Common Application Essay - Google Docs

Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. The relationships between parents and their kids has varied from family to family, but during the teenage years of a child the relationship typically becomes strained, which tends to be a universal problem. The teen never seems to agree with the direction of their parents and the parents struggle to help their child understand where they’re coming from. A household that used to live in harmony instantly switches to a warzone during the adolescent stage of a child. However, I have solved the problem that parents and children alike suffer through the teenage years of a child. The solution is for the adult to look at the situation from an adolescent’s point of view and for the child to look at it from an adult’s point of view. The outlook an adult has towards certain topics are unequivocally different before and after parenthood. Parents have claimed time and time again that they see the world differently after having a child. From the day the child is born until their death, the adults’ responsibility is to raise and protect their child correctly. With that being said, when their child enters adolescence and wants to experience new activities such as going to the movies with friends, attending parties, or just being lazy at home, the child only sees these things from their point of view, in a tunnel vision like state. However, the adult also attacks the situation with tunnel vision. The adult only sees that their decision is correct and justi ied. For example, the adult perhaps will not let their child go to the movies, go to parties, or just be lazy around the house because the adult knows better in those instances. It could be that the parent does not know the friend with who their child wants to go to the movies, or they know that alcohol will be present at a party and does not want their child to be intoxicated, or the parent knows that a child could be using their time in a more productive manner than simply playing video games for hours beyond end. A child will not see all of these justi ications for the adults’ decision and believe that their parent just sucks or doesn’t want them to have fun. That is indeed not the case, but if the adult does not communicate this with their child then their child will have a certain agitation towards their parent that should not be there. Instead, if the adult looks at it from an adolescents’ point of view and can add the adult reasoning towards the situation the child will understand and will feel less hurt that they are being prohibited a certain activity and will feel closer to their parent. The parent needs to be seen in a positive way from their child’s eyes and it is up to the parent to make sure that dynamic is present. Impulsive decisions, short sightedness, and sel ish actions describe the typical developing teen. More often than not a teen will clash with their parents over various topics and will always see their parent in a negative manner during most of their development.

Whenever a parent vetoes a decision they will immediately jump to the conclusion that they have the worst parents in the world and that their parents never let them do anything fun. This is the short sightedness that the adolescent suffers from and it is up to the adolescent to deviate from that sort of thinking. Instead of jumping to illogical conclusions, the teen should think about why their parent said what they said and if there is any reason as to why their parent did what they did. Growing up children ask their parents many questions, but tend to stop asking questions once the child starts to mature and think for himself. The child starts to believe that they no longer need the guidance from their parents when that is far from the truth. During the adolescent stage teens should ask more questions than ever before. Such as, “Why won’t you let me go to the movies with so and so, why won’t you let me go to this party, and I don’t feel like doing anything why do I have to be productive?” The sooner the the teen starts to ask why not towards situations instead of just disagreeing with an adult decision, the relationship with their parent can start to improve. Although the adolescent is far from adulthood, thinking like an adult can help with the relationship the adolescent has with their parents. There are few things more delicate than the relationship between parents and their kids during the teenage years. Differing opinions, lack of communication, and lack of understanding can and will certainly shatter a valuable and necessary relationship. Although, with the proper tools such as communication, trying out various point of views, and patience, the relationship between a child and parent will endure and will lourish despite the many hardships that teenage years present.