On Dec. 4, the Let’s Talk Marin organization held a Zoom meeting for parents of adolescents in the Bay Area to discuss teens’ minds, emotions and feelings. The main focus of the meeting was a ten-minute film directed by Redwood alum Tiffany Shlain called “The Adolescent Brain,” which highlights several perspectives of what it means to be a teenager, including Shlain’s daughter Blooma Goldberg, a sophomore at Tamalpais High School.
Several guest speakers educated parents throughout the meeting to better understand the teenage mind. Speakers included pediatricians Ken Ginsburg and Michael Rich as well as author Ellen Galinsky. Tamalpais Union High School District Wellness Director Jessica Colvin moderated the meeting. Shlain believes that in order to better help children and explore new opportunities, parents must learn about what it means to be a teenager in modern society.
“For parents and for me to be on [their child’s] level is to realize we’re all human, we’re all taking risks, making mistakes, learning from them, and I think [realizing we’re in this together] is a good example [of being transparent with the adolescent mind,]” Shlain said.
Shlain’s daughter, Blooma Goldberg, was featured in the film. Goldberg was a guest speaker and answered questions parents had about dealing with their teenagers’ emotions. Goldberg covered topics that helped parents better understand the feelings their children may be experiencing.
“One of [Goldberg’s] responses to the film that stuck out was that she said that what she is feeling is normal and lots of teens experience these highs and lows. I think normalizing these [feelings] for teens and parents is a really good thing,” Shlain said.
Communicating these ideas of transparency illustrated by Goldberg to both adults and their children is something that is very important to both Shlain and Colvin.
“I have been so excited since the day [Shlain] had said she was creating this film because I knew we could use it in a variety of ways. Tonight’s [Zoom] was primarily parents and caregivers which is awesome because they too need to understand the teen brain and it’s good for [teens]to have parents that are more understanding,” Colvin said.
Colvin also believes that the film could be beneficial for teachers and administrators. Colvin feels implementing the “Adolescent Brain” film in schools could help teachers and students understand each other’s behaviors.
“I think presenting this film to staff and teachers is a good reminder of the elasticity, the excitement and the spark of the teen brain, so using [the film] with teachers, educators*, and, most importantly, teens can help everybody feel understood,” Colvin said.
While both Shlain and Colvin acknowledge the importance of what it means to understand the teen brain, they also point out that it is changing and developing.
“The one thing I know about working with teens for my whole career is that they are excellent teachers. [Shlain] and I haven’t been teens in a very long time and things keep changing. I don’t assume that [teens] experiences are similar to mine and I will never know what their experiences are like unless I ask,” Colvin said.
If you missed the meeting, you can view the film, “The Adolescent Brain” here: https://www.letitripple.org/theteenbrain. For additional information on the adolescent brain, visit mhyp.org
