Ahh, the teen years. Love'em? Hate'em? I wouldn't want to relive them. People have heard me say that there would be no amount of money large enough that you could give me to go back to high school. Don't get me wrong. I have some wonderful memories of those years, but when the miserable, self-doubting, low self-esteem, social weirdo, troubled-soul memories creep in, they win out. I can't imagine being the kid I was then in today's schools, cultures, and environments. I wonder what would happen to me - what kind of an adult I would grow up to be.
The main job of "adolescence" for all teens is to figure out who they are and who they want to be. These questions could be referring to the BIG questions like what is the meaning of life. Or these questions could just refer to the present day dilemmas at school juggling friends, foes and things parents just don't understand.
As young children, boys and girls think in very concrete terms with much of their thoughts focusing on the here and now and what effects them. I call it the "3 foot circle." Picture a child standing in a circle that has a diameter of three feet. Anything outside of the circle is not on her/his "radar" and does not matter unless somebody makes a point of bringing it to their attention - into their circle. In adolescence, the circle widens, but the child is still the most important thing at the center. The circle not only got larger, but for the first time in the child's life she/he is able to think in more complex terms and take other things (people, thoughts, opinions, options, etc.) into consideration. This change comes as the PREFRONTAL CORTEX [PFC] develops, which may not be fully completed until a person's mid-twenties.
As noted in an earlier blog, the [PFC] has been known as the CEO of the brain because it is the control center for regulating thoughts and emotions. It helps in planning, logical processing, controlling impulses, anticipating consequences, and balancing risks and rewards. Some researchers believe that it is also the location of human conscience, regulating the ability to tell right from wrong. All of these skills are part of cognitive development.
"Adolescence is a time for developing a new sense of self and identity along with the cognitive ability to imagine oneself in the future in ways that can create positive emotions (picturing oneself as highly successful) as well as linked to negative affective appraisals (imagining the consequences of failure or humiliation)...most importantly, many of these more complex-emotional experiences are happening for the first time in adolescence." [Dahl, R. (2004). Adolescent brain development: A period of vulnerabilities and opportunities. Annals of New York Academy Sciences, 1021, p.21-22]
Interestingly there is a gender difference in the PFC. In the female brain, the PFC is larger than the male's, receives more blood flow, and develops earlier than in the male brain. Some researchers would say that the earlier the development of the PFC makes the child more mature or gives them the capability of higher level thinking than other children. Moreover, with girls/women have larger PFCs that are replenished with more blood flow (and thus more oxygen) some would say that women tend to use this area more often and provides them with skills of being expert multi-taskers, super human planners, verbal problem solvers, and being (over-) analytical.
Doesn't really matter who's is bigger, but what does matter is that each PFC is given the ability to develop and blossom the best it can. Just like there are wonderful ways to nurture early brain development, there are certain things to help in the healthy development of the adolescent brain, specifically focusing on the PFC. My top three ways are:
1) Brains need water, so put a bottle of water in front of the adolescent every chance you get. Stick one in their closet, backpack, under their bed, next to their soda, by their computer, in their car. They should always be thinking W A T E R to help them think and to help their changing bodies grow.
2) Brains need sleep. The quick and dirty fact about teens and sleep is that they are probably not getting enough. Their sleep cycle changes with puberty in so that they literally do not start feeling sleepy until later at night. But with the need to get up early for school, their brains (and bodies) are not getting the rest they need. Let the kid sleep in the car, take a short nap in the afternoon, sleep a couple of hours later on the weekend, or take "zone time" just to sit with eyes closed and do nothing.
3) Brains need diverse stimulation. Again, the quick summary on this one is that the healthy development of a brain area is dependent on it getting used. If the brain is bombarded with only one kind (or a few kinds) of stimulation (i.e. video games) then that is what they will become an expert at. Now this is not all bad. Any skilled professional from carpenters to pianists, sports stars to authors & actors, will tell you that practice is what made them good. But the more "well-rounded" the stimulation the better the brain will grow "all-around" and develop in healthy ways. So give your kid some time on the video game, but then kick her outside to throw the ball around. Tell him to put down his tuba and try a few dance steps. Let them sing as long as it is followed with reading time.
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