The development of a 14 year old child, is it appropriate?

Although every child has their own developmental stages, there are some changes that can occur at the age of 14. This can happen because in adolescence, there are also phases growth spurt or growth acceleration. What do parents need to know about the development of a 14 year old child? Check out the explanation below!

Various aspects of the development of a 14 year old child

After passing through the development of children at the age of 12 and 13 years, in this phase the child begins to choose what he will be like.

Those choices include whether to go through the process of responsible adolescent development or try to move beyond the boundaries.

Quoted from Healthy Children, at the age of 14, the child's brain has changed and is mature enough. However, there are still differences when compared to adults.

Change is also related to growth spurt, namely the physical growth spurt. As an example, there is a noticeable increase in height and weight.

Here are some of the developments that have occurred in 14 year olds:

Physical development of children

As previously explained, at this age the child has entered puberty. In the development of a 14 year old child, both boys and girls may be in the final phase of puberty.

Here are some of the physical developments that usually occur:

Enlarged breasts for women and an elongated penis in men.
Height increases as well as body weight.
Change in voice. The teenage boy's voice turned louder.

At this age, both men and women still experience height growth and weight gain due to factors growth spurt.

However, this depends on the genetic factors experienced by each child. This change should be addressed properly by parents because there is a possibility that the child will feel insecure.

For young women, she will not only experience breast growth. However, other physical changes are enlarged hips and thighs, as well as acne on the face.

Meanwhile, for male adolescents, in addition to height and weight, changes in the lower voice are characteristic.

If a woman is menstruating, it is also at this age that male adolescents can experience wet dreams for the first time.

Not only that, both of them still undergo physical changes such as the production of excessive sweating and the growth of hair or fine hair in certain areas.

Cognitive development

As they get older, children's brain development also increases which of course will affect their way of thinking or cognitive development.

At this age, parents also need to understand if there are still differences in thinking between adolescents and adults.

This is because the role of the frontal lobe is still not fully developed. This area is a place for decision making, controlling impulsivity, and considering various options.

Here are some of the cognitive development of children at the age of 14:

Develop thinking skills.
Question the rules around him.
Start thinking long term goals.
Trying to learn to solve problems.
Can choose what is liked and disliked.
Sometimes it starts to spark debate.

It can be said that the thinking of teenagers in general is still classified as abstract. This is because at this age he undergoes changes mood often enough.

Therefore, there is the possibility of children starting to question things that have become rules in family or social life in general.

The role of parents here is to explain so that children can understand the mindset of the people around them so they don't go out of bounds.

For example, when he asked why he couldn't come home too late even though he thought he could take care of himself.

You can give an understanding that discipline is important, especially if you have to go to school tomorrow. Going home on time is important so you can get enough rest so your body doesn't feel tired.

Then, there is the possibility that the child will start to be interested in other activities such as sports, quieting, playing music, and the like.

Provide support as well as communicate so that he can tell about the things he likes. It also aims so that you and your child have the same perception.

Psychological development at the age of 14

In the development of adolescent psychology, you need to know how the emotional as well as social side of children at the age of 14 years. You don't need to be surprised or worried when he shows an attitude like he knows anything in this world.

Here are some changes and psychological developments in 14 year olds that may occur.

Erratic mood swings.
Often goes out of bounds and wants to show independence.
Choose not to have the same thoughts as parents.
Spend lots of time with peers.

Emotional development

One thing that is quite visible from a 14 year old child is having erratic mood swings. Especially if you see his attitude with adults such as teachers or parents.

There is a possibility that he chose to debate because he felt the most correct.

You also need to know if most teenagers feel themselves better than anyone. However, slowly the child will realize that his attitude is appropriate or not to do.

Another thing that parents should have prepared is when the child already has an attraction to the opposite sex. Provide proper sex education so that children know which limits are allowed and cannot be done.

Social development

Although at the age of 14, teenagers will spend more time with friends, they tend to filter out their friendships.

Some children will go to great lengths to determine what kind of personality a friend will suit them well.

Usually he will be friends with people who are considered suitable in terms of chat, fashion, or even idols.

In this phase, children also tend to be very following developments on social media.

Usually children start to become interested in creating accounts on several social media and will be busy with their smart phones.

At this stage, you still need to provide an understanding that being fun on social media is okay as long as you know the time, aka when to sleep, study, eat, and so on.

Language development

By age 14, children's language development tends to be complete and fluent. Usually, at this age a list of known vocabulary is known about the books he reads, the programs he watches, and the language of his daily interactions.

So, the more and more various books he reads, the more vocabulary he may never have heard before.

Tips for helping the development of a 14 year old child

Even though the attitude of a child at this age seems indifferent, he still really needs the role of parents in his life.

The reason is, children still need another point of view when they decide something or in their attitude and of course need guidance in other matters.

Therefore, here are things you can do as a parent:

1. Pay attention to rest times

There are many activities carried out by youth both at school and outside. In order to maintain his health, he needs enough rest time ..

At the very least, make sure your child sleeps 9 to 10 hours a day. This is done in order to prevent sleep disturbances and to focus on school the next day.

2. Support a favorite activity

Every child has a preference for activities that they enjoy doing. However, support from parents is also needed so that he can further hone his abilities.

Even if it's not what you want him to be, let him be yourself at this 14 year old's development.

The reason is, forcing children to follow what you expect is also not good for the psychological development of adolescents.

3. Provide sex education and social interaction

As puberty continues, it is not uncommon for children to start liking the opposite sex.

Children have the right to know about proper sex education. Both regarding physical contact with the opposite sex, the risk of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, and others.

It is also at this age that he may try to find out about alcohol or cigarettes as environmental influences and satisfy his curiosity.

For that, you need to provide an understanding to the child about the dangers and effects on health if he tries to drink alcohol or smoke.

4. Accept each other's opinions

Previously, it was explained that in the development of this 14 year old child, there is a possibility that the child has his own views about anything.

As a parent, respect their opinion even if you disagree. Build communication by giving views to each other so that there is openness.

For example, when your child has criticism of a film that you really like. Listen to his opinion first so you know what he thinks.

Then, you can add that differences of opinion are normal and add that everyone should be able to accept criticism from others.

5. Provide the right food intake

Just like in childhood, adolescents also need proper nutrition.

Moreover, at this time the growth and development is still going on. Provide a variety of foods that can meet nutritional needs, ranging from vegetables, fruit, and sources of healthy fats.

Also provide a source of calcium such as milk because at this age the body weight is still increasing.

Furthermore, how is the development of children at the age of 15 years?