What exactly is gothic,especially for teenagers?My 13 year old daughter is becoming interested ?

Question

Parents your opinion and experiences with this would be greatly appreciated!

My 13 year old daughter has began wanting to dress in black, other dark colors, skull prints on anything she wears, is listening to extreme heavy metal, and begging to dye her hair black. She makes alot of comments about 'gothic' kids. I am actually clueless as to what it is about.

How does a kid get into that? Should this be a concern for me? And what is it all about....to a 13 year old girl?

I do set rules and boundaries, she's not allowed to roam freely, is not sexually active...she's a pretty good kid for the most part.

Answer 1

From experience just a phase or emotional status.  Research it.

Answer 2

Its a phase unfortunately.

Its funny, the "gothics" and "emos" came about becuase they wanted to be individuals, the each had their own style, they did not want to conform...

Now, everyone is "conforming" to be one! Its done a complete turn around

Answer 3

nah its nothing bad at all.

it IS a phase.

It doesnt last that long.

Answer 4

It is just a phase,but you should be careful.

Goths are often associated drugs and alcohol.

I mean, it is a phase, but not a good one.

Sometimes Goths go through emotional "bumps" and become very hard to control,and may even lead to suicide.

So just watch out for her peers and activities.

And Goths are looked down upon by society anyway, so not a very positive charateristic.

Answer 5

You better start keeping an eye on her. Start thinking about pregnancy talks and prevention. She is getting rebellious and it is just starting.

Answer 6

It sounds like your daughter is beginning to hit puberty and is trying to find ways to express herself, so she's dressing in gothic matter. This is normal and part of growing up. I would not be concerned about it, and she will probably grow out of it after a while.

The goth subculture is mostly about people who dress in a dark manner because they really feel different from others and want to be different. Really just normal people in black clothes, not satanical folk or anything.

Contrary to belief, dressing in a gothic matter does not mean that your daughter wants to get involved with drugs, s*x, etc (a misconception about goths, something I see mentioned here a lot). Your daughter sounds like a good kid who doesn't try to get into trouble, so there's nothing to really worry about.

Answer 7

Oh Oh! i found this site for parents about understanding it with teens today...

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

really hope it helps

Answer 8

actually you should be glad. studies show that gothic youths are much smarter and grow up to have very high paying jobs. i get called goth all the time and im started to think they're right. no it shouldn't concern you. it has nothing to do with attitude. some goth kids are good kids and some are stubborn. some girly girls are good and some are stubborn. it doesn't matter what stereotype they are. im 13 too, and i was taught to just be myself and i guess 'goth' is myself. don't you want her to be herself instead of someone elses clone?  my mom thinks its kinda weird but she doesn't care as long as im happy with it. i don't know how to explain what 'goth kids' are like but you could google it or go to wikipedia and see what you find. just let her be herself, and like i said, be happy because 'goth kids' tend to be smarter and have better jobs. good luck and please don't freak out with her and tell her she can't be 'goth' anymore. you gotta let kids express themselves. and i mean, its not hurting anyone, is it?

Answer 9

I'm not a parent, i'm a junior in college. BUT

your daughter sounds exactly like me my freshman year.

and that's not a good thing.

for many kids, it is a phase, yes. i know for me, our entire school went through a 'lets-all-dress-super-punk' phase. i figured that it would mostly be a phase that i would grow out of when everyone else did.

if its mostly clothes and outward appearances, keep a close watch. however, don't hover and try to pry out information. that's what happened with my parents and i started cutting.

if there is more of an attitude adjustment, eating changes, any signs of self-mutilation, seek help. a school counselor might be a good place to start, but not all kids feel safe talking to them. talk to your family doctor about diagnosing depression and above all TAKE it seriously.

i told my parents about what i thought was depression, but nothing ever happened. my senior year of high school, i had a major depression relapse and ended up in the hospital for overdoing on tylenol.

and i am exactly the good kid that your daughter is. i graduated in the top 10% of my class, i've always had good grades, i've never been a problem kid, no police involvment-- nothing.

point is, it may just be a phase, but if it's not, it could be more traumatizing than anything. honestly, i would've much rather my parents had overreacted and gotten me help sooner. keep a close eye and don't be afraid to get her help if you think she needs it.

good luck

-morgan

Answer 10

its just a phase, my mate got into all that gothic stuff, its nuthin to be worried about in my opinion, she grew out of it after a few weeks

Answer 11

I'm 13 and i know what she's going through

shes growing up she probally doesn't like pink frilly things anymore. Its just a phase it'll go away.

and i believe she is still good

but here are somthings you should know

gothics- are the people who hate the world

and like dark things ..dark music

i don't think you should be conserned unless it gets too far and her WHOLE  personallity changes and gets alittle creepy

Answer 12

its just a phase really. I went through it in middle school and then by high school i grew out of it. Nothing really to be worried about. It's just a style.  

Answer 13

It really depends on your daughter. Some like the gothic fashion (which is erotically emphasized sometimes), while others choose it as a lifestyle. It may be just a phase, so I wouldn't be worried too much about it. However, wearing dark pieces of clothing doesn't necessarily make her a goth. Goths and metalheads are often mistaken for one another. A more in depth description of it can be found on wikipedia, I believe.

I'm 16 and I listen to heavy metal, and really, there's nothing to be worried about. I am a straight A student; good kid in general. It's great that your daughter is an individual, and doesn't just follow whatever is trendy.  

Answer 14

its just a phase