Understanding the irrational behavior of teenage boys

Now there's a posting title that ought to get your attention! Parents of teenage boys (I have two) know that trying to get your little cherubs to look at things in rational ways and to make good decisions can be... let's say, a "______ challenge!" (and I'll let you fill in the blank with the adjective of your choice.)

Chances are you find yourself frustrated and wondering why they do certain things or don't do other things. It seems to sometimes defy logic. There's a good explanation for this.

The section of their brain known as the prefrontal cortex controls the process of rational, logical thinking. Unfortunately, research has show that the prefrontal cortex does not fully develop in teenage boys until around the age of twenty one. So when you're struggling to understand how your teenager sometimes acts like they have half a brain... in some respects... they do.

The good news is, most of them will develop a healthy, mature prefrontal cortex by their early twenties and start acting mature and making rational, logical decisions. However, as you can attest, there are some people who seem to suffer through life with an abnormally underdeveloped prefrontal cortex and suffer a long, painful existence of immaturity and poor decision making. Most of them probably carry the label "ex-husband."