Was this article helpful? Explore Popular Topics. Behavior Problems. Learning Disorders. View More Topics. Sign Up for Our Newsletters. Stay connected. There may never be a more important time for us to develop emotional intelligence, than now. Kids cry because they feel the innate need to express themselves.
We all know that adolescents experience hormone changes during puberty and into their teenage years. Teenagers are prone to cry all through pre-adulthood. Obviously, emotions run higher in some young people than others. Part of growing up is learning to manage emotions. At the same time, I learned as an adult that strong men are able to express emotions in front of others, without communicating uncontrollable weakness. They become eager to gain and apply knowledge and to consider a range of ideas or options.
These mental changes also carry over into their emotional lives. Within the family, for example, the ability to reason may change the way a young teen talks to and acts around her parents. She begins to anticipate how her parents will react to something she says or does and prepares an answer or an explanation. In addition, these mental changes lead adolescents to consider who they are and who they may be.
This is a process called identity formation and it is a major activity during adolescence. Most adolescents will explore a range of possible identities.
They go through "phases" that to a parent can seem to be ever-changing. Indeed, adolescents who don't go through this period of exploration are at greater risk of developing psychological problems, especially depression, when they are adults. Just as adults, who with more experience and cognitive maturity can struggle with their different roles, adolescents struggle in developing a sense of who they are. They begin to realize that they play different roles with different people: son or daughter, friend, teammate, student, worker and so forth.
Young teens may be able to think more like adults, but they still do not have the experience that is needed to act like adults. As a result, their behavior may be out of step with their ideas. Or she may spend an evening on the phone or exchanging e-mails with a friend talking about how they dislike a classmate because she gossips.
It takes time for young teens and their parents to adjust to all these changes. But the changes are also exciting.
They allow a young teen to see what she can be like in the future and to develop plans for becoming that person. Search for:.
Toggle navigation U. Student Loans Grants Laws Data. How Do I Find As a parent, your reaction is important. Sometimes you need to step back and give your child a little space to be sad. Other times she needs a hug or someone to listen. They need you not to make a big deal about it, but just accept that they are feeling upset.
You can convey that message in a different way, though, by sharing your own experiences, and supporting your child as she finds her own emotional balance.
Some emotional or tearful times are not unusual at this age, says Schonert-Reichl.
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