What It's Like to Be a Teenager Today

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That’s why I’m so excited to have Jennifer Delliquadri with me on the podcast for the next 2 episodes! Jenn is a life coach for teenagers and their parents. With over 14 years working as a classroom teacher, Jennifer is an expert at connecting with teens. 

Over the next 2 weeks, Jenn and I are talking about all things teenagers and all things parenting teenagers. We’re speaking from our experiences as coaches, and we are also both moms of teens, too.

Today, she’s sharing the common struggles she sees among teens today, what your teen really wants you to know and how you can best communicate with and support them. We also dive into generational differences in how we experience, process and communicate our emotions.

If I do say so myself, her passion for coaching teens and mine for coaching moms just might be a match made in heaven.

Common Patterns and Struggles in Today’s Teenagers

Increased sense of anxiety. Though most teens are not clinically anxious, they still experience anxious feelings. Social anxiety, in particular, is a big one for teens - and it’s been increased by the effects of the pandemic and the isolation that we’ve experienced over the past couple of years. They missed a very important part of their development in being social with other teens and their peers. 

Now, they doubt their ability to converse, they're nervous to go up to talk to people they don't know, make phone calls, so a lot of them avoid it. As a result of this overwhelm, they often need more time to recharge after social interactions.

Inability to effectively process and express their emotions. The generation of teens that are growing up now are much more aware of their feelings, but that doesn’t mean that they always know what to do with them.

Many teens also have a perception that feeling bad or anxious is a problem, when it’s really just a part of being human. They may try to push those feelings away, hide them or shove them down, but the feeling doesn’t go away. When it eventually comes out is when we see explosions and meltdowns.

Self doubt and low self esteem. Teenagers focus on peers, and they often feel like they’re being looked at under a microscope. They're thinking of all the ways they don't measure up to others, and constant interaction and social media magnify this. That self doubt can then lead to making poor decisions or doing things that they wouldn't normally do to fit in. 

How To Support Your Teen

Jenn shares a few key things that your teen really wants you to know and how you can support them during these years.

It all comes down to listening, creating a safe space for them to communicate, setting boundaries that make sense and then trusting that they will figure it out and they will be okay.

There is so much good stuff in this episode. Listen now to hear it all!

You’ll Learn:

• Common patterns in today’s teenagers
• Additional challenges of being a teen in the time of social media and constant interaction with peers
• Differences between the preteen/early teen and later teen/early adulthood years
• 5 things your teenager really wants you to know
• What makes today’s teens so great (‘cause it’s not all bad!)

Connect with Jennifer:

Jennifer offers 1:1 coaching for preteens to young adults. You can learn more about her programs at www.jenniferdelliquadri.com and follow her on Instagram at @jennifer.delliquadri.