Teenagers at times can be challenging to deal with because they can be impulsive and they think they have everything figured out. This may be their opinion, however, it is not the truth and the reason why they need assistance from their parents. I see this daily in my office when parents bring their teenagers in for psychotherapy.
While some feel that teenagers are driving people crazy on purpose, we need to remember they do not always act the way they do on purpose. Teenagers bodies and brains are still developing. This is a very important fact to remember. The prefrontal cortex of the brain is not fully developed in teenagers. This part of the brain is responsible for executive functioning. Executive functioning refers to the ability to reason, assess risk and make judgements. Therefore, since this part of their brains is not developed they are prone to being impulsive and risk taking. They never think anything bad will happen to them.
While the idea that teenagers are protected from harm is a nice idea, it is not reality. Teenagers are hurt daily and even die because of the choices they make. This is why they need their parents to talk to them about choices and consequences.
This brings us to the latest teenage fad. The latest fad is condom snorting. Yes, condom snorting. They snort the condom up their nose and then try to pull it out of their mouth. This is very dangerous. A teenager could choke, it can cause an infection or the teen may be allergic to the latex and cause an allergic reaction. These are some of the dangers. Since they are snorting the condom, if an infection occurs it could occur in the nasal cavity which is very close to the brain. Therefore, an infection in the nasal cavity could progress to the brain. This could be a deadly situation.
This new fad needs to be taken seriously. ABC 7 News recently did a story about this new fad. I have included a link to the news story so parents can get a complete understanding about this new fad http://abc7.com/3296850/ via @abc7. I encourage anyone who deals with teenagers to watch it so you understand the fad and the risks associated with it.
Parents remember as I stated above, teenagers do not have the mental capacity to adequately assess risks yet. Their bodies may look like an adult body and at times they may act and talk like adults, but they are not adults yet. Therefore, they are likely to jump before thinking about consequences. It is your job as parents to educate them and help them make appropriate choices.
In order to do this, you need to talk with them about choices that they may be facing. Lecturing does not help. If you lecture, the teenager tunes you out and doesn’t hear a word you are saying. If you take the approach that you want to talk with them and have a discussion, they are more likely to listen. It is very important that you discuss this fad with your teenager so they understand the risks they are taking. This approach will help you with other issues too.
Dr. Michael Rubino is a psychotherapist with over 20 years experience who specializes in treating teenagers and children. For more information regarding Dr. Rubino’s work or private practice visit his website www.RubinoCounseling.com or follow him on Twitter @RubinoTherapy.
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