Teen girls seem to struggle with emotions rising and falling constantly. It’s helpful to remember that their brains are flooded with hormones that overactivate the emotion centers in their noggins. So when she snaps at you like you just ruined her life, don’t worry. She’s just trying to keep from drowning in her own emotions.

Teen girls want to be understood, but more importantly, they want to understand themselves.

If you think the teen girl in your life may actually be struggling more than is normal – or you just want to find out if she falls into the “normal” category – she may benefit from some counseling. Teen years are often when you need to recruit more people to the parenting team.

If you’re not sure that conversation will go over too well, try dropping hints that she check out this website from the Center for Young Women’s Health at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/counseling.html

It’s got loads of good information and this link goes straight to the part that helps teen girls figure out if they might need counseling. She might be intrigued by the notion she could actually understand herself better.

Just remember that when she comes to you saying, “I think I want you to call someone for counseling” you choke back that “It’s OK, honey – it’s just your hormones.” So long as you like your eardrums intact.