The Developing Teenage Brain

Many parents of teenagers feel like they are going crazy. One day their teen is acting like an adult and like they don't need a parent and the next their teen is acting like a child and cannot live without parents. It becomes very frustrating to many parents because they never know how their teen will be acting that day.

AlSo some parents feel like they cannot win dealing with their teenagers because if they treat their teen like an adult that is the day their teen is needing emotional support and acting like a child. Besides not knowing what mood their teen will be in, parents get tired of their teens being angry at them because their parents guessed the wrong mood. And the arguments that occur if a parent guesses wrong. Parents can’t just do nothing because teenagers are not adults and still need parental guidance. Well parents, you are not crazy and the confusion you are feeling is real. Teens do switch from acting mature to acting child like very quickly and very often. It has nothing to do with how you are parenting your teen, it has to do with their biology.

The Prefrontal Cortex in teenagers is not fully developed yet. As a result, you see and experience the mood swings in your teens that we just described. The Prefrontal Cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for reasoning skills and the ability to make mature consistent decisions. One of the best ways that I have seen to deal with this situation is make no assumptions. When dealing with your teen see what mood they are in and respond accordingly. As your teen is getting older make suggestions how they could have looked at the situation or sit down with them and discuss how they made their decision. The most important thing is to remember they are not doing it on purpose, it is part of the process they need to go through as they become adults. They need to learn how to make rational, mature decisions. Right now when dealing with a teen, the best thing as a parent can do is to take a deep breath and assess the situation. The way you respond to them is modeling how to act like an adult. Also this will reduce fights in the family and improve communication. If you remember back to when they were toddlers you did not expect them to understand everything because they were a little child. Just because physically your teen may look and can physically act like an adult doesn't mean that emotionally they are adults. Remember they are still maturing and need your help. A little understanding can go a long way.

This is why car insurance cost more for teenagers, especially boys, because they know a teenager’s brain is not fully developed until age 25 and as a result they are more impulsive and have more car accidents.

So remember, as a parent of a teenager, their bodies may look like they are grown adults, but physically they are still developing children and need your help and guidance even if they don’t know it. Their prefrontal cortex is not fully developed so they will act impulsive at times and have difficulties reasoning and problem solving at times. Another example is their livers. A teenager’s liver is not fully developed until their 20’s too. However, since they look like adults they assume they can drink like an adult. A big mistake in judgment. Since their livers are not fully developed that is why so many teenagers end up in emergency rooms with alcohol poisoning.

Dr. Rubino is a psychotherapist with over 25 years experience specializing in the mental health issues and providing psychotherapy for adolescents. Dr. Rubino also specializes in treating trauma victims and is certified to treat first responders. He also has a private practice in Pleasant Hill. You can learn more about his work or private practice by visiting his web site www.rcs-ca.com or his Facebook page www.Facebook.com/drrubino3.