Understanding teenage brain development can help answer certain questions in your mind about the behavior of adolescents. Such questions as why are they prone to teenage drug abuse? And why do teenagers consume alcohol at an early age? Or perhaps even why do they lie about everything, steal, or become so moody and withdrawn?

The adolescent period can be a complex stage to comprehend. And understanding teenage brain development can aid you in making better sense of your teen’s behavior. There are also ways to help you cope with such challenging situations during the teenage years.

Teenage Brain Development

The development of a teenager’s brain is radically active and dynamic. It’s during this stage that the part of the brain that requires a person to make responsible decisions, understand consequences as well as process problem solving is undergoing heavy construction. The gray matter of the thinking part of the brain is still maturing. This leaves the information to be processed in the emotional part of the brain.

This can result to making decisions which are impulsive, egocentric and at times can trigger rather risky behavior, like drug use and drinking alcohol. Since the thinking part is under construction, teens are not always capable of making responsible decisions. With the brain development, maturity level, temperament and environment, you can understand that this time is a challenge for many teenagers as well as their parents.

How to Cope with Teenagers

Your knowledge of brain development of adolescents is vital in order to figure out how to interact with them. For your teen, this can be the emotional roller coaster phase of their life. And this can also be a challenging and nerve wracking point for you. For this reason, healthy communication as well as effective discipline is what your teen needs to get through this trying time.

Each interaction that you make with your teenager will have an impact on the development of their brain. This can aid your teen in making connections in the pre-frontal cortex. With your guidance, your teen can learn to be less impulsive and make more responsible decisions.

As you plan how to effectively interact with your adolescent, it’s vital to consider the personality of your child and what  parenting style will be most appropriate. This can help you to formulate balanced and effective techniques to deal with your child. Building responsibility through consistent rules and consequences is really important to help both you and your teen successfully navigate this difficult time.

The nature of an adolescent is complex as well as fascinating. It’s helpful to understand teenage brain development in order to give them your support during this stage. It’s during this phase in their lives that they need your listening ear and unconditional love.