Drama Kings/Queens...

[PinkLight]

I thought I'd pass on this from Dr. Amen's newsletter since I've seen so many posts on this or related topics. I also thought it would give many moms hope that this too shall pass.

The Reason Behind All That Teenage Drama

On the day your baby makes his or her entrance into the world, your little bundle of joy already has one hundred billion brain cells. Between the ages of three and 10, your child's brain is twice as active as your adult brain.

And when your child hits adolescence, well, you might think their brain has gone haywire. All of a sudden, your sweet, loving child has become a door-slamming, foot-stomping, screaming, crying bundle of emotional turmoil.

Scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health have been studying the brain to find out why. In a study appearing in Biological Psychiatry, they used MRI imaging to study the amygdala, the major emotional center in the brain. What they found is that the teenage and adult amygdala are vastly different.

In younger brains, there is much more plasticity, and sensory information is delivered directly to the amygdala without being filtered through the cortex. In adults, information passes through the cortex first, which effectively mitigates the emotional impact.

Recognize that your teenager's brain is more vulnerable to life's twists and turns and that when they seem to be acting like drama queens, they aren't acting. That is the way their brains perceive things.

In addition, remember that the brains of 18-year-olds are far from finished. In fact, the PFC, that's the CEO of the brain, which controls forethought, judgment, impulse control, organization, and the ability to learn from mistakes continues developing until the age of 25.

Keep young, developing brains healthy.

If you're having trouble with the teens in your home, try my Dealing with Difficult Teenagers CD. Giving teens a daily fish oil supplement, such as NeurOmega, can also be helpful