Teenage Growth and Development

You give me chances to learn in many different ways, both in and out of school.

I spend lots of time talking with friends and learning about relationships.

The adults around me know that listening to me is really important. It’s important for me to feel I am heard when I speak and that my opinions are considered. I am more confident to ask for help when I know I’m listened to and respected for what I think.

The adults in my life teach me how to be independent. They really enjoy talking to me and spending time with me. And they worry about me and let me know that they think about me even when I am not with them.

They let me know when I have done things well. They let me make my own mistakes but are there to help me when I could do things better without making me feel ashamed.

I am confident I understand enough about the world to share my opinion with adults. I need adults to listen to my views and take them on board even if they seem unrealistic. It’s ok if we don’t always agree.

I am prone to feeling more than thinking and find it hard to see how actions might play out in the future. I need my adults to help me think about my future and my place in the adult world.

My adults help me to understand that choices that seem good in the short-term might have long-term consequences.