Dr. Roby Marcou’s Presentation Amazes SAS

(Newswire.net — May 21, 2014) Singapore, Singapore — Dr. Roby Marcou gave a presentation on ‘Parenting the Developing Teen Brain’ at Singapore American School. She shared how the changes that take place in the brains of thirteen- to eighteen-year olds affect their behavior and what their parents can do to ensure their teens are making good choices.

 

Dr. Marcou is an American Board Certified developmental and behavioral pediatrician with a private clinic at Novena Medical Center. She was educated at MIT, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Stanford University Hospitals, and Boston Children’s Hospital-Harvard Medical School. She has worked in Southeast Asia for the past twenty-one years as a consultant to families and international schools.

 

As a parent of teens as well as older children in college, she said she knows first-hand what it’s like to raise a family. Here are five tips she gave to raising teens that make good choices:

 

1. Every teen is different. Girls mature earlier than boys by one to two years. Some girls lag behind and other boys are more mature. Even though as parents we want to set boundaries and guidelines about sleep, nutrition, multi-tasking, consuming alcohol and stress management, it is important to remember that among teenagers there is a wide range of abilities and capacity to manage expectations and responsibilities. All teens, however, need limits and recognition.
2. Teens need a lot of sleep. Most teens don’t get enough sleep due to many reasons and this can impact learning and emotional regulation. Teens do not ‘catch up’ on their sleep deficits if they nap or by sleeping in on weekends. 
3. Due to the changes happening in their brains, teens are not good multi-taskers. They may be able to take notes and listen in classes, but they should focus on one task at a time outside of class. Many parents should limit the amount of time their teens use their computers/phones/video games/ et al, especially before bedtime.
4. During teen years ‘pruning’ happens. This means that the teen brain is versatile and will change to adapt to the environment. Early heavy drinking undermines the development of the parts of the brain that protect from alcoholism. Forty-seven percent of teens that begin drinking at age 14 become alcoholics. Only 9% of teens that wait till age 21 become alcoholics. The teen brain gets addicted faster, longer and stronger. So know your teen’s friends, how he/she spends her time, and encourage a conversational comfort level in case they have questions about drug or alcohol use.
5. Teens are dealing with stress between school, relationships, after-school activities, homework and hormones. Everyone needs some level of stress in their lives so they are motivated but not too much so they are ‘stressed out.’ The Yerkes-Dodson Curve shows that everyone has an ‘optimal stimulation’ zone. We can help our teens to manage their stress through yoga, deep breathing exercises, meditation, time management techniques, regular exercise or proper nutrition.