Teens and Stepfamilies

When parents decide to divorce sometimes they don’t totally understand the gravity of their decision on their children. A child and teens life will be turned upside down. The teen will usually have to deal with a whole new family. Teens with stepfamilies or blended families are becoming more of a factor with all of the divorce that happens today. Here is a list of factors to think of when considering everything that a teen must face. New Father or Mother New set of Grandparents New cousins New place to live New school to attend New church to attend New friends It is no wonder that divorce has the potential to totally derail a teen’s current lifestyle. The divorce even has been attributed to sending a teen down the wrong path, creating a troubled teen from the previously normal teen.

Teenagers and Stress

A grown up dealing with the stress of a job, family and marriage may underestimate the stress that their teenager may be experiencing. Even though a teen doesn’t have the stress of providing for a family, they face many challenges everyday. A teen is under pressure from their teachers to perform academically. They are also under pressure from peers to engage in activities that may not be of interest to them. They are also stressed by any problems associated with the family they live in. If the parents are not getting along, the teen can be stressed out about the possibility of having to deal with the list mentioned above.

Help for Teens in Stress

Even if the family is about to fall apart, a teen can be helped through the traumatic event. Communication with parents is vital in any kind of family trauma. Divorce should certainly be included in this list. A sensitive parent can shoulder much of the terror associated with a family splitting up. Parents may need to make concessions in order to help their children through the ordeal. Special arrangements may need to be made to enable the teen to attend the school they were going to. Every attempt should be made to minimize the problems associated with the divorce in the teen’s life. It is not the teen’s fault that the parents are divorcing. The teen may need to be informed that the divorce is not their fault and that both parents still love them.