August 2023

An American Time Use Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics has revealed that most teenagers have about five hours of spare time on weekdays. This is even after school, homework, and meal times. A hobby is a great way to fill that spare time. And a hobby that may pay off in the future is even better.

In a study performed by Nancy Darling, a specialist in young adults behavior and deception, she revealed that nearly 96 percent of teenagers are untruthful to their parents. Another study demonstrated that within the past year, 82 percent of high school and college students confessed to deceiving their parents. From either of these situations, we can understand that teens lie more than many grownups think.

You’ve seen the eye rolls, heard the dramatic sighs, and noticed that everything seems to set them off lately. Welcome to the turbulent world of the angsty teen. As a parent, dealing with all those mood swings and attitudes can be exhausting. On the one hand, some moodiness and angst are normal parts of the teenage experience as those hormones start raging and the pressures of adolescence set in. But at what point should you start worrying that it’s more than just your teen ‘finding themselves’?

Do you know that phase in life as a teen where it feels like you’re the center of the universe? Everything revolves around you and your experience. That’s called adolescent egocentrism, and it’s totally normal. As a teen, your brain is still developing, especially the parts involved in self-awareness and empathy.