Teenage brain not fully formed? What do you think?

[staceyobu]

I was watching Dr. Phil a few days ago (not sure why because I really hate about 95% of the advice he gives). Anyways, he had a 16 year old pregnant girl on the show and was basically saying she HAD to give the baby up for adoption because it is impossible for a teenager to take care of a baby because their brain is not fully developed until they are around 22.

 

Then, I saw a Christian article on dealing with teenagers and how to communicate effectively when their brains aren't finished developing and how parents really need to take into account that their children aren't functioning with full brain capacity yet.

 

Now, I don't have teenagers... but I see some teenagers at church who take care of a parcel of younger siblings and can effectively run their homes in their middle to late teens. I know that I led a team of high school students overseas at 19 years old. I would guess that in other cultures a 16 year old would be viewed as a woman and no one would question her ability to raise a child.

 

So, is this just some made up thing to act like teenagers can't be responsible? Or is it valid? Obviously, I probably make different experiences at 30 than I did at 20... but I feel a lot of that is just having ten extra years of lifetime experience. What do you think???

[LidiyaDawn]

I was watching Dr. Phil a few days ago (not sure why because I really hate about 95% of the advice he gives). Anyways, he had a 16 year old pregnant girl on the show and was basically saying she HAD to give the baby up for adoption because it is impossible for a teenager to take care of a baby because their brain is not fully developed until they are around 22.

 

 

I don't know anything about the science/etc with respect to teenage brain development, but you've reminded me why I don't watch that show. :glare:

[Jean in Newcastle]

It is documented fact that teen age brains are still developing esp. in the part that makes decisions. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/ (there are tons more information out there if you google. I just chose the first one to post!) So yes, a teen can do child care and housework and work outside the home. But they don't always make the best long term decisions or make consistently good decisions because their brains still are developing.

 

Most cultures where teens are adults (either currently or in our past) are cultures where multiple generations are all interacting together. So there is a safety net with the older generation being there to help.

[Truscifi]

Various studies of brain development and activity have shown that there is significant difference between the way a teenage brain vs an adult brain functions. That said, as a teenager I was perfectly capable of taking of younger children and keeping house at least in the sense of cooking and cleaning. I think the difference is more in terms of decision making abilities - a given brain is supposed to be more rational and less ruled by emotions at 30 than at 16. That is my limited understanding based on articles I have read on the subject, anyway.

[goldberry]

It is documented fact that teen age brains are still developing esp. in the part that makes decisions. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/ (there are tons more information out there if you google. I just chose the first one to post!) So yes, a teen can do child care and housework and work outside the home. But they don't always make the best long term decisions or make consistently good decisions because their brains still are developing.

 

Most cultures where teens are adults (either currently or in our past) are cultures where multiple generations are all interacting together. So there is a safety net with the older generation being there to help.

 

That is an excellent point! There is a book I read about the brain issue that explains it more and is a great book...

 

http://www.amazon.com/WHY-They-Act-That-Way/dp/0743260775

 

One point that I really liked from that book was how teen brains are terrible at reading emotion in others. This is why you may be perfectly calm, but they say "why are you yelling at me? you are always yelling at me!" ???? It said in a test the average teen reads emotion correctly only about 50% of the time. And the part of their brain they are using for that is different than the part of the brain an adult uses.

 

The science absolutely backs up that their brains are not fully developed yet. I remember reading that in old Jewish society, the age of adulthood was 30. I think they were ahead of the game!

[TechWife]

Here's a fact sheet on teen brain development from NIMI, information current as of 9/2010.

[Carol in Cal.]

I think that their brains are not fully developed (and that that explains so much!) but also that they can be good parents and responsible people. That is not to say that they wouldn't be BETTER at that later on, but with intentional teaching and observation they can do this well. The thing is, really, we don't raise our children generally with the expectation that they will take on adult responsibilities so soon. I remember friends who were told their whole lives that they had to leave home and fend for themselves at 18, and how much thought they gave to how they would do so. That changed so much about how they approached their teenage years. On the one hand, they didn't really figure on going to college except as a very long shot if they got huge scholarships. They figured they had to get a job as soon as they turned 18, and support themselves from then on, so they didn't apply themselves in school as much as they could have but they also looked for after school jobs and summer work harder than others did so that they could save up. They also assumed that they would never really be affluent, so they might as well enjoy their teenage years on the assumption that they would never have any fun again. They were NOT looking forward to being on their own.

 

Those of us who figured on at least some parental support in the college years tended to work harder in school, seek employment less, assume we would be reasonably affluent eventually, feel a strong need to stay on track to get into a good college, and look forward to being on our own after that when we were well-prepared.

 

Given all this, I think that raising kids to assume that they can and will be responsible for families in their early teens is possible but that it's not a given that every teen would be able to take on that responsibility as mostly they are not raised to that expectation anymore in this country.

[Mejane]

I don't agree that no 16yo is able to care for a child, but I do agree that teen brains are not fully developed. Studies back that up, and I have two teens who corroborate it on a daily basis. ;)

Edited January 20, 2011 by Mejane

[LibraryLover]

I didn't see the show, but are you asking about brain imaging research? That's a solid field of neurology, not magic. From a scientific and cognitive standpoint, it's a fact that the brain grows and changes with age, and it does so throughout life.

[FaithManor]

I agree with Jean...I think there is a vast difference in the abilities of a teen working within the context of continued multi-generational influence and guidance than the teens of our culture.

 

I also think we just can't make generalities. I'm pretty certain that when my mom took over the run of her household, at age 16 because her dad died and her mother emotionally crashed for many months, her brain "grew-up" real quick! I think that teens can be put in circumstances that can affect their brain development both positively and negatively - ie. hurry up or delay frontal lobe maturity.

 

Faith

[Hannah C.]

The teenage brain is not fully formed. Specifically, the decision-making part of the brain is not yet completely formed, so teenagers are more likely to do stupid things.

 

That being said, I think that while most teenagers are more likely to do stupid things than, say, a 30 year old, I also think that the likelihood that individual teenagers will do stupid things varies a *LOT* from teen to teen. So it's not something that can be painted with a broad brush. One needs to evaluate individual teens based on what they've shown their maturity to be. :)

[justamouse]

I have a 20 yo who is a nightmare, I have a 16 yo who could run her own household. BUT the 16 yo STILL has problems seeing far into the future and just her lack of life experience makes making those long term decisions hard. So she needs adults to lean on-and she accepts and respects that.

 

I agree with Jean. :001_smile:

[dirty ethel rackham]

I agree with Jean...I think there is a vast difference in the abilities of a teen working within the context of continued multi-generational influence and guidance than the teens of our culture.

 

I also think we just can't make generalities. I'm pretty certain that when my mom took over the run of her household, at age 16 because her dad died and her mother emotionally crashed for many months, her brain "grew-up" real quick! I think that teens can be put in circumstances that can affect their brain development both positively and negatively - ie. hurry up or delay frontal lobe maturity.

 

Faith

 

While there is science to back up the claim that their brains are still developing, there is something to be said for the nurture part of the equation. In an age where teens have very little real-life responsibility, we have extended their adolescence into their twenties. I believe that this influences the rate of development of the decision-making areas of their brains. No scientific evidence here to cite here, just pondering the fact that teens in different eras were often running households, businesses and raising families in their late teens and were successful at it. In parts of the world where children have to take on responsibility at young ages, do we really see this disconnect?

[myfunnybunch]

There is some validity to the idea that teen brains have not fully matured, and that some of our decision-making capacities do not fully form until the mid-twenties.

 

That's no excuse for poor judgement or bad behavior; it does explain why many teens make poor choices despite their better judgement and teaching.

 

The idea that teens cannot be good mothers is cultural. Teens have been successful and loving mothers for generations and in many cultures. I am not condoning premarital sex, and it is true that in our culture teens typically aren't in the kind of stable life situation (married, financially stable) that would be ideal for raising a child. But that doesn't mean that a teen will automatically not be a good mother. I've known teens who were absolutely loving responsible mothers focused on creating the best life for themselves and their babies.

 

Cat

[Renee in NC]

While there is science to back up the claim that their brains are still developing, there is something to be said for the nurture part of the equation. In an age where teens have very little real-life responsibility, we have extended their adolescence into their twenties. I believe that this influences the rate of development of the decision-making areas of their brains. No scientific evidence here to cite here, just pondering the fact that teens in different eras were often running households, businesses and raising families in their late teens and were successful at it. In parts of the world where children have to take on responsibility at young ages, do we really see this disconnect?

 

:iagree:

[elegantlion]

I don't agree that no 16yo is unable to care for a child, but I do agree that teen brains are not fully developed. Studies back that up, and I have two teens who corroborate it on a daily basis. ;)

 

:iagree: 1 teenager here.

[Remudamom]

I have a now 17 yr old that started college at 16 and has never been silly or irresponsible. She makes me behave. (Maybe that's the problem???) She makes good decisions.

 

Now the triplets on the other hand, although wonderful, fantastic children, sometimes I wonder just what the hell they were thinking when they did this or that. They are 16.

[Haiku]

So, is this just some made up thing to act like teenagers can't be responsible?

 

Yup. It's all about expectations, societal and parental. I have mentioned this so often that at least one person here will run screaming from her computer when she reads it yet again, but my great-grandmother married at 13. Her husband ran a general store as well as being the postmaster. By the time she was 17, my great-grandmother had given birth two three kids (one died in infancy), and when my great-grandfather was at his postal job, my great-grandmother looked after the children, ran the store, and took care of the home (back in the day when you had to keep the wood stove burning).

 

Tara

[LizzyBee]

Articles and advice like this really annoy me. Yes, teenagers are immature. But in most cases, they are capable of far more than we give them credit for. When I was 18, I was married. I was perfectly capable of cleaning house, cooking, grocery shopping on a budget, clothing shopping on a budget, paying bills, and whatever else needed to be done. I didn't use a credit card or otherwise incur debt that we couldn't pay.

 

My just-turned 17 yo is also perfectly capable of running a household. I hope she finishes college before she gets married and has children, but she is smart, level-headed, and mature for a 17 yo. As soon as she turns 18, dh and I are going to make her the legal guardian of our younger children in the event that something happens to both of us.

[Scarlett]

I was watching Dr. Phil a few days ago (not sure why because I really hate about 95% of the advice he gives).

 

Really? I don't watch him....because his shows are basic re-runs of the same old same old issues.....but you really hate almost all of his advice? I think he has common sense advice on most issues.

 

FTR, I don't think a 16 year old girl is capable of raising a child on her own....she isn't even of legal age! But with her parents help I believe she could do it--I think it is cruel to make a teen give up her child.

 

And yes, I do believe it is documented that brains aren't 'grown' completely until around age 25.

[tex-mex]

I don't agree that no 16yo is unable to care for a child, but I do agree that teen brains are not fully developed. Studies back that up, and I have two teens who corroborate it on a daily basis. ;)

:iagree: Also one major reason car insurance rates for teens are sky high and stay that way (for males) up until age 25. LOL High risk behavior. Spoken as the mom of a 15 yr old. Aaaauuugh. ;)

[Peela]

In more traditional cultures girls often start having babies in their teens- but as Jean says, they are supported by multgenerations, which would tend to buffer the immaturity factor.

 

However, what Dr Phil is doing giving advice like that, I dont know (good for his ratings I presume). Its just arrogant that you can know what is best for someone else like that. She may have the support she needs already, or she may get it once she makes the decision to keep the baby. There are no hard and fast rules around what is right and wrong or even best in such circumstances.

[NanceXToo]

I agree that the brain isn't fully developed as a teen and that it can impact decision making skills and so on (which is why teen drivers scare the heck out of me lol). But I don't agree that it's impossible to care for a baby as a teen, that's such a generalization.

 

I had my oldest daughter when I was 18 and I cared for her just fine. Despite being kicked out of my house initially for refusing to get an abortion. I made some tough (but very good) decisions on my own that helped me be able to raise her to the best of my ability (including giving up my freedom and moving myself into a group home for pregnant and parenting teens with all its restrictions and rules, and doing all sorts of things to turn my life around while I was there, including getting my GED, my license, and going to business college followed by getting a job etc...)

 

Furthermore, said daughter turned out to have all sorts of developmental delays (which eventually was made clear to be some mild to moderate retardation) and I got her into early intervention and took her regularly to work with a teacher, a speech therapist, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist from babyhood through her preschool years, I was very affectionate with her and protective of her. I was a better mother then than some adult mothers I know are now.

 

Said daughter is now older than I was when I gave birth to her, and I still think I did a very good job taking care of her. Even back then.

[Danestress]

I think probably that's not the right way to think about it. My two year old had a perfect, beautiful 2 year old brain. My teen had a great teen brain - I don't think it was less formed than mine - it was amazingly better at SOME things than mine was. I have a pretty good 43 year old brain and I am pretty sure that means better judgment. My Mom's brain is 72 years old and it's not "more" formed than mine, but it's different.

 

I think a 16 year old's brain is different from a 30 year olds in ways that probably would compromise her ability to parent as well. But I can't think of a 16 year old who I know that has raised a child without the help of older people. My great grandmother was 16 or 17 when she had her first child, but her husband was older and her parents lived in town.

 

Most 16 year old's have no adequate means of supporting a child and a number of reasons when they might not be up to the task of raising a child with no assistance. But I don't think a 16 year old "has to" give up a child for adoption. I think if she has dependable help - parent, most likely - than she gets the benefit of those brains.

[Abigail4476]

I really don't care for Dr. Phil, BUT I would agree with him that teen brains aren't fully developed.

 

With a strong family support system, a teenager could raise a baby if she wanted to. However, without support, it would be difficult if not impossible to do it successfully or without a lot of obstacles to overcome.

 

Were there other issues that led him to believe she couldn't handle it, other than her age?

 

It can be a better decision for a 16 year old girl in our culture to let someone else with more means and ability raise the baby (for various reasons). That doesn't mean it can't or shouldn't be done by the teen mother. It's alright to make decisions that create hardship for yourself, as long as you are prepared to take on the challenge.