What’s going on in your teen’s brain – Part 3 (the emotional stuff)

In this month’s Maggie Moment, parenting author, educator, and host of The Good Enough Dad podcast, Maggie Dent, looks at ‘Your Teen’s Brain’ part 3 (the emotional stuff).

Maggie explores the changes that occur in the limbic brain, this is the emotional part of the brain. These limbic brain changes bring with them, big emotions and often drama, within friendship circles and with peers. It’s easy for teens to ‘flip their lid’ during this time and explode either verbally or physically, as they don’t yet have a fully developed prefrontal lobe.

As parents, carers, and educators we need to remember this emotional intensity is a normal part of the teenage growth and development journey. We can support our teens through this transition by talking with them about the changes they are experiencing, so they become more aware of how they are feeling in their body and where their stress level is at.

Maggie encourages us to be our teens coach – to explore options together for learning how to regulate big emotions, as they navigate this emotional whirlpool…

Help Me Help My Teen is a reassuring, practical guide for parents to help teenagers navigate adolescence and grow into confident, capable adults. Purchase here.