Teen Brains
I’ve got some news that may surprise you. Most of us learned that the first three years of a child’s life are critical in brain development. Maybe you bought some music by Mozart or Beethoven for your baby. Or you bought special toys to help your child learn, grow and develop. Well, guess what? You may need to do the same for your rebellious teenager. We’re discovering that it’s not just a hormonal thing that affects teen behavior.
If you think your teenager’s brain is an adult brain, it isn’t. The frontal cortex is developing. Without the neural structure in place, adolescents can’t think things through like adults. Reasoning and judgment are still developing well into the early to mid 20s. Teens may be physically mature, but not emotionally. Alan Delamater, a professor of pediatrics and psychology at the University of Miami’s Center for Child Development says, “They may have an adult-like body, but inside these teenagers are kids.”
According to a study reported by Dr. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore at the University College London, the adolescent brain undergoes massive changes and does not reach maturity until the later years. Refer to the BBC News article, Seeing the Teenager in the Brain. In Teens’ Brains Key to Their Impulsiveness, Dr. Laurence Steinberg says, the teenage brain is like a car with a good accelerator but a weak brake.
The good news is that teenage brains are pliable. Brain research points out that it’s important to lay the right neural pathways during the teen years in “exercising” teenage brains by developing good habits such as studying and exploring, art, music, and sports -– being active instead of passive.
So where does EFT come into play for you? Well, it would be great if your teen embraced EFT and used it for relieving issues at home and school. More than likely though, your teenager will rebel against the suggestion. So the best use of EFT is for yourself. Tap away. Mix a good dose of EFT and patience in dealing with frustrations from your teenager at home. After all, whether they’re three years old or thirteen, blame it on their developing brains.
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