Supporting teens as they discover their interests

Dr Asha Pemberton

Teenhealth.tt@gmail.com

With so many options available, discovering a true passion is no easy task. This is even more so for a tween or teen with little life experience. Parents therefore have an important role in guiding them as they discover their purpose in the world. While this may seem like a daunting task, this can be managed through small and consistent efforts.

The biggest obstacle that prevents teens from aspects of self-discovery is inexperience. Through our world of social connection, young people have extraordinary access at seeing things, but many do not have lived opportunities to learn and know things. As a parent, while you directly create every possible life experience, you can support them in becoming involved in a wide range of different activities to widen their scope. Community activities, volunteerism, sport and culture all provide varied exposures. While there are weeks of vacation remaining, explore options available to tweens and teens to extract as much as possible from their world.

While some young people seem clear on their interests and future careers from early, many discover talents along the journey. To find their abilities, young people require the opportunity to try new things but also the flexibility to state what they do not enjoy, even if they demonstrate aptitude. Parents struggle when the interests of their children do not align with theirs; or when they demonstrate skills at something they do not want to pursue. As challenging as these may be, young people are in a process of creating their future. They must be permitted to make choices which feel authentic to them.

As a parent, the best way to lead by example and encourage your child to find their own passion is to follow yours. By consistently engaging in activities, sport or other small business ventures, parents model for their tweens and teens, the ability to live a life of diverse interests.

A part-time or temporary job is another excellent way for your teenager to get involved in a career, gauging their passion for it while being in a relatively risk-free environment. Nothing is better than real-time experience working in an area to determine whether it is a good fit. As young people move into the young adult years, working experience is particularly valuable.

Having a mentor is another extremely important mechanism to support teenagers in their discovery of their interests. The guidance of a supportive adult, in addition to their parents can help mitigate the natural rebellion that teens demonstrate. Part of the nuance of adolescent development, is that young people will challenge their parents, while taking similar advice from someone else. With this in mind, parents should actively engage trusted adults, teachers, coaches and leaders to speak to their children regularly. A mentor can also help you determine your child’s strengths and guide you on how to help them from the parental perspective.