Being there for your kids - Teenage angst — Dealing with Hormones

Episode Date: July 14, 2018

Every teen (and actually, all of us) deals with the impact of hormones. The mood changes, attitude, and body changes all take their toll. Instead of thinking of hormones as a bad thing, let’s call them power surges, and consider them as preparation for greater things in life. Helping your teen navigate through these power surges will ease stress and create teachable moments for them.

This is Teachable Moments. I'm Dr. John Robinson. Everybody has them. Hormones. Ugg. They often control the inner flow of our bodily functions. There are everyday hormones, growth hormones, sex hormones. Hormones also contribute to the seasons of our lives. Coming of age, teenage hormones often get a bad rap. In fact, adolescent growth and sex hormones are awesome. They pave the way to adulthood. They usher in the developmental life stage of creating an individual identity. For girls, The obvious hormone invasion is Menarchie, that magical moment when menstrual flow begins and physically a girl becomes a woman. For boys, the event is more gradual, cracking of the voice as it deepens, beard and other hair growth. Hormones are also about attitude, getting cocky, sassy, challenging authority, finding and testing boundaries.

The other life stage that is hormone-laden is menopause in the 45 to 55 range for women. The best cognitive reframe I've heard for the hot flashes women experience in menopause is described, them as power surges. Male menopause doesn't have the obvious flag, but nonetheless is characterized by industry, expansiveness, finding life meaning. This can result in dramatic directional changes in career, relationship, and values. When adolescent hormones and adult midlife hormones are all in the mix in a family, hold on.

Hormones will wreck havoc in families. The answer, however, is not to avoid them. Rather, try embracing them, plan for them, talk about all the changes, use action listening to understand the feelings behind the actions and respond in ways that respect boundaries and enhance the family experience. Hormones, ugh, but they don't have to be. I'm Dr. John Robinson, licensed clinical psychologist and Christian parenting author, and this has been Teachable Moments. Teachable Moments, Building Blocks of Christian Parenting, is available online at AmazonBooks.com and in local and national bookstores. More on Dr. Robinson at TMC-P-I-N-C.

com.