Your whole life stretches out in front of you. You're healthy, full of energy and have many exciting discoveries ahead. The truth is, growing up is a very tough transition.
Many adults recognize that the passage from dependence to self-reliance is a multidecade challenge.
This issue becomes even more complex if teens don't recognize their own problems and distress. This danger results from the behaviors, attitudes or relationships that teens pursue without regard for or awareness of the risk to their own safety, or the safety of others. Immediate gratification is most often valued over perseverance. Dangerous pursuits include drug use or sales, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, associating with negative or angry peers, sexual activity, running away, burglary and gang-related activities. There is a serious difference between the typical rough spots of the growing-up years and the unsafe behaviors by youth that signal real trouble.