H Dr Anisha Abraham
ow can parents & schools support teenagers during
the pandemic – and the disruption to their schooling & social life?
That is one of the key questions discussed in the webinar led by Dr Anisha Abraham, paediatrician, teen health expert and author of the best-selling
book: Raising global teens: A practical handbook for parenting in the 21st Century, which you can listen to on replay now.
The webinar explores how teens can find their own identity and adapt to a modern, mobile world, especially if they are living in different cultures and countries. It also makes practical suggestions on how to help teens adapt to moving school, country or continent during their childhood and adolescence, and how to help them say goodbye when it was time to move on. The lively webinar, which features a panel of experts, parents, coaches and educators, tackled important subjects around social media, body image, traumatic events, puberty, communication, relocate and stress.
RECOGNISING TEENS’ NEEDS AND CHALLENGES In the webinar Dr Abraham explains that when teens move on and leave their old school and friends behind, it is important to mark the occasion properly. Parents can help by keeping communication channels open with their teenagers and trying to listen actively to the emotions that they are expressing.
In fact, open and regularly communication with a teen helps parents to understand the challenges and issues that their children are facing, and alert them when things might be going wrong. Dr Abraham suggests that if you are finding it hard to begin a difficult conversation with your teenager, you can ask them what their friends are doing, because this can give a very clear indication of the worries and problems that might be facing them too, and enable them to open up in a safe way. She also suggests that if parents are concerned about issues around social media or body image, they should not be afraid of asking questions because it is important to get professional help as early as possible if your teenager is struggling. Other key strategies for parents or caregivers to make communication with teenagers effective is to choose an activity where you are chatting side by side, rather than face to face. This might be on a car journey or on a walk together, because teens often find it easier to talk in these scenarios.
TECHNOLOGY PRESSURES AND BENEFITS
The webinar raises issues around the use of technology and how it can be a way for teens to keep in touch with friends but could also become an issue if young people ended up having too much screen time. The webinar also addresses the particular challenges that face cross cultural teens, who may have parents of different nationalities and be living somewhere other than their own home country.
Having a trusted adult to confide in, whether that is a family member, friend or teacher, can also be very helpful for a teenager. Dr Abraham said grandparents might play their part in this, even if it is via telephone calls, and can be a sounding board and a source of impartial advice, particularly if teens are not always willing to communicate with their parents.
PRACTICAL TIPS AND EXPERIENCE Dr Abraham grew up in the US as the daughter of South Asian immigrants and has lived with her husband and two sons in Asia, Europe, and the US. In the webinar, hosted by Jayne Constantinis, BBC World presenter, Dr Abraham shares her own personal family experiences
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