ABSTRACT
While adolescence is a normal developmental stage for all young people, it is usually not felt subjectively to be so. The sense of self develops through emotional experiences that begin in early childhood. Adolescents need space and time to make the maturational shift from middle childhood into adolescence, into which the subjectively tough move from the relative security of primary school to secondary education propels them. Adolescence is a developmental stage, unique to each individual, yet with many shared aspects. The idea of a family life cycle, however, is further complicated by the multiplicity of ways of being a family, characteristic of the changing social and cultural context of our society. The pressures and challenges of parenting adolescents may be compounded by the composition of the family, including the number of children, who may be at different ages and stages of development.
