Driving fast, breaking curfew, arguing, shoplifting. Teenagers can push your patience, but unfortunately, some kids go as far as blatantly flouting rules or breaking the law, often with tragic results. What’s with this rebellious streak? How can parents funnel it into less risky business? 

All teens go through similar phases — the need for independence, a separate identity, testing authority. It’s part of growing up; it’s also linked to developmental changes in the brain that will eventually help them become analytical adults.

But today’s teens get an extra whammy — social pressures come earlier than in previous generations.

By Jeanie Lerche Davis