It’s difficult for parents to understand and relate to their teen daughter’s hormones for a variety of reasons. For one, hormones are unpredictable, even if her cycle is predictable. For another, mothers may expect their daughters to experience hormonal changes similar to their own, which is not normally the case – hormones are individual and contingent upon several factors. For dads, female hormone changes may be entirely foreign to them. Of course, all parents have at least a LITTLE difficulty remembering just what it was like to be a teen. Finally, your daughter herself may be unaware of her own hormone swings, or unable to identify and communicate them. Though it may seem like an unnecessary lesson in biology, your daughters hormones play a major role on her emotions and temperament.
Since her hormones have a pretty big effect on the energy in your home, it’s important to learn how you can better understand what she is going through. This is an inside look at a teen girl’s hormonal cycle through out the month.
Hormones And Emotions Fluctuate Frequently
Week One
The dreaded premenstrual syndrome has arrived (as has her period). Girls experience this in a wide variety of ways: irritability, moodiness, anger, sadness, headaches, and more. Even she may not know what to expect. This is where you might experience meltdowns, unexpected crying, fights, and emotions that seem simply irrational.
Week Two
After her period ends, she should start feeling really good. She might be happier, more outgoing, with higher energy levels. She’ll feel a push to get out, connect with others, and do more. It can be a sudden change that surprises you, but it’s normal. Take advantage of this time to reconnect and spend extra time together.
Week Three
At this point, her body is ovulating so there will be an increase of hormones. However, your daughter is still feeling more amped up in general as her estrogen and testosterone rise. She’ll be more excited about things she loves, but may also start to feel anxiety about things doesn’t. School may stress her out more, or she’ll worry unnecessarily about the wording of a text from a boy or grow suspicious of the way a friend is acting.
Week Four
With one week to go before menstruation begins, her progesterone will rise – which will begin to slow everything down. She may be more tired than normal, have less energy and enthusiasm, experience more acne, and may even experience some blues or depression. Tread lightly and give the girl a break. By expecting her to be a little more sensitive this week, you can show her a bit more TLC.
If it seems like a roller coaster, that’s because it practically is. Being a teenage girl isn’t easy, and she isn’t always choosing the emotions and drama. While you can’t control her hormones or the effects they bring, you can take careful steps to love and support her through these challenging changes she’s learning to navigate. If your daughter experiences more than her fair share of depression, anxiety, or other issues – there is help out there for her. Really all she needs is a caring parent and time – being a teen won’t last forever.
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Eric Allred was born and raised in Rigby, Idaho. He grew up on a family farm where he learned the value of work. He graduated from Rigby High School and attended Rick’s College, now known as BYU-Idaho. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Utah State University, received a master’s degree in organizational behavior and human relations from the University of Phoenix and a second master’s degree in marital and family therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. Eric has been involved in Rotary and was president of a local Rotary Club. He enjoys being with his family and doing outdoor activities such as fly fishing.
Chase was very fortunate to start in this industry as a struggling 17 year old kid looking for a mentor and something to be passionate about. Wilderness therapy was Chase’s first stop in this industry and was truly a transcendental experience for him. Chase has an enormous love for this line of work and the power that it has in creating change in everyone involved. Chase’s biggest belief is the power a mentor, strong, healthy relationships, and accountability can have on anyone, especially youth. Taking a very relational approach to his work, Chase has always been very relatable to the students he works with. Being able to understand and relate to a vast variety of the same struggles as a lot of the students he works with has been able to help him continue to grow, learn, and teach. Chase believes that with great rapport and trust, he can use his experience to continue to coach and train new staff, and has the ability to find those staff with the passion for this industry, and help them grow. His love and passion can be felt the moment you talk with Chase about this industry and he passes that on to others he works with. In his spare time you will find Chase cheering for the Eagles, Yankees, and Mavericks, hanging out with his brother, learning more about Eastern Psychology, and continuing to grow and learn.