My Virtual Teen Write-Up - Case Study Example

My Virtual Teen Write-Up Abstract This paper discusses the experiences of bringing up a child through Myvirtualteen.com and the problems faced therein. It also aims at giving useful tips that the writer has deduced from the experience. The early part of a child’s life is mentioned in some detail as it’s quite an important phase of building a child’s personality. The issue of peer pressure in late teens experienced by my child on the virtual teen is thrown lite upon in detail too. After the analysis of research done on the topic in journal articles, I have stated possible solutions to the problem in the conclusion of the paper. It is hoped that parents start giving more importance to the issue at hand for the betterment of our youth. Keywords: teenagers, peer pressure Human beings are by far the most complex creatures on earth. From the time they are born to till the time of their death, human beings go through constant transitions in their physical as well as mental makeup. It’s next to impossible to predict their reactions or to create a science that defines their psychology perfectly. A person today is subjected to a very competitive form of life from the day he opens his eyes into this journey called life. The multitudes of experiences that await him are over whelming if thought of in one go. And this complexity of life today has made child brought up perhaps the toughest job on earth! The experience of bringing up a child on Myvirtualteen.com has been an interesting one but it is hard to comprehend the exact psychology of a child through a 6-8 hour virtual experience with one. The first realization that dawns upon one through this experience is the comprehension of the reasons behind the reactions of our parents to our behaviors. But that aside, the childhood to adolescent transition is the most turbulent and significant of all phases of a human beings life. The choices that we make when we are adolescents resonate in one form or another throughout our lives. Those choices are a direct reflection of the way the child’s mind has been programmed through his/her brought up[Jou11]. Bringing a child up is a tough yet rewarding job if you do it the right way. It is interesting how even the colors of a child’s nursery and the kind of music in his backgrounds also affect his mind. Through my experience I have learned that when a child is dealt with strictly in most cases, the reactions are negative. For example if your child tries to take his first step and stumbles breaking some vase that was on a table he took support from and you raise your voice at him, this will be a discouraging factor for the child who will be reluctant to make such an effort again. Similarly if he does something wrong; like making a mess on his face while trying to put a spoonful of cereal in his mouth and you think of it as cute and laugh, it will encourage him to do the same. I have learned that the best way to react in such situations is to ignore the mistake but to encourage him greatly when he gets it right. The reward of getting it right is an encouragement enough for the child or even adolescent to avoid the mistake. But such a behavior should not give the child the impression that he can get away with almost anything. At a certain age the child requires a firm behavior with him. This is the age of around 13-16 when the child becomes an adolescent[Jan12]. The outside influences are so strong in this period that the child needs to be literally shoved in the right direction sometimes. In my case the child showed his good side to me resorting even to lies just to earn my appreciation and rewards. A firm hand on some of the issues might have mitigated the problem. The most difficult period of a child is the late teens. It’s a time when a child struggles with issues like building an identity, peer pressure, sexuality, drugs and alcohol. The issue that we are going to discuss is peer pressure because it’s the one I had most difficulty with and is also one of the most common problems faced by all of us. Sometimes it is an easy get away for the teenagers to blame their peers for forcing them into doing something wrong. The most common excuse is that they would be considered as losers if they don’t give in to their friend’s demands. We are experiencing astonishingly high rates of drug and alcohol abuse, pregnancies and crime rates in adolescents[Siu11]. The psychology of a person around the age of 14-18 undergoes a constant transition period. He enters puberty. His maturity level goes through a significant relative increment normally. His views about his surrounding change constantly. As I have learned in my experience, this transition in the psychological perception gives rise to an insatiable curiosity and hunger to know more. The child asks all sorts of questions from himself. The parents have to realize the need of their child to know more and encourage him to ask open questions. The subjects can vary from sexuality to politics. This is a positive attitude of the child towards the changes he experiences in and around him. But my experience in Myvirtualteen.com also taught me that children sometimes satisfy their curiosity through negative behaviors but it happens mostly in the cases where a lack of communication is there between the child and the parent. This lack of communication can also harm the personality development of the child who might feel misunderstood. Anxiety over the consequences of their actions in children of this age is very common. Parents have been through that phase and should realize that instead of repeating the mistakes their parents made in their brought up, they should rather try and fill those gaps that they wished their parents had filled. It’s very common for adults to forget their own teenage years when dealing with their children. My experience tells me that one requires a constant active effort in reminding oneself that they have been through what their child is going through, given a few insignificant differences, so tackling this turbulent transitional phase of their child should not be a problem. Parents have to be on their guard in such situations as the normal outcomes of peer pressure have a tendency to be dangerous. The first step in solving this issue is to make sure that the child is wholly solely held responsible of his activities. This would help instill in him the feeling of responsibility of facing the consequences of his decisions. There are various other steps that parents should take in order to make sure that their children are neither victim to peer pressure nor a culprit of it[BBr86]. Explain to the child that you are not responsible for their friend’s actions but are surely responsible of the child’s own actions. Make sure that your child has enough confidence in you to report any peer pressure related problems they might be having without thinking that this would make them look weak or sissy. Keep a check on them to make sure that they are where they say they are and with whom they say they are. The best way to make sure that your child’s company is not bad is to make friends with the parents of your child’s friends and communicate to them as often as possible. Communication is a key in solving teen issues. Communicate with them and make them share their inhibitions. Giving into peer pressure is a sign of lack of confidence or possibly an identity crisis. Teens can easily be victimized. Make sure that they know how to say no and how to defend themselves. A strong personality is naturally immune to such influences, and the construction of a strong personality starts from early years of a child’s life. A child demands time and dedicated efforts by their parents. At the same time they require privacy and space. A moderate mix of everything helps develop a stabilized personality, and collectively, a better society. References Jou11: , (Psychotherapy, 2011), Jan12: , (Jan Trayes, march 2012), Siu11: , (Chan, September 2, 2011), BBr86: , (B. Bradford Brown, SUMMER 1986), Read More