“Understanding your adolescent begins here: teens feel misunderstood because parents expect them to stay the same, but adolescence is all about change.”
Is there any science that can explain teenage behavior? The Clarks explore this idea in Your Teenager is Not Crazy: Understanding Your Teen’s Brain Can Make You a Better Parent. Teenagers’ brains are rapidly changing and learning how to process feelings and information. Learning the biology of how teenagers are developing can help parents more readily understand and prepare for the teenage years.
I first heard about Your Teenager is Not Crazy: Understanding Your Teen’s Brain Can Make You a Better Parent while listening to a Focus on the Family broadcast where the authors were interviewed. The podcast was interesting and I immediately put the book on my to-read list and requested the audiobook from the library. It was available after waiting a few weeks.
I listened to everything but the appendixes for the book and found it very interesting. I don’t have teenagers yet, but this book definitely has me thinking about some different strategies to start implementing as they get close to being teenagers. One of the main suggestions is to continually ask questions to make them think and make connections, which will help their brains grow and mature. Each chapter is a phrase that a teenager would say from “I’m starving” to “I’m so bored.” Then, the authors delve into the science behind why the teenager is having trouble in that area, gives examples from their own experiences with their teenagers and gives tips that are easy to apply. The book also often gives suggestions from a faith-based Christian perspective.
I would highly recommend this book to parents of teenagers or tweens. I think even non-faith families will appreciate how much the book looks at the science of the teenage brain. I will probably buy this book and keep it on my reference shelf alongside The Grown-Ups Guide to Teenage Humans by Josh Shipp and The Teen’s Guide to Social Media by Jonathan McKee.
What is your biggest tip for helping parents of teenagers? Share on the blog!