How to talk to your Child about Crushes?
Teenage unfolds a new life which seems fresh, exciting with the development of emotional and physical feelings in children. Raging hormones bring about a lot of confusion, anxiety and the need of attention from the opposite sex. This is more than common in all teenage children if you think this might be a situation only your child or child’s friend must be dealing with. Most children develop their first crush by the time of 14 on average which seems to last a few months, commonly referred to as a crush or puppy love. Some experts believe that a person’s first crush develops as early as around the age of 7 or 8! This is a very natural and common process that almost every person goes through at least once in their lifetime.
#1. Understand And Act Wisely
Most kids fail to socialize with their parents, especially during teenage. It can be as confusing for the kids to cope with all the raging hormones, bodily changes, and shyness from discussing matters that mean something to them due to the fear of other person not understanding his or her feelings. Fear of rejection is very common at this age, and sometimes people carry this all throughout their life due to unresolved issues in childhood. If you spot any such signs in your kid such as getting attracted specifically to someone from the opposite gender, developing an involvement into romantic movies, etc., the worst you can do is get angry at him/her for doing such stuff. This will only push them farther away and encourage them to keep secrets from you.
#2. Spot The Signs
If you find him talking to a person from the opposite gender for a long time or if your kid admits to having a boyfriend/ girlfriend, listen to them. Ask them what this means to them and provide them knowledge on the common mistakes that kids tend to make at this tender age. They might take certain immature steps attending to their curiosity. Set certain boundaries for them and make them aware of the risks and complications they can get themselves into, both physically and emotionally. Above all, talk to them as a friend and respect their feelings.
#3. Listen
Pay heed to what they have to say. They might mention a specific friend from the opposite gender for more than a normal number of times and talk about him or her continuously without sparing a moment of breath. This is usually nothing to be alarmed about as kids are newly exposed to the feelings of love, lust and emotional bonding. All their life up till teenage, they expressed all the love they had in their hearts and feelings towards their parents. As their body decides to change or they come across puberty, they suddenly feel helpless towards feeling an attraction for the opposite sex. Sometimes when this infatuation is reciprocated, kids may get curious to discover certain things and fail to pay heed towards the risks it might bring along. They might think about experimenting with sex for example, especially if at this age, you ask them specifically not to do it. So try to remain calm and talk to them in a language they can understand, so they respond accordingly!
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