14 years

1. What activities and experiences at age 12 and 14 years has your teen been involved in that might promote healthy behavioral practices, physical fitness and skill in sports? Angel tried out for the high school softball team and made it! She seems to be very serious about developing little nuances of the game. We are happy she is having such a good time with the sport and enjoy going to the games. Angel has also been playing tennis with her aunt, and enjoying clubs at school with friends.
Angel is also looking forward to taking several art/design classes and is pleased that there are so many to choose from.


2. Have there been any changes in your teen’s behavior toward you or your partner? Why are these occurring and how are you responding? Angel occasionally gets upset and becomes cranky or gives us the silent treatment when we have discussions about issues such as bedtime, chores, curfew, clothing choices, music choices, etc., but otherwise we get along pretty well. I know we aren't going to get anywhere by continuing the discussion, so I drop it and let her calm down for a while before speaking to her again. My husband and I have a very open relationship with our daughter. For instance, while Angel was on the school bus, Angel mentioned that she had a long conversation with another student about all kinds of issues on which they disagreed, such as religion and politics. Angel listened to the other person's point of view, but when she came home, she wanted to tell use all about her own viewpoints.


3. Do you see any examples of how cognitive and physical changes in early adolescence (ages 12-14) relate to your teens social or emotional behavior? Some of the experiences of high school are stressful for Angel, such as hurtful things said by a friend, or lost homework. She usually shrugs these off and stays in a good mood. I noticed that Angel has the beginnings of some good coping mechanisms such as calming down by going for a walk or venting by text messaging a friend. Angel and some her friends went camping with a close friend's parents. Angel had a great time, and learned to use a compass to navigate in the woods. Angel has also started to completely understand different types of personalities. Angel likes to joke about her dads and my personality, “saying she got trouble making from us.” Angel is doing great! She is a very well balanced child and understands a lot about people and life. Angel is able to make decisions on her own and good ones at that. After the move from her smaller middle school to the much larger public high school, Angel seemed energized by all the possibilities of the high school, and has had a busy social calendar, including hanging out with some new friends, and getting involved in a couple of social activist clubs. Sometimes one of her friends comes over to your place and they have a great time joking around. They usually end up laughing uncontrollably about something.