[radiohead]

My FReeper son was pretty good, other than some physical damage from playing ball in the house or something. I wondered what I would do if he suddenly went wild, but it never happened.

My sisters, on the other hand, whew! Glad I was old enough to be out of the house.

[Captainpaintball]

I cannot believe that my darling, sweet little girl has turned into a 16-year-old stranger who just wants money from me all the time."

Then do not give her ANY money.

[fr_freak]

I’m convinced that one of the biggest mistakes our society ever made was stratifying in terms of age groups. Where, once upon a time, teenage sons might work with their dads out in the fields or in the shop, we now have kids warehoused in public schools, organizing their own society along the lines of “Lord of the Flies” and having very little to do with the parental or grandparental generations. Then we act all shocked and confused when their greatest influences are other teens and the stupid shows on MTV, and the resulting behavior is incomprehensibly heinous.

[Captainpaintball]

"When a child turns 12, he should be kept in a barrel and fed through the bung hole, until he reaches 16…at which time you plug the bung hole."

Thanks to Watching Beavis and Butthead when I was younger, this sentence put an awful image in my head, at first, before I put two and two together.

[re_tail20]

“It’s no surprise, then, that previous research has shown that up to 20% of high-schoolers fall asleep during the first two hours of school. According to a study done by Kyla Wahlstrom at the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement at the University of Minnesota, later start times for high school students would be beneficial. Wahlstrom collected data from two districts in Minnesota that moved the start time for high school about an hour later; there was a significant reduction in dropout rates and depression.”

So it would be a good idea for high schools, and maybe colleges and universities, to have days’ classes begin at 9:00 AM instead of 8:00 AM. I’d be for that.

[1951Boomer]

The only thing more insufferable than a teenager who thinks he knows everything is a college kid who thinks he knows everything. But I guess many of us oldsters have been there, done that.

[ladyvet]

This is still one of the best pieces ever written about teens. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1996/03/28/DD54240.DTL

[behzinlea]

So it is, too, with tragedies like Columbine. "There have always been adolescents who feel enraged, who want to get even, who feel ostracized. The adolescent brain is less able to control those stresses," says Daniel Weinberger of the National Institute of Mental Health. "The difference is that while 50 years ago there might have been punches thrown, now there are automatic weapons. You put one of those in the hands of an immature prefrontal cortex, and it is more likely to go off."

Interesting article. The insight concerning the impulsiveness of an immature brain makes sense. The gratuitous anti-gun BS interwoven into this particular example does not. The liberal knob offering it seems to be suggesting that 50 years ago, gun possession and use by teenagers were rare, and that the "proliferation" of guns in recent years has led teenagers to commit Columbine-type crimes. If anything, gun possession and use by teenagers was far more common 50 years ago. Columbine did not result from a proliferation of guns. In fact, it happened at a time when the gun control forces were in their heyday.

Columbine is better explained as a consequence of modern psychotropic drugs on the teenage brain--drugs prescribed by physicians not unlike the doctor quoted in the article.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Interesting article: has our Vanya written all over it.

[mykdsmom]

As a mother who has been having a LOT of trouble with my almost 16 year old son for a year now I read this in last Sundays paper and could definitely relate to it.

I've read more books about teens and their troubles in the past 6 months than I can imagine but the one I'm reading right now called: Why Do They Act That Way? A survival guide to the Adolescent brain for you and your teen by David Walsh Ph.D is one of the best.

[Calm_Cool_and_Elected]

ping

[Happy Rain]

I remember an old Far Side cartoon showing cavemen throwing teenagers off a cliff.
In the foreground a lone caveman is scratching on a flat piece of rock with a stick.

The caption and my memory only allows me to paraphrase was:

“Og,the first statistician,came to the unfortunate conclusion that throwing teenagers of a cliff may be counterproductive to human survival.”

[anniegetyourgun]

Couldn’t be prouder of our son - the only time he has ever asked for money was to have painful wisdom teeth removed when he was 20. Daughter...a bit more dependent, but younger & always grateful.

[Fast Moving Angel]

My bro-in-law had the right idea. Lunar juvenile colonies.

[momtothree]

My oldest is 14 so I am just beginning this journey. I talk and talk and talk and talk... I find it keeps me informed with his responses. As for parties, that issue has already come up and I was SHOCKED that many of the parties “allow” alcohol” by the parents (or they pretend to ignore it if it shows up). One of my proudest moments recently was when he decided NOT to go to three party invites over the Thanksgiving holiday. He found out there would be alcohol/pot and chose to stay home. I hope he stays this clear and mature.

[cycle of discernment]

Although there is evidence of the rate of brain development stuff, this article sounds like a lot excuse analysis. How did teens cope for the last 5000 years?

I’ll tell you. They were given NO CHOICE.

Families and cultures demanded discipline and contribution to family chores—or else.

Somehow teens just had to bang through all that and not wig out.

I hated this mincing article.

[ClearBlueSky]

I’ve always thought that kids should be born with ‘off/sleep’ buttons. You enjoy them little, turn them to ‘sleep mode’ from 12-18, then wake-em up and see what you have. During sleep mode they could be fed intraveneously( or let-em wake up long enough for one huge meal daily) and educated by sleep-tapes.
That or some kinda ‘happy’ additive to teen food.

[Twinkie]

People in general spoil the snot out of their kids and grandkids, because in their minds, they deem them so CUTE. Then when they get into the toddler stage, they become loud, screaming tyrants holding everyone in the family (including extended family) hostage. We have some family members who put on videos of their kid while we’re already watching them play in the floor in front of the screen. So, we get to watch the admittedly cute kid playing onscreen AND in person for hours at almost every family gathering. Whew! - I wouldn’t doubt that Ritalin will be used later on in order to try to alleviate the temper tantrums. I hope it gets straightened out, but I just keep mum and try to keep the peace. - Sigh . . .

[Irish Queen]

My Grandmother Ruby was born in 1884. She told me that back then there were no teenagers. Girls and boy were children until around fifteen years of age. Then they were expected to be grownups. She said teenagers were a more modern invention. The first time she heard of a young person being called a teenager was in the 1920’s. She graduated at age 16 the top in her class of five scholars in Pleasanton, Kansas. Her husband, my Grandfather Frank, graduated the next year at the old age of 17. They married when they were 18 years old. Her mother made her afternoon lavender gown. She told me that white wedding gowns had not been invented yet. Grandfather worked as a bank teller. Their first home was two rooms about her Papa’s mercandile.

[ottbmare]

My daughter turned into a psychotic monster from 15 to 17. I wasn’t sure whether to kill myself or her or both. I thought about taking out a seller’s account on Ebay and selling her to some Arab sheikh, but didn’t do so only because I knew I’d get bad feedback when the sheikh realized what a pain in the tuchus she was. Then at 17 she started to return to the lovely, sweet person she had been from 0 to 14.9. Now she is 22 and a real joy once again. We survived!

My son is 16, and while he was a miniature Godzilla from birth through age 8, he is very sweet, funny, and easy to live with. We rarely have a problem. Any arguments we have blow over in 2 minutes. Everyone loves this kid.