SOCIAL+NL

__**SOCIAL CHANGES**__
Social changes during adolesence is very important as it has a big effect on the futur for young teenagers, some start developing serious relationship but that isnt always a good thing
 * As well as growing taller, starting to shave or having periods, people of this age start to think and feel very differently. They make close relationships outside the family, with friends of their own age. Relationships within the family also change. Parents become less important to their children as their life outside the family develops.
 * Real disagreements emerge for the first time as young people develop views of their own that are often not shared by their parents. · As most people know, adolescents spend a lot of time in each other's company, or on the telephone to each other. Although this can be irritating to parents, it is an important way of becoming more independent. These friendships are part of learning how to get on with other people and gaining a sense of identity that is distinct from that of the family. Clothes and appearance are a way of expressing solidarity with friends, although teenage children are still more likely to get their values from the family.
 * Parents often feel rejected, and in a sense they are. But this is often necessary for young people to develop their own identity. Even if you have rows and arguments, your children will usually think a lot of you. The rejections and conflicts are often not to do with your personalities, but simply with the fact that you are parents, from whom your children must become independent if they are to have their own life. · As they become more independent, young people want to try out new things, but often recognise that they have little experience to fall back on when things get difficult. This may produce rapid changes in self-confidence and behaviour - feeling very adult one minute, very young and inexperienced the next.
 * Being upset, feeling ill or lacking confidence can make them feel vulnerable. They may show this with sulky behaviour rather than obvious distress. Parents have to be pretty flexible to deal with all this, and may feel under considerable strain themselves.
 * Adolescence is the time when people first start in earnest to learn about the world and to find their place in it. This involves trying out new experiences, some of which may be risky or even dangerous.
 * Young people can crave excitement in a way that most adults find difficult to understand - and exciting activities may be dangerous. Fortunately, most people manage to find their excitement in music, sport, or other activities that involve a lot of energy but little real physical risk.
 * When they do experiment - with drink or drugs or smoking - it is usually with friend[[image:http://s3.images.com/huge.94.472657.JPG width="258" height="185" align="right"]]s. If a young person does this alone, they are in much greater danger. Warnings from older adolescents will usually be taken more seriously than those from parents.

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