It can be tempting for parents to treat their teenagers as mini-adults. After all, they tend to want to be treated as if they are adults. They certainly don't want to lots of rules and restrictions on their behavior. And teenagers are getting older so it seems to make sense to treat them as you would a 25 or 26 year old. Just with a few more restrictions. Right? Well, not quite. While it is important to prepare your adolescent for adulthood, it is equally important to recognize that adolescents are not yet adults. Their brains are quite different from their parents and it is developing at a rapid rate.
I think the main take-home message of this article is that the part of the brain that modulates planning, risk-taking, and emotion is not fully formed yet. That area of the brain will continue to develop until your child is in their mid-twenties. Keep in mind that this does not have anything to do with intelligence. Just because your adolescent is smart, does NOT mean that he or she is able to modulate his or her behavior. My favorite quote from this article is, "very smart adolescents will do very stupid things in a very impulsive way". This is absolutely (and unfortunately) accurate. So be patient with your teen and take the time to understand how to support his or her brain formation. Don't tell them how to do everything, allow them to struggle a bit, but scaffold for them and guide them so they don't fall completely flat on their face. Every teen is different so pay attention to what your teen needs, but recognize that you are not alone in your frustration. ALL adolescents go through this. However, if you see signs of a deeper problem, such as a mental health issue do NOT ignore it. This is not something that will just go away on its own and the earlier the intervention, the more successful the treatment is likely to be. Contact me or another mental health professional with these concerns.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/25/secrets-of-the-teenage-brain
Enjoy the article and comment here, tweet me @fpschDrSweeney, or contact me directly at ssweeney@fpsch.com. Happy Monday everyone!
I think the main take-home message of this article is that the part of the brain that modulates planning, risk-taking, and emotion is not fully formed yet. That area of the brain will continue to develop until your child is in their mid-twenties. Keep in mind that this does not have anything to do with intelligence. Just because your adolescent is smart, does NOT mean that he or she is able to modulate his or her behavior. My favorite quote from this article is, "very smart adolescents will do very stupid things in a very impulsive way". This is absolutely (and unfortunately) accurate. So be patient with your teen and take the time to understand how to support his or her brain formation. Don't tell them how to do everything, allow them to struggle a bit, but scaffold for them and guide them so they don't fall completely flat on their face. Every teen is different so pay attention to what your teen needs, but recognize that you are not alone in your frustration. ALL adolescents go through this. However, if you see signs of a deeper problem, such as a mental health issue do NOT ignore it. This is not something that will just go away on its own and the earlier the intervention, the more successful the treatment is likely to be. Contact me or another mental health professional with these concerns.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/25/secrets-of-the-teenage-brain
Enjoy the article and comment here, tweet me @fpschDrSweeney, or contact me directly at ssweeney@fpsch.com. Happy Monday everyone!
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