Coming Of Age

GROWING PAINS

Today I'm reminded of how difficult the transition from being a boy to becoming a man really is. The teen years are some of the toughest moments in our life. As it's when we make the decisions that shape us into the adults we then become and being a mentor to a young boy or girl to help them make the transition is a position of great responsibility which can be very rewarding when it goes well. 

Playing The Game
There's a lot of conflict with our teachers, parents and peers as some of the bad decisions being made steer us towards dangerous or illegal and stupid acts. It's at these times that we learn how to deal with conflict, take responsibility for our actions and earn the respect of adults for making the tough move from being a protected child to a self-sufficient adult.

We're all still the child inside and although it may seem like a long way off, we are all still capable of being in that same child state, making the same stupid decisions and getting into trouble. Becoming an adult is all about learning how to play the game of life for our advantage without hurting others or getting into trouble. Some never learn how to do this.

We forget that there's only a few key life skills separating us from being that 13 year old kid so when we're confronted with someone going through that same tricky transition we've already passed through successfully, we may be a little forgetful of how tricky and sometimes painful it was and just need to be aware that it's not actually much of a difference between us man and boy. We have to try and remember that we made mistakes too - a lot of mistakes.

I don't ever recall being told that the teenage years are a tricky period that I've got to work out for myself - I just remember the chiding when I got it wrong. Dealing with young adults at this hormone-rich and growth spurt period can be really tough - so it pays to get some tips on how best to deal with these changelings so it doesn't end up being a shouting match between two raging adolescents.