Issues Related to Independence, Freedom, and
Responsibility in Adolescents

Adolescence is one of the most fascinating and perhaps most complex stages of life, its breathtaking pace of growth and change. Physically, children go from being small and compact one day to being all legs and arms the next. They mature sexually. They also develop the capacity to reason in more abstract ways, explore the concepts of right and wrong, develop hypotheses and think about the future. This is the time when people take on new responsibilities and experiment with independence. Because of the complexities and challenges faced by an individual during this stage, psychologists have termed it as a period of great “stress and storm”. When adolescents are supported and encouraged by caring adults, they thrive in unimaginable ways, becoming resourceful and contribution members of families and communities.
We all know that children can’t wait to grow up, but why is this so? Psychologist Thomas Szasz explains that it is because they experience their lives as constrained by immaturity and perceive adulthood as a condition of greater freedom and opportunity. But what is there today in America, that very poor and very rich adolescents want to do but cannot do? Not much. They can do drugs, have sexual intercourse, make babies, and get money. For such adolescents, adulthood becomes an association of responsibility rather than liberty.
That being said, sooner or later it happens, children grow up and the time approaches when they will eventually be leaving home. However, during this process, parents must learn to let go and accept their child's growing independence, while still providing guidance and support. Teens must simultaneously learn self-discipline, responsibility and the skills they will need to live in the adult world.
It may be difficult for parents to decide how much