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Jessica's TOP 10 Warning Signs Parents should be
looking for regarding their Adolescents:
Every person must grow up and make
that step toward adulthood, first passing through the difficult
stage called ADOLESCENCE. Observing some behavior change,
accompanied by emotional instability and rebellion can be normal.
However, rebellion and acting out has increased within this age
group. Teenagers are exposed to so much more now that they
were in the past, and this certainly causes this difficult period in
their lives to be even more challenging. Often parents
do not know the extent of what their children have been exposed to.
Many times, the child shields these situations from the parents
either because they are ashamed or afraid. This can produce
deep emotional pain that is often unrecognized by surrounding
adults. These are ten "issues" that I see to be warning signs
and red flags that could alert you to problems with your teenager.
These are by no means all of the warning signs, but definitely
things to be considered.
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Anger |
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Rebellion (passive as well as aggressive rebellion) |
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Defiance |
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Problems at school (i.e. discipline issues, social behavior
problems, negative changes in grades, etc.) |
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Disrespect and disregard of authority |
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Sexually acting out |
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Significant isolation |
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Self-mutilation (i.e. cutting themselves, burning themselves,
etc.) |
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Lying/Stealing (even if it is "only" from family) |
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Alcohol/Drug abuse |
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