A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain
A teenager’s brain is not just an adult brain with fewer kilometres on it. It is a brain that has not fully developed. It is a work in progress and has stymied parents for centuries. Modern neuroscience is now explaining biological reasons why:
1. teens can seem so mature one minute and so maddening the next
2. some struggle and some bloom
3. they engage in risky behaviour (drinking, drugs, sex, etc.)
4. they can’t get out of bed before noon on Saturday
5. he / she won’t talk to you anymore
6. they slam doors
Science is tiptoeing on the edge of understanding the teenage brain and the science is changing fast. Understanding the teen brain can lead to smoother relationships between parents and their kids.