Adolescent Behaviours Deconstructed

This deconstruction of adolescent behaviour came about  with a significant, life altering, heart-affecting, home-messing, junk-bingeing change in my life. Last week my Teenager returned home from boarding school for her winter break.

Why don’t they listen? Don’t they know better? Where were they when God was handing out wisdom? I know the answer to the last one- texting, skypeing, sleeping, daydreaming- take your pick. Exasperation. Face palm. Maybe the latter is the answer. How u ask? It is the part of the brain that lies behind the forehead that is instrumental in tying your actions and consequences together.

Maybe that face palm might activate it…Unfortunately this pre-frontal cortex of the brain does not fully develop until late in the teen years or the early 20s for some. This explains why teens are sometimes incapable of realising the far-ranging effects of their behaviour.

A car is going to perform as well as the fuel put into it. This age group needs premium quality fuel every time they are tanked up.  Left to their own devices, you cannot be sure of how intelligent a choice they will make especially as they are not biologically designed to make sound decisions at this age. Leading to bingeing on junk food like burgers, pizza, chips, cold drinks. Thus parents have to step in to ensure good nutrition.

Consumerism is the order of the day. So parents, get set to “sell” the concept of nutrition to these stubborn teens.                                                                       

For Girls- 2-3  fruits a day will keep the pimples at bay. Walnuts will help cope with periods ( it keeps the crabbiness at bay) Eating healthy fats will give you long lustrous eyelashes thus doing away the need for mascara.  For Boys –  eat the paneer for rippling muscles, drink coconut water to combat body odour so that its not a matter of life and death if you forgot to apply deodorant! Innovation is of prime importance when dealing with…brick walls!

More on adolescents when mine goes back!