What happens to a teens brain?

Ever want to hang your teenagers by their toes for not thinking?? Don't worry, I won't-it's just a pleasant thought for me though. LOL! But why do we bother spending all those pre-teen years parenting? Once adolescence hit my 15 year olds stopped all rational though processes. I want to unzip their heads to see if they still have any brains. Sorry just venting!

as a teenager... life gets hard. relationships are everything. no time to think about other stuffs... alotta sleep is lost.. basically we sorta do
try to imagine it as losing half your thinking capacity.

I guess, maybe it's because I have a houseful of teens right now and that just magnifies every thing!

From a medical stand point, I've heard that they go through a lot of chemical changes starting at puberty that does effect the brain. Some teens can not handle this chemical change and self medicate. I've learned this because I looked for answers for my brothers' and sisters' drug dependencies. Not trying to scare you, just letting you know that there is a huge change going on with them right now.

This on top of all their social stress and education duties can be really overwhelming.

I try to tell my husband this all the time with my children... "remember when you were their age, put yourself in their shoes". Although we know those years were easy, while we were going through them, they seemed like the world was ending. They have no life experiences to tell them that they will bounce back, their world crashes so easily. If only we could install our experience in them. They will find their own way, just as we did and all the generation before us.

Sorry I rambled on, I got lost in my teen years for a moment!

Wow, three teen girls! God bless ya! I am surely dreading the teen years!

Good luck!

There are tons of studies out now that part of the reason teens act the way they do is because their brains are not fully developed until age 22 or so. The emotional part of their brains is still immature, plus they are more likely to take chances.

But kids still can get on your nerves no matter what the reason for it. lol

<font color="purple">I guess this makes my friends and I special breeds of teens huh? Or, at least me. I sometimes think that I think too much. Even adults think I'm an einstein or something, but it's all common sense to me.

Now, the EMOTIONAL part is what gets me. I think I've always been...very emotoinal unstable...to begin with, but all these hormonal ebbs and flows really just aggrivate it to the point were I could be all happy and excited, and then at the drop of a hat just feel so crushed that I start sobbing out of control for the next hour </font>

The key to getting through your child's "teen years" is open discussion and teach teens how to handle emotions through a complete understanding of emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is a way to break free from making emotional decisions and living on the edge. There are several test on the web that will show you what your EIQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient) is and how to interpret the results.

Here's a great article on EQ from Time Magazine, http://www.time.com/time/classroom/p..._article1.html

In addition, try reading a book called "From now on with passion :
a guide to emotional intelligence" by Christine Mockler Casper.

We have also stressed to our teen daughter how important understanding emotional tendancies are in making decisions on a daily basis.

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Jeremy_Zanesville said:
The key to getting through your child's "teen years" is open discussion and teach teens how to handle emotions through a complete understanding of emotional intelligence.


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Hmmm...good thought Jeremy. I don't know many with a complete understanding of anything but I guess its a good target to aim at.

I really like your suggestion of communication. If anything will help through these 6 to 8 years it is that. And consistency. That is important.

I don't know if there is a time in a humans developement (outside the womb) where more changes occur in the mind and body. And those that survive these changes,,, the so called adults are stuck like traffic cops in the biggest rotary(round about) in the world at 8 am. And everyone wants to get off at the same exit..."being grown up".

Madness...pure madness it is. Most of it is chemically driven...unknown molecules of harmonical character being spit out by organs just beginning their surge to adulthood. Smooth skin being invaded by hair folicles interspersed with esteme crushing oil wells of red, white and black excrusions. Puss becomes a word never said but thought about too often.

And then the worst of it.

Sex and being wanted and loved. Belonging. And this overwhelming need appearing just as a young mans feet are three sizes larger than his height would determine and a young lady cannot understand why everyones chest is different than hers.

It is a sormy time for a travelor who has only experienced calm seas. We all seem so unprepared for this tornado of change. But we're not. It is part of the human machine..a time to begin testing the equipment of mature living while having some support by them. (if frantic wide eyed parents who seldom sleep soundly) can be called support...LOL

Love them in spite of them and in spite of you.

They do,,, though it seldom seems that way.

This too shall pass...

Lenny

I'm counting down the days until my daughter is an official teenager (Feb. 10). As far as I'm concerned, she already thinks she there. If what is occuring now is just a small snippet of what I'm in for.........

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Angel_of_the_Past said:
Ever want to hang your teenagers by their toes for not thinking?? Don't worry, I won't-it's just a pleasant thought for me though. LOL!

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Still think I like my option-it's easier with 3 teen girls in my house.

LOL
Angel

You could hang them up by their toes and ask them to think about their emotional reactions to situations "just like this".

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Kaika said:
Now, the EMOTIONAL part is what gets me. I think I've always been...very emotoinal unstable...to begin with, but all these hormonal ebbs and flows really just aggrivate it to the point were I could be all happy and excited, and then at the drop of a hat just feel so crushed that I start sobbing out of control for the next hour </font>

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Oh yes, hormones are a pain in the butt. I still have problems with that... and I'm 22 now, so my brain should theoretically be all fully-developed.

Sometimes I want to smack some people my own age for ruining the plasticity of their brains with drugs or alcohol or who knows what... you only get so many neurons!

Differences between physical age and emotional age...

I'm emotionally immature at times. I'm physically pretty mature I'd think though...

But maybe it isn't just the brain that's the problem? Speaking collectively for people around my age... we like to experiment. Do stupid things. Just for the fun of it all. Can't say it's a good idea... but you only live once, maybe that's the thought behind it.

Me? I'm a perfect little angel. Always have been and always will be.

Hugs to Christina86--Angel

PS: I'm perfect all the time toooooooo.

Hubby insist on having an open discusion with them, without losing his paitence or temper no matter what they say to us, I agree and its helped with my eldest son, he tells us most that are bothering him no matter how small or big or even embarrasing (I find the last one hard but act as though I dont lol)....

Our second son is very secretive no matter how hard we try to teach him he dosnt have to be, so I think it also depends on the child.

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Tishie said:
Our second son is very secretive no matter how hard we try to teach him he dosnt have to be, so I think it also depends on the child.

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I also think it depends on the gender...girls oh my!!!

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MyBestKids2 said:
I'm counting down the days until my daughter is an official teenager (Feb. 10). As far as I'm concerned, she already thinks she there. If what is occuring now is just a small snippet of what I'm in for.........

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Oh please, mine turns 13 two weeks after yours does, and like you I already feel it! I,too, can't imagine what is to come... Pray for strength....

TJ

we like to call them horror-mones.

So nice to hear everyone's comments...misery loves company!Just think, you only know about my girls, I also have 2 sons. Do you see why my mental health is in such bad shape?!
LOL,
Angel

Angel...

I have two boys and two girls also, granted the girls are far apart in age. One is 14 yrs old and the other 9 months. My two boys are only 4 yrs apart. I actually don't have a lot of difficulties with my teen daughter than she has with her mother.