The teen’s brain is a bit uneven, and that sometimes makes life for us adults a little uneven or bumpy. It’s all good, though… After all, those crazy-acting teens are ours, and we love them. You see, here’s the thing, the teen’s brain is not developed as much as our brain. Furthermore, their brain develops unevenly too. Yup, it’s true!
You see, the area of a teen’s brain that controls executive functioning and is responsible for decision-making and impulse control develops slower than other parts of their mind. They may not fully develop this part of their brain until their mid to late twenties. So, when considering this lob-sided world of teens, it’s no wonder why they drive us crazy sometimes, especially when they do the opposite of what we just told them.
Furthermore, our teens are also craving their own independence. This is a good thing because we don’t want them living with us forever, especially when they’re questioning us non-stop like it’s some kind of game to them like my son is now doing. Our grinning and bearing it, and playing along with our teen’s little game of 20 questions without grounding them for life will eventually pay off with our kids growing up and becoming responsible adults.
Parents, be happy because, in the end, we know what to do with our teens. We were teens once. Even though the world has changed, and it doesn’t look like the one we knew while growing up, teens are still teens. Let’s trust our gut parenting instincts. We got this one parents! Remember, no one knows our kids like we do. So, let’s not throw away all those years of getting to know our kids. Let’s not lose the solid relationships we built just because of a few bumps in our parenting road while driving through teenville.
Now, as my Granddaddy always said, “Go learn, lead and lay the way to a better world for all of us.” We can do this. And once again parents, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do…