By Prof. K.V. Satyan, Camp: Texas, USA
Some time back I had an important conversation with a parent or one of my students. He was very disturbed because his only daughter was behaving in a very strange manner. The girl in her teens, usually bright and outgoing, had suddenly become silent, sullen and sulking. She looked worried and tensed, had lost appetite and perhaps sleep too. Any casual talk or suggestion would irritate and annoy her. The members of the small family were greatly worried, naturally since a spirited child had become a total stranger. This kind of report by worried parents of adolescents was not new to me. My association with this very sensitive group (adolescents) is a long journey, of over four decades and I have some experience in dealing with such emotionally disturbed kids, and helping them to regain the lost stability. Two or three sessions separately with the child and parents opened up details of improper handling of the child, which can be termed as wrong parenting, though not deliberately. Positive results started showing with successive counselling, which brought relief to all concerned.
