HOUSTON – Dawn Diamond has raised two teenagers and knows sometimes understanding how that young brain works, is exasperating.
"The best analogy I can give you is an alien ship comes down and takes my normal child and leaves me an alien and then in their early 20's, the ship returns and gives me back my children and I love them again," Diamond explained.
The teen brain is different. It's only 80 percent developed.
In a new book entitled 'The Teenage Brain,' Neuroscientist Dr. Frances Jensen explains the wiring in the frontal lobe is the last thing to come together.
"That happens in the late teens and early 20's for it to be fully online for fast access. What does the frontal lobe do? It does impulse control, empathy, judgement, executive function. These are the things the teen brain is weak on," Dr. Jensen said.
Dr. Jensen says the electrical wiring in the teen brain is still developing, leaving kids more vulnerable to depression, addiction and long term effects of concussions.
It may be vulnerable, but the teen brain is also powerful, and able to learn.
"The teen brains are better at that. They have more proteins and machinery for building synapses, so they can learn faster, stronger and longer than adults," Dr. Jensen added.
Dawn sees the light at the end of tunnel. Her son Eric is 22 and her 18 year old Maddie will mature faster, according to Dr. Jensen.
"Count to ten, try not to overreact.. And keep in mind, we were teens once too," Diamond recommended.
Parents have full frontal lobe development, so we can add what Dr. Jensen calls "frontal lobe assistance." Talk through situations with your teens, helping them to better understand causes and effects. And remember, teenagers need sleep. It's vital to help that teen brain develop.