Week Ten Post One

While reading chapter sixteen I really enjoyed the section on relationships with adults. During adolescent years people tend to ignore the values and influence of their elders. Disputes between adolescents and parents are very common at this time because adolescents strive for independence and control and don’t want their parents to maintain it instead. The conflict between parents and their children peak at the beginning of adolescence, commonly between mothers and daughters. The main form of conflict is bickering, which is petty, peevish arguing, usually repeated and ongoing in regards to chores, cleanliness, routine, and schedules. Since many close relationships include some type of conflict, bickering is usually healthy for a family. Parents try to adjust by rebounding to preadolescent years by granting more autonomy and friendship. Teenagers tend to adjust around the age of eighteen when their emotional maturity and reduced egocentrism allows them to appreciate their parents. During adolescent years parents and teenagers try to balance the need for independence and closeness by creating less disclosure and improved communication as the teenager matures. I really enjoyed this section because as a growing teen I got into a lot of fights with my mother. I honestly used to hate her, but for the stupidest reasons, because she wouldn’t let me have my independence and tried to control my every move. We would bicker at least three times a week, and we always made up but during my teenage years it really affected my relationship with my mother. But as I grew older and matured I learned how to appreciate her and everything she does for me because she knows what is best for me.