Teen age is the most critical state in life when changes in body take place. The youngone is caught up in a confused mental state as physical changes are both surprising and enigmatic for both the sexes. This is far greater in case of girls than boys. Onset of menses is a novel experience of her life. Hardening of breast nipples and enlargement of breasts, hair growth in underarm and pubic portions is nothing unusual or unnatural—it is simply an indication towards womanhood. As for boys, hair growth on pubic region, on scrotum and under arm hair, growth of hair on face is a signal to advent of manhood. The voice becomes mature, deeper and greater attraction towards the opposite sex, desire to get nearer to them and interact is a natural development. The adolescents revel in world of their own. Boys have novel experience of penile erection and girls get excited even if their underwears touch their genitals. It sends unique sense of joy. In girls, the desire becomes more intense after the menstrual period is over.
The wise parents should be bold enough to educate and guide their children about such changes and tell them frankly that this is a stage in life when utmost caution is required. If the parents cannot discharge their duty, they can ask the elder sisters or brothers to guide their respective counterparts in these respects. Taboos and inhibitions stand in the way of explaining even relevant facts. Ours is not a permissive society, but sex education is a must for all the growing adolescents. Ignorance is far more dangerous than proper sex education.
Adolescence is a transient period. A sense of privacy creeps in and overpowers the teenagers. Stress is caused when problems are not solved, regarding (to) changes in this period. In their curiosity to relieve anxiety state, the young boys and girls opt for reading cheap books on sex education, or the information handed down by their classmates or other friends which is misleading incomplete and unscientific. Teen age problems can be best solved and addressed by experienced elders or teachers. Chances of the young ones going the wrong track are far more and greater. If the elders feel shy of imparting requisite sex information to their growing children they can, at least, give a standard book on teenage problems and sex. These days media, T.V., radio, video, are efficiently doing the task which the parents were expected to do. But, despite all such dissemination knowledge on sex and teenage problems, much is still desired to be done.
No stress situation can arise if proper, adequate and frank knowledge is disseminated on teenage and sex related matters.
When persons complete their education and start looking for proper jobs, actual stress touches its zenith. When hopes and aspirations seem to be strangulated, there being no opening of any job anywhere, the young person is compelled to curse himself and his parents for wrong (?) education. When education gained is not job-oriented, the problem of job-seeking becomes a difficult task. The jobless person considers himself a redundant, useless and worthless person who feels that he had actually wasted his time, money and energy in pursuing an unfructuous and unrewarding course in studies. He curses his own self and his elders.
A jobless person is an unsettled person whose chances of marriage, at the proper age, are correlated with his job and future prospects. A poor student can neither pursue studies nor can he venture into business due to money crunch. The situation multiplies when alone earning member retires or passes away and the burden of family duties falls on the eldest son or daughter. In certain cases, economic position is so grim that, at times, all the family members are obliged to commit suicide. Social cover provided to family or the eldest son, daughter or even wife is quite handsome but the recipients have to toil really hard to come by the said gains.
When young people are not supported by rest of the family members, they are bound to undergo various mental upsets, particularly girls whose marriages get delayed due to their not having so good or acceptable appearance, imperfect and inadequate knowledge, paucity of funds for marriage and various demands, pertaining to dowry and other luxuries of life. The rich and elite classmates and women also reel under tension due to ego clash. The less privileged girls develop a sense of inferiority complex and self-condemnation, coupled with unsavoury and uncharitable remarks by relatives. All these factors combine to reach a crescendo in the form of even irreversible stressful conditions. Gender bias is another leading factor to add to woes of the girl who is maltreated in a male dominated society. The remedy lies in facing the ordeals and one has to wait until social order changes and disparities removed. It is an lawful situation of indefinite wait and watch.
