Journal Entry 8: Adolescent social and emotional development
o
Raise your child to the age of 18 years, then select one of the following questions to respond to
in your journal. Make sure you reference different events in your child’s life, using your textbook
and other reliable sources for support. Each journal entry should be a minimum of 2 pages,
double-spaced (about 500 to 700 words) Times New Roman font size 12
How important have your teen’s relationships with peers been to her social
development, emotional well-being, and school achievement from the ages 14 to
18 years of age?
Theodora at 14 Years Old
Theodora was on the Internet recently when she suddenly became very angry and unleashed some bad
language you didn’t even know she had. Over the next few hours, Theodora was furiously typing on the
family computer or her Smartphone. As far as you could tell, Theodora was hurling insults at and
receiving insults from a former friend and seeking support from current friends. You finally had to
impose a daylong “timeout” from all devices to calm things down.
Theodora tried out for the high school soccer team and made it! She still enjoys soccer and seems to be
very serious about learning every aspect of the game. You are happy she is having such a good time with
the sports and enjoys going to the games.
A good friend of Theodora’s has a lot of anxiety and will sometimes have panic attacks because of all the
demands of school, after-school clubs, and maintaining a busy sports schedule. Theodora is concerned
for her friend.
•
You have heard about a practice called mindfulness meditation and share your resources
with Theodora.
Theodora seems energized by all the possibilities in 9th grade, and has been hanging out with some new
friends, and getting involved in a couple of clubs. Sometimes her friends come over to your place and
you generally like them.
•
You do what you can to facilitate these new friendships and activities.
Theodora’s friend identifies as transgender, which she explains as having a gender identity that is
different from the gender she was thought to be at birth. Theodora is genuinely curious about what
transgender means.
•
Theodora does not know any other people identifying as transgender. You help her
understand the lives of people who identify as transgender by going online together and doing
some research.
Theodora’s friend who identified as transgender at age 14 wants Theodora to attend a support group
with her. Theodora wants to go, but is also anxious.
•
You encourage Theodora to go to support the friend during this transition.
Theodora occasionally gets upset and becomes cranky or gives you and your partner the silent treatment
when you have discussions about issues such as bedtime, chores, curfew, clothing choices, music
choices, etc., but otherwise you get along pretty well. Your ex-partner cautions patience based on
memories of her own teenage years. You agree because you often have a feeling you aren’t going to get
anywhere by continuing the discussion, so you drop it and let her calm down for a while before speaking
to her again.
Theodora has a crush on a 9th grade boy at her school, and spends a lot of time text messaging him. You
find out from her that the boy is an honors student and on the Junior Varsity basketball team. She comes
to you excitedly one day and says he has invited her out on a date. Either you or the boy’s parents would
have to drive them to and from the movie they plan to attend.
•
You are uncomfortable with a solo date at this point in time, but it would be OK if they went
in a group.
Theodora has been working hard in 9th grade and has some good grades to show in the current progress
report. You say you’re proud of her and celebrate by going out to dinner at her favorite restaurant.
Some of the experiences of high school are stressful for Theodora, such as hurtful things said by a friend,
or lost homework. She usually shrugs these off and stays in a good mood. You notice that she has the
beginnings of some good coping mechanisms such as calming down by going for a walk or venting by
text messaging a friend.
•
You let Theodora have her space and listen to her troubles if she wants to talk.
Sadly, Theodora has been bullied online. The bully goes by an alias name so Theodora cannot actually
identify the person. The bullying involved teasing along with some pretty offensive language.
•
You report the cyberbullying to the social media site (and the high school principal’s office)
and keep the lines of communication open so that Theodora can come talk to you if needed.
Theodora is looking forward to taking several art/design classes and is pleased that there are so many to
choose from.
•
She decides to try drawing first.
Theodora has a more abstract understanding of people and personalities now. For instance, she points
out ways in which her personality is like one parent or the other.
•
You try to joke around about some of the quirky, or comical traits of each particular parent
and child.
Theodora mentions that she had a long conversation with another student on a bus about all kinds of
issues on which they disagreed, such as religion and politics. Theodora listened to the other person’s
point of view, but when she came home, she wanted to tell you all about her own viewpoints.
•
You believe that it is healthy for Theodora to explore alternative political and religious
viewpoints, so you read editorials from opposing political factions, and arrange for Theodora to
talk to some friends and co-workers who follow different faiths.
Theodora and some of her friends went camping with a close friend’s parents. Theodora had a great
time, and learned to use a compass to navigate in the woods.
Over the summer, Theodora had big plans to get some projects started, get involved more in sports or
clubs, and hang out with friends. She has gone on a few outings with friends and started one project at
home, but sometimes complains of being bored. You remind her about the other plans and offer your
help if needed.
Over the summer, Theodora has been less cooperative with your requests and is spending more and
more time with friends. Sometimes you are able to shuttle Theodora and her friends around, but it isn’t
always possible for either parent to monitor Theodora because of your jobs. You let her go, but require
that she always be reachable by cell phone, and if she is not available, or does not follow either parent’s
instructions about being home at a certain time, or lies about where she has been, she gets grounded.
Theodora at 16 Years old
Theodora comes home from a party smelling of marijuana. When you ask about it, she looks you in the
eye and says, “I would never get high or take street drugs because I am an athlete and I wouldn’t want it
to affect my health and my performance.”
•
You figure she is going to try marijuana sooner or later, but you believe her statement about
staying healthy, and praise her for that attitude.
Theodora has pretty good concentration in class and is usually able to keep her activities organized.
Occasionally she gets too busy and gets stressed out.
•
You support relaxation and down time, such as having a few friends over or going out with
friends on the weekend.
Theodora is enjoying being on the soccer team and has progressed to a good position on offense. The
team has a chance to win the league this year. You help out in whatever way you can, such as joining the
booster club and helping to raise money for the team.
Theodora has been playing flute in the school orchestra and continuing with piano and guitar lessons off
and on over the past couple of years. She accompanies herself on the piano and sings very well. Now she
has a choice of being a lead flautist in the school orchestra, or part of a quartet organized by her private
music teacher that will travel a bit and give recitals.
•
Theodora’s true passion isn’t classic and contemporary music, but rock, so she starts a rock
band with a couple of the other musicians from the school, singing and playing electric guitar.
Theodora says that after visiting her friend’s place of worship a few times, she has decided to follow this
religion and attend her friend’s family’s place of worship. You and your partner don’t attend a place of
worship.
•
You are open-minded about other people’s spiritual beliefs, and therefore OK with
Theodora’s decision. You even ask to attend a couple of times with her so you can learn about
your child’s new interest.
Theodora has been dating someone for 2 months now. You and your partner are worried. Theodora says
that she’s in love, and you’re nervous that Theodora may be rushing into a relationship before either of
them are old enough, especially if it involves sex.
•
Your partner has a talk with Theodora and tries to convince her that she should wait until
they are more mature, and more sure of the relationship to engage in sex. However, just in case,
your partner talks to Theodora about safe sex, condoms, and birth control.
•
Theodora has had some arguments with friends and is a little subdued. You make some sympathetic
remarks, and give Theodora some space, and you notice that in a few days, she is planning activities with
the same friends and acting like nothing happened.
Theodora is becoming more and more independent. In one of Theodora’s attempts to assert her
independence, she ran off with her boyfriend and got matching tattoos. You were a bit upset that
Theodora didn’t check with you, but you realize independence involves learning to live with her own
choices.
Here are some highlights from Theodora’s 11th grade report card.
She received A’s in her fine arts classes this past year and a notation “Pleasure to have in class” from the
Drawing II teacher.
She got A’s for both orchestra and vocal music classes and an award for “leadership in musical
performance.”
Theodora received good marks for citizenship from several teachers, indicating that Theodora
contributed often to the class.
She received A’s in both Trigonometry and Physics, and commendations from both teachers. Because of
these grades, she is eligible to take AP Calculus, Physics and Chemistry in 12th grade.
Theodora was able to take Honors English and American History on the basis of her 10th grade record,
and got A’s and commendations from the teachers for both. She also got an A in Spanish II and plans to
take AP Spanish, English and World History in 12th grade.
Theodora at 17 Years old
You and your partner found out that Theodora has been experimenting with THC and other
recreational drugs.
•
You and your partner need an immediate plan of action. You hold a family meeting
and discuss the health consequences of THC and the side effects of being “under the
influence” (such as a DUI).
Theodora has several good friends and gets invited to parties fairly often. She seems to be one
of the most outgoing and popular seniors at the school. You pretty much leave decisions about
friendships and relationships up to Theodora. You listen when she wants to talk and you make
suggestions, but don’t try to push her to make any big changes.
Theodora received her test scores on the ACT and SAT. She scored in the top 5-10% on all verbal
subtests and the top 5-10% on all math and science tests. You are extremely excited for
Theodora and begin to help her research colleges and prepare applications.
Theodora and a few friends decided to participate in the senior variety show. You are not
surprised that Theodora and her friends have a good time coming up with a comedy routine
with good natured spoofs of some of the teachers and administrators at the school.
Theodora at 18 years old
High school is over, and you were pleased to learn earlier in the year that Theodora got into
several colleges, including a couple of very selective institutions, primarily on the strength of her
grades and scores on the SAT. She got a scholarship from a prestigious out-of-state institution,
and ended up sending an acceptance letter to this school a couple of months ago. She was
assigned on-campus housing. It is early summer and you are already helping her get ready for
the big move.
Theodora has a summer job but also finds time to hang out with friends.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
