FEATURE
Ten steps to maturity
for teenage boys
Mark Gregston
Fifteen is the age when a boy moves into manhood while still
holding on to the boyish ways of childhood. It is a time when
parents need to be extra vigilant to help him make it through the
transition smoothly, and therefore not get stuck at this stage for
several years.
Age 15 is when the your son’s thoughts and his expectations
crash like ocean waves amidst a sea of change. It’s the end of
one tide and the beginning of another.
At the very least, it’s an awkward season. Increased hormones,
growth spurts, voice changes, muscles, and moving from
concrete to abstract thinking all tend to make a young man feel a
jumble of both invincibility and vulnerability. And as a first step
toward making up his own mind about life, everything you’ve
taught him will be questioned.
This is a “convenient” time for a mom and dad to detach and
drift alongside their teen as he is busier with extra-curricular
activities at school and spends more time away from home. But
this is no time for parents to back off. It is a critical and pivotal
point of time where a parent can steer a son away from childish
thinking and move him toward more mature thinking.
Your son needs to learn from you how F