My guest today is Patrick Ney, here to explain the neuroscience behind some adolescent behaviors. Patrick shares about self-determination theory and our 3 universal psychological needs. We dig into the personal growth and rewriting the narratives we’ve told ourselves about the way we were parented.  Lastly, Patrick shares actionable steps & advice for helpful communication with your unregulated teen. 

Takeaways from the show

• Wanting to parent differently than you were parented 
• Self-determination theory 
• 3 psychological needs: relatedness, competence, & autonomy 
• People feel better & work better with others when those needs are met; we see more negative behavior when those needs are not met  
• Parenting is an invitation for personal growth 
• “There’s no getting around teen brain development” 
• Neuroscience of the teen brain
• The more you understand the connection between teen behavior, their needs, and brain development, the easier it becomes to stay grounded & helpful - most parents don’t know a lot of neuroscience, but it helps!  
• Teens are hypersensitive to the opinions of other teens
• You are the world’s best expert on your child 
• Getting curious instead of cutting off behavior immediately 
• Having a narrative understanding of who you are and where you came from can help you know where you’re going as a caregiver 
• Reflecting on your own behavior & actions as a teenager 
• “A teenage brain has higher highs and lower lows “
• Steps for staying helpful & communicative with unregulated adolescents 

For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.

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