Your daughter is 18 years of age or older
She is
in her late teens but is considered an adult. She still depends on you as her
home—literally, emotionally, and financially—but also tries to be responsible
for herself.
At 18,
your daughter decides who she is and what she wants. She tries different
versions of her life. Suddenly she focuses on herself and becomes aware of the
big world around her.
Your
daughter is an adult. This is a very intermediate time. She is optimistic. She
is nervous. And this year it will reach many more development milestones.
Language
At
this age, your daughter is capable of intellectual exchange. She may not always
be in the mood to talk, but she often wants to share her opinion on what's
going on in the world. Unlike her early age, she is now able to listen and
consider other points of view.
Social
Your
daughter transcends the clique and develops deeper friendships. She may enjoy
dating or looking for a more meaningful romantic relationship. Peer pressure no
longer has as much of an impact. If she wants to try something, she is more
interested in what the experts say than her peers.
Emotional
Your
18-year-old daughter is emotionally doing one of two important things. If she
is used to expressing all her emotions, she will learn to control them. If she
keeps things to herself, she will become more aware of her feelings and healthy
ways to share them.
Physical
While
more than half of girls her age are on a diet, your 18-year-old girl is likely
to have a small amount of healthy fat around her arms, legs, breasts, and hips.
She
wakes up later and wakes up later but still needs a good amount of sleep. Let
it catch up on the weekend.
Problems
As
your daughter becomes more independent, she will have more opportunities to
fight. Believe it or not, this is good. This will help her learn her support
systems and build resilience.
There
are times when you need to intervene and there are times to take a step back.
Expect disputes and conflicts. She may not want physical affection from you -
she may not even want to be around you - but she still needs to know that you
care about her. Help her become someone who can take care of herself by talking
about her feelings and healthy ways to express them.
Being
an adult means having complete freedom of action on the Internet, but your
daughter still needs support in her online life. While not 100% effective, the
tracking software shows you the websites she has visited. Before you set
anything up, talk to her about new freedoms, safe browsing, and how she can
protect herself financially when shopping online.
Big
changes can sometimes cause big disappointments. After a few days, your
daughter may forget what makes her sad or get stuck in depression. Look for
signs that she's not interested in what she usually enjoys, or that she's
having trouble sleeping or consistently low energy levels.
Some
18-year-old girls may turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with strong feelings or
to fit in. This will be more difficult to control when she lives away from
home, so make sure she is aware of the consequences of underage drinking and of
all her options and resources.
Keep
talking about safe sex. As her awareness grows, she will be able to have deeper
conversations about sexually transmitted diseases, stalking, rape, rape, and
teen pregnancy.
Heavy topics, huh? Dig in. This last stage of adolescence is not easy for you or your daughter. To ask questions. Listen to the answers. Agree to disagree when you disagree. Be a parent, not a friend. And rest assured: you may not want it, but she still needs you.