Giving advice for the tough teen years  -A A +A By The Staff
“Adolescents cannot feel the future,” was the best take-home
message from Dr. Abagail Baird and the Teen Brain Symposium
sponsored by the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, earlier this
month.  Humor and insight were the order of the day as Baird
provided perspective into why teenagers do “stupid stuff.” The
truth is there are physical differences in the adolescent
decision making process, which make it unique.  The short answer
is that the portion of the brain called the frontal lobe hasn’t
fully developed yet.  “The frontal lobe can think about things
in the future you haven’t done,” Baird said. “Your brain gives
you constant information about things you haven’t experienced.”
As an adult, the brain automatically considers situations and
how they are either good or bad. When teenagers appear not to be
thinking about a decision, it is a actually just a longer
process.  The bad news is that sometimes a decision must be made
in a split second. For the