Lizard
by Dennis Covington

Have you ever felt like a freak?

Well, then you’ll relate to Lucius Sims. Because he resembles a reptile, people call him Lizard, and they treat him like an alien because he’s different. He’s even put into a school for retarded boys even though there is no proof that he has a learning problem.

Hang on tight, though, because Lizard is about to embark on a madcap adventure. On the road to freedom he might even find a way to accept himself! Covington won the Delacorte Prize for this sensitive novel about the oddball inside of us all.

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Teenage anger is a natural emotion or feeling felt by an adolescent when reacting to a situation, thing or person. It is usually triggered by external factors, which can manifest both verbally and physically. In most cases, teen kids become angry because they are hurt, confused and even frustrated.  Like everybody else, teenagers can be angry at some point or another. Anger can be experienced in different levels or degrees, which mostly vary on the extent of the experience that induced the emotion. Some teenager cannot really handle anger, that is why they have a certain outrage resulting to bad behavior. When this happens, parents should always step up and  guide or help their kids manage such a feeling that can be very destructive.

In overcoming teen anger, it is best that you can help your kids identify and become aware of their own feelings. When they are aware of their anger, they can distinguish people, situations and event that are common or recurring factors in causing such emotional episodes.

You and your kids can overcome anger by keeping a record of situations that often lead to anger, such as keeping a journal. Take note of the frequency and occasion of the episodes. You ought to know that not all anger are considered as unnecessary or useless anger. There are times that anger can be very useful or beneficial. For instance,  anger can stir confidence or motivation to overpower a wrong doing or prejudice. Try to teach your kids how to handle anger in a way that will not do damage to others or things. They should be able to understand if their anger is beyond discourse or not.

Teenagers are just like adults – they can be angry at situations, things and people. The demands of growing up are sometimes affecting their capacity to function without emotional outbursts and mood swings. Although anger is an natural emotion, the failure to process can lead to inappropriate and destructive behavior. When teenagers become angry, they don’t only damage the object of their anger but also their very own self. As parents, it is very crucial that you will be able to help your kids, particularly when the anger is still subtle or controllable.

You can deal with it without any help, or you can consult a therapist. Either way, it is important that you will completely understand the situation and what your kids are going through. Never take their anger against them, they might resort to more damaging actions than they are already into. Approach them in a manner in which they can successfully channel and express their anger without damaging others, properties or even themselves.

Depression starts when angry teen kids slowly become helpless. Not all kids are good at channeling their anger into obvious actions. Thus, depression related to teenage anger can be of several forms, yet it is defined by the intensity or how it affects the said teens. Typically, angry teenagers react in two ways. They either entertain their anger and become defiant or destructive, or they will just repress the anger and then eventually withdraw from the situation.

Here are some signs when your teenagers become angry and eventually depressed:

 * having an antisocial behavior
 * sarcasm
 * physically harming others
 * self-mutilation
 * destructive and disruptive
 * confusion
 * frustration
 * fear

When your teenagers are having these signs of anger for a longer period, seek professional help.

Having teenage kids is one of the most challenging tasks of being parents. You have to handle each situation with extreme measures, because you don’t want your kids to be further mad especially at you. Teens can be angry because of pressure from family, friends, school and several other things.

You can actually help your teen kids by talking to them at par and not being a mom or dad. Believe it or not, teenagers hate to be bossed for whatever reasons. Try to approach each situation with a good sense on their part. After which, you can disclose how you feel about the issue, and then ask your children how they also feel about it. Let them know that it is alright to be angry sometimes, and it is important that they know how to deal with it. Or, they can ask your help in resolving the matter.

One of the apparent features of the adolescent period is “emotional issues.” Teenage anger, in particular, has been a source of their confusion and frustration. In turn, teens as well as parents slowly develop reactive behaviors. The friction between the two parties often affects the parent-child relationship. So what really is teen anger? When teenagers become angry, there are usually a number of reasons. They often include:

 * Trauma. For instance, they have an accident in the sports they have always loved. They become mad because their recuperation takes longer than expected.
 * Grief. Deep sadness can be grounded in several things, such as death of a loved one.
 * Abuse. It can be physical, verbal or sexual kind of abuse.
 * Depression. Not performing well in school can be a reason.
 * Alcoholism. Teenagers usually get out of hand when they resort to alcohol abuse.
 * Substance Abuse, like drugs can lead to unpredictable irritability or anger.

The thing about teenagers is that they usually don’t know but they think they know. They always assume that they are adult enough to do or understand things. They somehow become frustrated because things don’t course their way. They then become frustrated and eventually become angry. Normally, teen kids are mad at something or someone. They are constantly battling with anger for a reason or no reason.

Generally, teenage anger is just a simple feeling and never a behavior. However, when the anger begins to become a behavior, you should start to deal with it as soon as possible. Your kids might gradually develop a behavioral problem. Also, make sure that you will not tolerate their behavior. Some parents usually give in with the attitude or behavior of their teens, because they want to avoid confrontations.

When teens become angry, it can either be healthy or harmful. Their anger is actually a defense mechanism, or sometimes a scary feeling. Anger can be expressed verbally or physically. If it becomes worse, anger usually takes form as violence, sarcasm, addiction, etc.