It's vital to encourage healthy risk-taking in tweens and teens

In this article you will find answers to questions like:

1. What are the benefits?
2. How can I foster healthy risks?
3. What if my teen is careless?

From a baby's first steps, appropriate risk-taking is normal and necessary for childhood development. The brain’s frontal lobe isn’t fully formed until age 25, making 12 to 14 prime risk-taking years. 

“Healthy risk-taking helps develop our identity,” says Dr. Diane Kelly Andreou, behavioral health clinic director for Boys Town South Florida. “If you don’t try, how will you know who you are?”

1. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

Healthy risk-taking can take many forms. “Teens can run for class officer, study abroad or take a college class,” says Alexa Lee, director of programs at Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition. “Joining a club can be a huge risk for some.”

The benefits of healthy risk-taking are many:

• Independence
• Decision-making skills
• Resilience
• Confidence
• Perseverance

Healthy risks enables teens to experiment with boundaries, advocate for themselves and form opinions. 

“Healthy risk-taking teaches natural consequences for behaviors,” says Dr. Kelly Everson, president of National Alliance on Mental Illness Palm Beach County, known as NAMI. “If a teen wakes up late, they may have to go to school without eating breakfast.”

2. HOW CAN I FOSTER HEALTHY RISKS?

There is a continuum of risk-taking, from teens who can’t make a move because of overprotective parents, to those who do whatever they want because their parents are completely hands-off. 

The appropriate amount of risk is a negotiation based on personality and temperament, experts say.

“If risk-taking is hard for kids, they need to take risks that will add more to their lives. It could be as simple as riding a scooter and taking the risk that they may fall," Andreou says. "For kids who don’t have fear, parents need to tamp down on the risk-taking.” 

Perhaps the most important way you can encourage healthy risk-taking is to model appropriate behaviors. 

“If parents are encouraging their child to take a class or join a club, the parents need to do the same on their level,” Lee says. “Continuing to grow and take responsibility as an adult sets the example for the child.”

You can start fostering risk-taking when your child is in elementary school by giving them choices. 

“If a child feels they have agency over their choices, it helps them see the consequences of their behavior, good and bad,” Everson says. “It allows them to form opinions and helps with positive communication.”

3. WHAT IF MY TEEN IS CARELESS?

The biggest complaint Lee hears from teens is that they are bored.

“Parents can look in their own backyard for stimulating activities,” she says. “Palm Beach County parks offer year-round programming for children of all ages. The YMCA, 4-H and Boy and Girl Scouts offer programs to engage teens and expose them to healthy risk-taking.” 

If you notice unhealthy risk-taking behaviors, professional help is available. 

“Palm Beach County has many mental health services available to parents,” Andreou says. “There are agencies, private practitioners and youth services, to name a few.”

• Organizations like NAMI Palm Beach County provide resources and support to parents, adolescents and families, and connect them with other agencies.

• Boys Town South Florida offers a variety of services, including care coordination, in which support can be provided at home, school and an outpatient behavioral health clinic.

• 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast is a resource for community information and referral services in Palm Beach County for teens struggling with substance abuse or other issues.

SOURCES:

• Dr. Kelly Everson, president, National Alliance on Mental Illness Palm Beach County
• Alexa Lee, director of programs, Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition
• Dr. Diane Kelly Andreou, behavioral health clinic director, Boys Town South Florida