When a child reaches the age of 13, he or she becomes a teenager. This is the age he or she becomes a different person – physically and emotionally. There will be indications that will come up, of course, like, for example, the growth of pubic hair for both, and the start of menstrual periods for the girls. With these, they also become suddenly aware and become attracted to the opposite sex.

During this stage where changes in teenagers occur, parents become restless, too. This is the stage where there are truly visible changes and it is very possible that during this stage of physical attraction to the opposite sex, studies are affected, too. Effects are most of the time undesirable because teenagers loose concentration on their studies and their academic performance dwindle. Not only that, attitudes change and emotional abnormalities take place.

When a teenager reaches the age beyond 15 and up, the attraction to the opposite sex becomes stronger. It is very common that during this stage, they get to have boyfriends or girlfriends. They start to date secretly, too. They start to keep things from their mother or from their father and to avoid discussion about school. The focus on the studies gets lesser and lesser. It starts from bad to worst. Report cards are proofs of evidence of what is actually happening. If this is the case, they can be a parent's basis that action should be done before matters get worst.

In the Philippine culture, the situation can be considered favorable because parents can still meddle in the affairs of or influence a teenager up to the stage where they become full-pledged teenagers unlike in other cultures where teenagers eventually detach from their parent's control once they reach 18. But with the meddling of parents, especially in matters of the heart, parents have to be extra understanding. They have to bear in mind that they were teenagers once, and if they had not experienced falling in love early, parents should not compare their teenage lives before with their children.

First and foremost, Mom and Dad should ponder on the huge unlikeness of their generation with their children's. There is a big difference and it is a fact. Children of today are already exposed to the western culture where dating early is allowable. Also, there are numerous uncontrollable influences and factors at present that contribute to the teenagers decisions in life. If peers in the old times are merely friends when doing simple activities, peers today cause pressure to degrees we are not even aware of.

Above all, when teenagers fall in love, avoid berating them, or physically hurt them. With the teenagers of today, this will probably be the cause of rebellion unlike in the old days where teenagers follow every word their parents say. Try therefore talking to them in a calm manner and if they do not change, it is not the parents anymore who err. Give these teenagers the options to which they can always choose. Let them feel that they are responsible to whatever decision they make.