Ever noticed how impulsive, risky, and (let’s face it) kind of dumb teenagers can be sometimes? Yeah, so have we.
Many parents and teachers have incorrectly thought that teenagers’ poor decisions are based on an inability to properly think through consequences due to their not-quite-developed brains.
Makes sense, right? They can’t see how their actions will lead to something dangerous, so our response as parents is to go out of our way to tell them to “stop and think” before they act.
But the problem is teens spend too much time thinking and rationalizing their actions.
Teens don’t feel invincible and actually estimate the chances of something bad happening to them as greater than they actually are. But they will rationalize making poor choices “in the moment” rather than just using decision-making skills that experienced adults use more often to more consistently make good decisions.
If you want to learn more about this, we highly recommend the book (or audiobook) “Born to Be Wild: Why Teens Take Risks and How We Can Keep Them Safe.”
This book is incredible. Grab a copy.