your mind?

3. What was revealed to you in this chapter?

4. What is a teenager's emotional world?

5. Is it important for parents to understand what their teenager is experiencing?

6. Why can teenagers seem unpredictable and strange?

7. How can parents help a teenager cope with emotional swings?

8. Why is spiritual support important in a teenager's life and how can it be given?

9. Why is love and acceptance of a teenager without conditions so important during this period?

10. How can parents correctly instruct a teenager in faith?

11. How can we help a teenager realize the significance of his inner world?

12. Why can striving for society's ideals and standards be destructive for a teenager?

13. Why is it important to discuss with a teenager the process of growing up and changes in his organism?

14. How can we cope with a teenager's mood when it changes sharply?