What parents need to know about teens to better understand them

Adolescence - the most turbulent period of his life. At this time, the children than ever are in need of mentors, a good example to follow, support and, most importantly, in understanding.

Teenagers Parents can bring down confused. Responsible boys and girls suddenly become lightheaded or demonstrate mood swings. Judicious in the past, children sit in their cars or inexperienced drivers are at risk in some other way.

These changes can be explained thanks to new methods of studying the brain. Instead of comparing the results of observations for some years, scientists began to monitor youth development for many years.

Recent long-term studies are changing understanding of the role of parents in the lives of teenagers.

If before adolescence is perceived more as an independent stage, but now it is increasingly considered as a time of high emotional dependence of children from their parents.

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Recent data allow to distinguish four phases in the development of intellectual, social and emotional components of the adolescent's personality. Each phase corresponds to a certain age.

11-12 years

What's happening

In the midst of puberty there is a regression of basic skills of the child. At this time, slowing spatial learning and some types of thinking. the brain regions responsible for prospective memory (remembering what to do in the future) is not formed until the end. Therefore, a child can forget the errand, and, for example, to pass a note to the teacher before class.

What to do

Help fumes develop organizational skills. The daily routine can add landmarks: leave your backpack with sports form near doors or show your child how to set up notifications on your smartphone. You can use support tools such as Task Manager.

Teach your child the right to take solutions, Consider all the pros and cons to consider different points of view. Children who are 10-11 years to learn how to make difficult decisions, rarely worry, lose heart, are involved in fights, and also have less problems with friends in 12-13 years. This information lead authors of the studyJoshua A. Weller, Maxwell Moholy, Elaine Bossard, Irwin P. Levin.Preadolescent Decision-Making Competence Predicts Interpersonal Strengths and Difficulties: A 2-Year Prospective Study. Published in the edition of the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making.

Staying forgiving and helpful, parents can positively influence the formation of a child's brain.

Scientists from the University of Melbourne (Australia) comparedSarah Whittle, Julian G. Simmons, Meg Dennison, Nandita Vijayakumar, Orli Schwartz, Marie B. H. Yap, Lisa Sheeber, Nicholas B. Allen.Positive parenting predicts the development of adolescent brain structure: A longitudinal study. changes in the development of children, caused by two different approaches to parenting. During one part of the family conflicts observed mothers behaved patiently and kindly, and the other showed a tendency to irritation and disputes.

As a result, children of mothers loyal to 16 years have acquired increased resistance to anxiety and mood decadent with a high capacity for self-control.

13-14 years

What's happening

There comes a very emotional stage, parents should be prepared for this. Teens are sensitive to the opinions of peers and sensitive to them. Moreover, the ability to determine what actually think surrounding formed much later. Thus, in the teenage life there comes a difficult phase, filled with the reasons for the disorder.

Resistance to nervous tension is declining, which entails more tears, and emotional breakdowns.

Reaches a peak level of stress that cause relationships with other people.

Among adolescents with mental health problems caused stress50% is obtainedNikhil Swaminathan.Hormonal Reversal During Puberty Keeps Teens Totally Anxious. characteristic of the diagnosis up to 15 years.

Exclusion from social groups and other social factors are the hardest hit by the psyche in 11-15 years. At older ages, the effect weakens.

Most susceptible to nervous shock parts of the brain are still being formed. Therefore, at this stage developed strategies to deal with stress, according to latest figuresAaron S. Heller, B. J. Casey.The neurodynamics of emotion: delineating typical and atypical emotional processes during adolescence. Can be fixed as a protective mechanism for a lifetime.

What to do

Psychologists recommend to teach students techniques such complacency as meditation, advise them to appropriate physical exercise and music.

Help children to communicate with their peers, suggesting how to read other people's emotions and body language. Encourage choose friends not on popularity and interest. Advised to avoid enemies. Tell me how to improve relations after a row with the help of an apology, to correct mistakes, to seek compromises.

Remember family support - is a reliable defense against stress.

A recent studyGolan Shahar, Christopher C. Henrich.Perceived Family Social Support Buffers Against the Effects of Exposure to Rocket Attacks on Adolescent Depression, Aggression, and Severe Violence. , The friendly attitude of the parents, sympathy and help in solving problems to help children to recover from severe nervous shock.

15-16 years

What's happening

According toBarbara R. Braams, Anna C.K. van Duijvenvoorde, Jiska S. Peper, Eveline A. Crone.Longitudinal Changes in Adolescent Risk-Taking: A Comprehensive Study of Neural Responses to Rewards, Pubertal Development, and Risk-Taking Behavior. scientists from the University of Leiden (Netherlands), risk appetite in the years up to the limit. "Reward system" of the brain shows increased activity, strengthening the response to dopamine - a neurotransmitter responsible for the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction. As a result of growing thirst for thrills.

The feeling of fear temporarily dulled. Scientists believe that in this way nature makes teens to leave the old housing and create your own. At this age, a person adequately assess the risk, even if it warned of increased danger.

The ability to make friends and maintain good relations with them are particularly important at this stage.

Teens who have good friends, rarely at risk: they steal, engage in unprotected sex and ride with unskilled drivers. Those who often quarrels with the environment, are more prone to such behavior. This pattern confirms researchEva H. Telzer, Andrew J. Fuligni, Matthew D. Lieberman, Michelle E. Miernicki, Adriana Galván.The quality of adolescents' peer relationships modulates neural sensitivity to risk taking. Dr. Eva Telser (Eva Telzer) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA).

What to do

In permissive, responsive parents still have time to influence the situation. This study saysYang Qua, Andrew J. Fulignib, Adriana Galvanb, Eva H. Telzer.Buffering effect of positive parent-child relationships on adolescent risk taking: A longitudinal neuroimaging investigation. Published in the Journal of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. Teens that have a good relationship with family, responsible for the attraction to risk area of ​​the brain to 15 years were less active. The same situation prevailed, and 18 months later.

To establish a close relationship with the child, you show respect to him, participate in decision issuesAvoid yelling and disputes.

17-18 years

What's happening

The flexibility of the brain is best manifested in the current stage. It is growing rapidly IQ. Moreover, according to a joint researchAngela M. Brant, Yuko Munakata, Dorret I. Boomsma, John C. DeFries, Claire M. A. Haworth, Matthew C. Keller, Nicholas G. Martin, Matthew McGue, Stephen A. Petrill, Robert Plomin, Sally J. Wadsworth, Margaret J. Wright, John K. Hewitt.The nature and nurture of high IQ: An extended sensitive period for intellectual development. Pennsylvania State University and the University of Colorado at Boulder (USA), the most advanced at this point children are often pulled forward even more to the intellectual development.

Areas of the prefrontal cortex, responsible for judgment and decision-making at this age are usually sufficient formed to control emotions and craving for risk.

At the same time, according toSophie J. Taylor, Lynne A. Barker, Lisa Heavey, Sue McHale.The longitudinal development of social and executive functions in late adolescence and early adulthood. University of Sheffield Hollema (England), the development of executive functions, such as problem-solving and strategic planning, lasts up to 20 years.

According to the researchers from University College London (England), social skills and the corresponding area of ​​the brain at this stage and has not generated until the end.

As a result, young people are beginning to better understand what they feel and show empathy when others. But the motives and attitudes of people in different situations (such as the abrupt change of subject), are still not entirely clear.

What to do

Give your child understand that you are always ready to help him understand the difficult situation or an ambiguous man.