The Changing Nature of Relationships

Each monthly daylong in a Stepping Stones group has a different focus within the arc of the Coming of Age program and curriculum. This month in our blog post, we explore our latest curricular theme: The Nature of Relationships.

• Do remember the first time you looked at your parents and suddenly you just knew they had NO idea what they were talking about?
• Do you remember when you started to think about who you wanted to be when you got older, after the princess and astronaut phase was over?
• Do remember the first time you looked at someone and you thought, “Gee, they’re cute, I think I want to be more than friends.”
• Do you remember the first time you caught a glance at yourself in the mirror and questioned liking what you saw?
• Do you remember the first time you identified with a certain peer group and long-term friendships changed?
• Do you remember the first time that your friends’ opinions were more important than your parents’?

​For the questions you answered with a “yes,” think about how old you were when it happened. My guess is that for most, you were between the ages of 11-15.

These questions are based on an article on relationship development from Stanford Children’s Health. A big part of adolescent development is not only physical and emotional, but also encompasses their relationships with their family, and their peers, and themselves. The dramatic shift from their primary relationships being within the nuclear family to being focused more broadly on peers, society, and their own image is why the “Nature of Relationships” is a crucial theme in the Stepping Stones curriculum.

​In the Stepping Stones group, the youth discuss the topics encompassed in the questions above - which you are likely remembering from afar, but they are in the midst of daily.  They can try on new roles in their relationships outside of school and their families. They can begin to explore these developmental changes without judgement and with the freedom to speak their truth. They learn to navigate this transformational time with intention, honesty, and integrity.

Take a look at these related articles:
An awesome read from the Greater Good Science Center on the development of teen relationships including fantastic tips on how parents can support these changes. 

​And lastly, a great review of the changing role of the relationship between parent and teen.