High school is an incredibly exciting time when children start to turn into young adults and take their academics to the next level—in some cases taking additional college-level classes or even expanding their knowledge in a particular subject by hiring a tutor.
However, along with the excitement of this new period of life, can also come a considerable amount of challenges. If you don’t anticipate them happening, then the challenges awaiting you can be more difficult to navigate. Take a look at some of the greatest difficulties to anticipate in high school and how to get prepared for them.
Social Pressures
Since high school is one step closer to becoming an adult, there can be a lot of confusion surrounding this transitional period of a child’s social life. Kids may find themselves pressured to dress or think a certain way or even engage in dangerous behaviors involving drugs and alcohol. The best way to prepare your child for the challenges of social pressure is to talk about it as much as possible.
Check in with your child and ask them if there’s anything going on in their social world. Although kids may not always be willing to talk about it, the more you leave the door open to discuss social issues at school, the more supported they’ll feel and the more likely they’ll be to confide in you to get help should they need it.
More Intense School Work
Although middle school is hardly easy, the work in high school can be a significant jump in difficulty. High school students often find themselves with much more intense subject matter and a considerable amount of homework compared to what they were expected to do before.
The best way to prepare your child for the increase in work is to give them extra assignments the summer before their freshman year. They may despise you for it at the time. However, once they get to high school, they’ll be grateful for the extra preparation.
Opposite Sex Troubles
School is a time when teenagers start thinking more and more about the opposite sex. It can be incredibly distracting, and in some cases, downright tumultuous. If your child ends up getting a boyfriend or girlfriend, and they break up, it’s not uncommon for it to send their world into turmoil. Although you may not be able to control their feelings that they develop for other people, you can give them emotional support and educate them on the importance of avoiding teenage pregnancy. Many parents don’t want to cover this subject, and as a result, many teens end up young parents. Even though it’s a tough subject to talk about, it’s important that you do.
