Premium
Love, heartbreak are also part of a teenager’s life experience
Two teenagers in love.
What you need to know:
- If a teenager feels judged by a parent, they tend to keep issues to themselves.
- When teens are suffering the emotional anguish of a breakup, they can be rude sometimes.
Breathe in and out,” said my sister-in-law, from the other end of the phone. She was trying to calm me down.
“Explain to me what happened. Why are you crying?”
I was breaking down in tears, and my voice was shaking: “I just broke up with him.”
That was all I could say. I was completely shattered. A year down the line, I would love it if every Kenyan parent understood this; the end of a teenage relationship, especially the first one, is very devastating for both boys and girls.
The emotional turmoil that comes with it may lead to stress, depression, substance abuse and even suicide.
This pain is caused by the teenager’s naïve belief that the relationship will never end. From my experience with my sister-in-law, I feel parents play a vital role in the healing journey of such teenagers.
Parents and guardians ought to understand teens’ behavioural, emotional and psychological well-being by building healthy relationships with them.
Emotional anguish
This can only be achieved if parents acknowledge and validate their children’s feelings, and let them know that they can speak about it.
The parent should also be open about conversations involving relationships, sex and sexual health, alcohol and drug abuse, and their negative impacts.
When teens are suffering the emotional anguish of a breakup, they can be rude sometimes.
In such times, we teenagers would love it if parents sat us down and talked to us rather than scolding and shouting at us for not behaving as they may expect of us.
In many instances, death due to emotional pain can only be stopped if the teenager is more open to the parent, and the parent is more willing to listen than judge.
If a teenager feels judged by a parent, they tend to keep issues to themselves— leading to stress, depression and other irrational behaviour.
If a parent is not able to handle the issues facing their children, it is important for them to organise and pay for the services of a psychologist.
Florida Korir,17, is a Form Three student at Mama Ngina Girls’ High School, Mombasa.
Are you aged 10-20 and would like to be Nation’s young reporter? Email your 400-600-word article to [email protected]