Hollywood Bodies with Black Lagoon Brains

             Recently I read a fabulous tidbit through FB, something about being a “sixty-and counting teen-ager.” Words to the effect: “At last, I have a driver’s license, a car, and no curfew. I can do pretty much whatever I want to do. I’m In Charge of Myself.”

             That reminds me of the time my older son experienced a heaping serving of “teen-age angst.” He was at the mercy of his father who ran late most of the time and drove the vehicle we allowed son to operate. While I wanted to strangle hubby myself, I was giving solidarity my best shot. Son yelled, “I just want to be in charge of my own life!”

            “So do I,” was my thought.

              This morning’s ArkDemGaz carries an article about the teen-age brain. The brain that yearns to make repeatedly bad choices and the body that wants to dress like a cover-model gets up every morning to face another day where up is down and vice-versa. Yes, there is a brain under that mop of disheveled glory. The ArkDemGaz expose’ skims the surface of the issue.

              Years ago, Time magazine carried an entire section entitled The Brain. We, in education, studied that article and conducted primary research, living hour-by-hour with these so-called “young adults.” What we found was nothing akin to “adult” in the teen-age brain.

            These goof-balls sport around in bodies that betray them. The bodies are far more adult-like than the brain. When teachers and parents glance at these teens, they see an adult body in fine form, but what lurks inside is dangerous. These hunks and hunkettes are impulsive, taking risks that defy logic. They spout off at the mouth, drive too fast, stay up too late, and make bad decisions on a regular basis. In fact, what we learned, and what I emblazoned onto a sticky-note is this: “Adolescence is a stage of Childhood.”

                There it is – in a nutshell. Teens are still children. Some delightful youth-monsters do have a genetic pre-disposition for early-onset-adulthood, but they will fool you from time to time. They won’t be grown, really, until they are close to 25 years old.

               Blame it on GMO or Rio, Monsanto, beauty pageants, video games, or selfie sticks, our teenagers are not as mentally mature as we were at their age. Their bodies are straight out of Hollywood, but their brains are somewhere in the Black Lagoon. The young person’s stature is on fast-forward while the brain is still in slow-mo. That makes for a risky combination.

             The article in this morning’s paper is worth reading, but it only skims the surface. Conduct your own research and be grateful that you are a teenager with good sense.