The problem with Eccentricity
Your teenager may be quite fond of having his hair dyed blue and adding a new piercing to his body. But when should you really be concerned of the manner in which he presents himself to others? When one thinks of the word eccentricity, oftentimes the idea of whimsical, quirky characters come to mind. The problem with this lies in the fact that we naturally make fun of what we find whimsical or quirky. And so will your teen’s peers as well if they find your teenager’s manner of presenting himself odd.
From Encouragement to Discouragement
As parents, you probably encouraged your child’s individual expression of creativity as he grew up from a toddler to a student in elementary school and forward. But you may find that as a teenager you may begin to even stifle his expression through manner of dress, actions, or behavior. Why is this?
While caught in a period between childhood and adulthood, your teenager is in quite a confusing stage. He may still have qualities of the child in him while at the same time he may already be expected to act with the maturity of an adult. This can explain how others can meet your adolescent’s creative experimentation with frowns. Certain manners of behavior or dress can come off as signs of immaturity to them. Even in the circles of teenagers among other teens, a sensitive depiction of what is ‘cool’ or ‘hip’ can leave other teens out in the dark. But when can your child’s experimentation or individual expression really be considered a sign of trouble?
In extreme cases where his experimentation with individuality borders on the lines of eccentricity, your teenager may be labeled as an outcast by his peer group. This may lead to your child’s isolation, which in turn can foster the negativity a disorder such as depression can thrive upon. This does not mean that you should jump upon your teen as soon as you see him get another ear piercing. Just be wary of your child’s behavior among his peer group and try and evaluate if his experimentation with individual expression is still among the acceptable boundaries of teen behavior in your area. If you do find that your teen’s behavior is particularly deviant and may be causing negative effects on his social life, then the next step would be to discover the real issue behind his change in character.
Once you know the reasons behind his eccentricity then you can deal with the issues themselves. There may be a reason behind every mask a teenager puts on.
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