Brain Development

Just minutes ago I arrived back to my dorm room from a brain development presentation at Decorah Middles School. I left feeling like a child all over again. All this talk about proper brain development, makes me feel like I have no right to choose anything for myself until I am 25 or 30 years of age. Hopefully by then, I will have already started a career and a family and will be fully aware of the responsibilities I have as both a professional and a father and husband. I know how important it will be for me as a father to make sure my children are studious, show good manners, and all that good stuff, and I know that this all starts at a young age. But brain development isn't just learning from lecture or schooling. Brain development comes from all around, every day things. As a father I can start reading to my kids before bedtime, tell them to always say their please and thank yous, give them "talks" about what is right and what is wrong... but at the end of the day they are going to make their own decisions... Now I'm sure I don't completely understand what it's like to be protective parent yet, but I know that all this talk about the destruction of the brain and its development these days is making me sick... This past year I have heard nothing but negative things about what current college and high school students are doing to their bodies. Was our parents' generation any different, maybe worse? I believe so... I think that an essential part of brain development is learning from your mistakes and about what you do both academically and socially. I think that the parents that try to stay more informed about the harmful things that kids are doing, are creating more issues. And now, these parents that engaged in very similar activities at our age (and younger due to legalities) think they know exactly what is best, and are causing this web of protection that is leading to this new batch of spoiled rotten children. If anything, this is more threatening to a child's development than abusing their livers with alcohol every weekend. Our parents were allowed to drink at age 18, and they turned out more than fine. Families in Finland, Sweden, and Germany allow their children to have a glass of wine at each meal, and really have no drinking age... and by the way, produce way smarter people. But now, these very same parents are stripping basic responsibilities from children who need to engage in activity and chores. How can we expect our kids to survive in college and out on their own if they've never vacuumed or done their own laundry? I swear, the more informed we become about brain development, the worse our brain develops. We begin to notice all these dangers to brain development, so we try to avoid them... which is stupid. What do you think this lack of involvement is going to do? Make us smarter? Doubtful. Concussions happen... Drinking happens... Children that make it over that second "hump" of development (14-16 years old) are becoming adults. They are going to make their own mature (sometimes not so mature) decisions. Just because your 20 year old son drinks every weekend, does not mean he doesn't do his studying and perform well in classes. An essential part of brain development is learning from any kind mistakes. I burnt my finger on a car lighter once, so now I know it's hot, and I won't ever do it again. DEVELOPMENT! Parents are keeping their kids from playing sports because of this possibility of concussions/death: they say it hurts brain development. And now we face this national problem of obesity... and the same exact mom that pulled their child out of the soccer and football leagues because he hurt his head is wondering how her son got so fat and lazy... Playing sports, and having fun with other children is also essential for a child's social and emotional development. How can we expect our children to make friends if we are so worried about them playing and getting hurt? Pulling them out of social opportunities is a huge threat to brain development. I say when it comes to brain development, there are more threatening issues than drinking and concussions.. Although dangerous, we have bigger problems on our hands. Supporting your children is the most important thing you can do as a parent and for your kid's development. So quit worrying about everyone else's children, and focus on your children becoming the best they can be... into someone you are proud of not because of what they do (whether we agree with it or not), but what they become.