Teens, WTF are they thinking?

[squirrel]

I drove my 55 chevy to drag week, no trailer...I'm kinda thinking I'm still a teenager as far as brain development. Sure, I understand there is risk, but the "reward" is so much greater.

What was the reward? ummmm....nothing, as far as I know

[pdub]

Well.....when you look at the backward-hat baggy pants kids doing (or trying) some amazing stunts on skateboards on the videos that are available to us all....such as sliding a skateboard down a stairway handrail sideways.

That's really impressive when it works on video, but how many times did thay have to try that before they got it right?

Busting your testicles into useless pieces and being in the hospital for a few weeks after trying to impress a high school girl who's probably no smarter than you... that doesn't make sense to me, because I'm so old. I just don't get it. I really don't. And I don't want to sound like Stude here, but I really really don't get it. And I'm sure it's because I just don't understand, due to the generation gap.

[DirtyWhiteBoy]

I remember what I was thinking as a teen. I was chasing girls, working out, and working in my dad's shop. I disagree about teens not being able understanding about consequences. I learned at a young age to think, what will dad do (to me) if I get caught doing this. It sucked at the time, but I know he might have saved me from myself. He still catches hell for busting my chops for doing stuff he did. LOL

Back on topic, in the mid 90's I caught a group of H.S. wrestlers playing this game in the practice room before practice. I sent them all home and told them it would be a permanent dismissal if I caught them, or heard of it again.

[SuperBuickGuy]

when I was in high school (went to boarding school) a friend of mine was into all the inhalents and other "legal" stuff to get high. His most memorable mind-altering experience was when another friend decided he was going to make Kiwi wine... by putting peeled kiwis in a mason jar on his windowsill for 6 weeks. To say the smell was horrendous when the jar was opened would be the grossest of understatements. An entire wing of the dorm (600 foot, 3 story) reeked for 2 weeks just from the 10 or so minutes it was open... the 1st friend drank it. To the best of my knowledge he survives to this day designing Boeing jets.

worries me everytime I fly.

[pdub]

The latest National Geographic has an intereseting article about teenage brains....something about how if they survive those years, the risky behavoir helps kids adapt to their new life away from home. Some time in your mid 20s, your brain finishes developing, until then life is a fun, dangerous thing that you just have to try to get the most out of. Sucks being a parent, though.

That's absolutely on-target from all I have read and what I think I have learned on the subject. ...That the human brain takes about 30 years to develop fully. And one of the symptoms of a not-developed brain is the inability to recognize the difference between a risk and a thrill. The risk factor of the brain calculation doesn't even exist until about the age of 30. And to me, that explains a lot, a lot about how I (and we all) behaved growing up. That alone just explains a lot.

And there's another thing, not really related. But sort of. I had brain surgery at the age of 14 due to a blood clot resulting from a skull fracture. The oddest incident you'd ever hear of, but the good doctor patched the hole with a fiberglass plate. But they had to take out more skull than the original piece of skull they cut, so the skull piece woudn't fit .. See there Stude? - You were closer to right that anybody thought - brain damage!

Anyhow, I was concerned as a kid when I woke up from the surgery - what about when my head grows?

Well, a human's head is as big as it's gonna get at about 6 or 8 years of age. The good doctor pointed out, look at little kids. Their head is a wide as their shoulders. It's grown. The rest of their body has to grow to match the head.

Long story, but interesting...

[squirrel]

The latest National Geographic has an intereseting article about teenage brains....something about how if they survive those years, the risky behavoir helps kids adapt to their new life away from home. Some time in your mid 20s, your brain finishes developing, until then life is a fun, dangerous thing that you just have to try to get the most out of. Sucks being a parent, though.

[award69129]

As one of the local kids here i just want to put my own opinion in here.
Ok here we go its only a small number of kids out there we all do stupid crap i personally have done the afermentioned corn feild driving because my girlfriend was in there, but that is honestly not even on the top 10 list of stupid crap but we would NEVER think about doing something like the chocking game or huffing and if any of us mesed up we where more worried about when we got home because no matter how bad it was at school it would be ten times worse at home.
Just my opinion that it isnt all of us but kids need a major attitdue adjustment and a relization that then can get in trouble for this crap.

[yannick]

Pee wee, I'd like to reply with quote to everything you wrote With ...YUP
This topic just got me on a full page rant i just had to delete, went away from the topic... and turned political.

[pdub]

Teenage years aren't perfect for everybody.

Ain't that the truth. Bryan, if anything, that's a way-way-way understatement. Perfectly said. I wouldn't wish kids on anybody these days, I sure wouldn't wish being a kid on me. Getting old is one thing bad enough, but being so young sucks in its own unique way.

[happy39]

My last year teaching (number 33) I was working with a student when I heard the distinct sound of a melon hitting the floor. The room was very quiet with most kids on task. When I turned kids were gathered around this kid laying on the floor. I sent for the nurse and the kid was starting to come to. No was talking as to what happened. I check on the kid at the nurses office, still no reason must not have eaten. A little girl asks me to come to the hall and tells me what happened. Needless to say I went nuts on the kid who did this, the brand new assistant Principal thinks I am crazy and does nothing to the kid and says I am over reacting.
When I got to the Principal the next day she straightens the thing out and I tell her Oh by the way I am retiring at the end of the school year, you can take the attitude of your brand new assistant and fix it yourself. (By the way the new assistant is now a school superintendent in another district). I have seen this crap happen way too much. Boy I miss the old way to discipline. We sure could get kids to think twice. I never would have believed it would come down to the kid saying I'm gonna sue you if you keep yelling at me.
My blood pressure must have gone down 1000 points now and life is good. I do feel that overall the kids are good. But there are a few families that are totally skewed and I am not sure how to fix that.

[BangShift McT]

Teen suicide seems even worse - kids ending their lives on purpose - very, very sad.

Very, very true. Had one kid about my 9th grade year who ended it because his parents were they types that'd go ballistic if he got a low-A on a report card. They insisted he was in a sports activity, in band, in martial arts, in art classes...etc and that he excel at everything and if he didn't show interest in what they picked out for him or didn't do fantastic, they chastised him. I remember the letter they passed around school that day.

That's just one story. I've almost had my story, too. Teenage years aren't perfect for everybody.

[Barry Donovan]

where do they find these kids? im 19 and have never heard of anybody around the greater bangor area doing it and everybody my age i know has never even talked about it let alone think about doing it haha

most fight for air around this place.. who the hell would want to choke even more.


I learned to be missing something first pressurized aircraft flight out. wo.

why don't they go find oxygen think it over.

[70chevyC-10]

Teen suicide seems even worse - kids ending their lives on purpose - very, very sad.

[Nik]

I feel for the kids' parents. Losing a kid is bad enough, but it has to be especially hard when it's because of something as stupid as this.

[pdub]

I know I've helped derail this thread from the original theme, as I always do.

Teenagers doing really stupid shit.

As said, it takes the human brain about 30 years to fully develop, to be able to determine the difference between a risk and a thrill. To know the difference.

I would only guess that all of of us are mighty lucky to be alive, based on the premise stated above, not by me, but by a lot of people smarter than me.

I sure hope reincarnation is not true, because I sure wouldn't want to come back and have to go through that .... "growing up" experience again. Not that I'll ever be grown up. Being a teenager really sucked. You think you're hot shit, but in reality you don't know one tenth of what you need to know to get by in the long run. And you don't even know what you don't know. You're not even aware that you're so dumb, for lack of experience. That's the scary part.