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This fact sheet is part of the Teen talk: a survival guide for parents of teenagers series.

The teenage years come with many strong and complex emotions. Teens are learning how to understand these emotions and express what they're feeling.

Understanding complex emotions

Teens are becoming more aware of their own emotions, learning to identify and name those emotions. Teens are also becoming more socially aware, recognizing the emotions of their peers and family. This is the start of developing empathy for others. For example, a teen might begin to notice how each of their friends reacts a little differently to the same situation.

Being able to recognize emotions means that teens can also begin to better manage their emotions. In psychological terms, this is called "emotional regulation." Teens start to step back and think about their emotions before reacting. For example, instead of immediately showing anger over a friend's behavior, a teen may be able to walk away until they are ready to come back to the situation calmly and talk about it. They are better able to understand why their friend may have done something and the importance of working it out to maintain the relationship.

This is an important step in learning to interact with and get along with peers, but also with family, teammates, coaches, teachers and co-workers.

What parents can do

Talk about what it means to be a good friend. Point out examples in movies, books or other media. Share examples from when you were a teen.

Model healthy ways to interact with others. These include being loyal, honest but kind, and considerate of others' feelings.

Get to know your teen's friends so you can better understand your teen's relationships. You might offer to provide rides or have friends over to hang out.

Related resources

The Teen Years Explained - Clea McNeely, PhD and Jayne Blanchard - This e-book can help both teens and adults to understand developmental changes and tips for how to apply this knowledge to your everyday life.

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Give your teen guidance for navigating the social and emotional changes they're experiencing.

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Slater, A. (2021). Self-Regulation in the early & later years: Understanding it and helping educators to teach it. Educating Young Children: Learning & Teaching in the Early Childhood Years, 27(3), 22–25.

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Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., Anderman, L. H., & Parkin, M. (2024). Educational psychology (11th ed.). Pearson Education.

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3. Create a routine for your children to follow everyday

4. Include mindfulness in the home

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1. Model appropriate behavior

2. Teach their children ways to cope with emotions

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1. Model behaviors that are acceptable

2. Have a learning environment to has structure

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Self-regulation is being able to manage someones emotions, thoughts, and behavior. An example of this can be taking deep breathes to calm down, controlling reactions, and coping with different emotions.

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1. Encourage self- esteem- Teachers can be encouraging to students by making each student feel valued and seeing their strengths.

2. Encourage mindfulness- Teachers can include mindfulness in the classroom by helping students be mindfulness of their choices and allowing time at the end of the day for them to reflect on what they have learned.

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1. Encourage a journal or dairy- Teachers can help students by having them write down their feelings and then have them talk about it.

2. Use read -alouds- This will help students see different emotions and development sympathy for others.

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1. Encouraging communication- Teachers can encourage students to express their wants and needs by using words.

2. Teaching about cause and effect- Teachers can help students understand that their are consequences to things that they do.

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During this time they begin to go through puberty where hormones start to change and emotions become very strong. They begin to have romantic relationships, become more independent, and spend more time with friends.

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Some social emotional development for middle childhood include having more complex friendships, becoming more aware of their body and puberty, and being able to express their emotions and manage those emotions.

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Some social emotional development for early childhood include improving speech and building friendships, trying new things, improving problem solving skills, and follow rules.

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The experiences a child encounters at a young age will effect their brain development and how they are able to manage stress

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Research has shown that mothers that are younger might have a hard time providing emotional care due to lack of knowledge.