Abstract:

In human life, adolescence is the phase between childhood and adulthood. It is a period of human development during which a young person transitions from dependency to independence, from autonomy to maturity when the child becomes an adult. Adolescence implies great psychological, biological, psychosocial, social, cognitive, moral, and spiritual changes. At the same time, the family in which children reach the stage of adolescence is in a very specific phase of the life cycle, which sets new tasks and goals for the adolescent and the whole family. Being a parent to an older adolescent is a different position of parenting compared to the earlier developmental stages of a child. During adolescence, a lot of things happen for the first time to both adolescents and parents. Parents often perceive the period of adolescence as a period that is difficult and full of challenges, and since the adolescent-parent relationship is going through significant transformations, raising an adolescent is very difficult for them. As they mature physically and mentally, adolescents start to create an image of themselves, who they are, where they belong, and how they integrate into social life. In this way, they build their own identity and autonomy, seek their freedom and independence, and expect their parents to treat them like adults. During adolescence, conflicts between adolescents and parents are common, which seems very frustrating for both parties. Adapting to changes in the child's upbringing and expectations of high standards of behavior and achievement are challenges for parents. In addition, modern parenting is marked by numerous changes, so it is necessary to focus attention and examine the personal experiences of today's parents and their expectations, beliefs, and requirements in fulfilling the parental role. Research in the field of parenting more often focuses on parenting skills and parenting behavior, and less on personal experiences and development of parents themselves as a consequence of parenting. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the subjective feelings and perceptions of parents of older adolescents and to encourage discussion about their attitudes and personal challenges in parenting.

The paper will present the results of qualitative research with the aim of understanding the subjective experience of the parental role in relation to the communication of the child and parents, the causes of conflict, and the strategies of support they use in relation to their children. The focus group method was used for data collection and processing as a qualitative form of research. The focus group method was implemented in different cities in Croatia (Zadar, Split, Varaždin) and included between 4 and 10 parents of children of the same age group (parents of children in pre-adulthood).

Keywords:

Adolescents, communication, contemporary parenting, focus groups, relationship.