Understanding Your Young Teen - Chapter Four
MIND-WARP [COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT]
Have you ever wondered why young teens are the way they are? Why at times it seems as if they are completely engaged with you one moment and the next they are off playing games in their mind as they stare off into space? Having worked with young teens now for almost 15 years, I experience this on a regular basis. As a pastor and small group leader, I have often noticed the kid who is answering questions and sharing the deepest parts of their life can also almost instantaneously go off into stare zone, completely shut off to all communication or simply not “get it”.
These things are not uncommon in the young teen world. And they are not bad things either. Having young teens getting it one moment and not getting it the next is totally acceptable. In fact, this is and should be the norm. Their bodies AND THEIR MINDS are undergoing a rapid change process. The move from concrete to abstract does not happen overnight. It is all a part of the process of becoming. Young teens are constantly in a state of becoming (aren’t we all). As we search to understand our young teens more and thus become more effective leaders, know that your continual presence in the life of a young teen can grow their faith… and yours. You are both on a journey of becoming. May you both learn immensely from this experience.
“It would be nice if your child were simply the concrete-thinking tower girl or Garrett [abstract thinker]. Then at least you’d know which path to take when talking about abstract things. Yeah, that would be nice. But it’s not reality. The reality is that every young teen pops in and out of abstract thinking.” [p. 77]
- How is your small group catering to both concrete and abstract-thinking young teens?
- In what ways has this book helped you understand young teens so far?
- How can you challenge your group to think deeper, while taking into consideration the makeup of the group?
