you want me
to play soccer
with a frontal lobe
for leather ball
just to go
ecological
and participation
gets demystified
as another
parent trick:
win! win! win!
or cup the boos
in your ears.
but
i haven’t yet
learned the rules.
my forehead pulses
la cucaracha
and i swear
it’s still not
enough
to brush
a brilliant strategy
off my teeth.
i promise
and piaget
testifies for me
that time heals
most hospital-ball
tendencies
and in a few years
i’ll manage a
perfect
bicycle kick
that you can
be proud of.
Author notes
Dec. 18, 2008
I'm just about at the end of the teen phase myself, so no teen children. As such, I don't want to seem insensitive.
It's only during the teen years that the frontal lobe/prefrontal cortex develops and the myelination process is not yet complete yada-yada-slept-in-neuropsychology-class, so teens may often indulge in risky behavior, not be able to accurately foresee the consequences of their actions, possess poor decision-making abilities, etc. Of course, it's hard to handle sometimes and sometimes it's just the way someone is - but most of them will mature with time (up till their early twenties). Piaget's cognitive development theory also supports it, as some forms of reasoning form in the formal operational stage, which begins around 12 years of age and continues till adulthood.
(If I'm wrong about any of the above pleasepleaseplease correct me, & before January if possible 
)
Hospital Ball – a dangerous pass from one teammate to another. Instead of being crisp the pass is too soft, resulting in a pass that becomes a 50/50 ball (up for grabs) instead of one that is easily received.
Bicycle Kick – when a player kicks the ball in mid-air backwards and over their own head, usually making contact above waist level. Not too frequent at the youth level!
http://nourishingobscurity.blogspot.com/2006/11/teen-drivers-incomplete-myelination-of.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_cognitive_development
http://www.soccer-for-parents.com/soccer-action.html
- Psychology club group list • next in list
A contest entry
- He Has Lost His Mind! by hotchocolate.
550 points, ended January 5, 15 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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Wonderful poem! As a biology teacher, I know all about the frontal lobe development and realize that it contributes to risky behavior in some teens. Thank you for reminding those of us who sometimes need to be reminded.
Your poem is great. It is filled with great visuals and is worded superbly. Write on, poet.
Blessings,
Myth
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This is done so well here and I enjoyed the read! My son started at like 10 years and I hope this behavior won't go into his 20's! Thank you for your entry and good luck hon
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Beautiful Biology. Oh how I miss that class...
This poem reminds me oh so much of it.
I love the Metaphors.
Beautifully penned. This is truly a Smart Write.
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You are certainly the "thinking man's" poet . . . and this psychologist's fave.
Yes, the frontal lobes develop their connections to the rest of the brain in the teen years. Lack of such has been implicated in schizophrenia. Children who suffer prefrontal lobe injuries often seem to recover and appear fairly normal until they reach the teen years, then their style of thinking remains undirected, poorly organized, and childlike. They do not take the next step into abstract thinking and demonstrate poor planning and sequencing skills. Also, their emotions tend to be more scattered, less focused, and at times very inappropriate. The prefrontal lobes, as well as directing higher level cognitive functions, also seem to play a role in the mediation of emotional material. Frontal lobe injuries can result in "hyperemotional" states and exaggerated emotional responses to fairly mild stimuli.
Well, I ramble. Excellent poem. Great notes about the role of the prefrontal cortex in development. By the way, I did my doctoral dissertation on associative memory disorders in frontal lobe injury patients. So, it is something of an interest to me. Neuropsych was my thing at the time and I spent many years working with brain-injured patients.
Garrison
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Aww, well you saying that is quite a compliment to me.
And I love your rambling - in fact, it gives me this feeling that you're my salvation. 
I'm not that MUCH into neuropsychology (well, I am, but not to a succeed-in-upcoming-exam lever 
). And now, look who's rambling.
Also, I find your doctoral dissertation very interesting. You don't happen to have published anything about it online, do you?
Thank you for the comment.
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It has been a couple years since my last psych class, but that sounds right to me.
I know that my son does strange, and risky things without thinking, but I still hear my mother's voice screaming at him, "What did you do that for?" And when he says he doesn't know, I know that he is telling the truth, but I keep yelling at him anyway.
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Thank you very much for the comment
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Your author notes are amazing and I stand by my quote of "beautifully behaviourist" this poem makes me smile - I love the metaphor - and I love the way that you write things that go straight into my mind and open the windows that I had pulled the blinds down on
Polly
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Thank you! Your comment makes me smile.
there.
I can't keep wondering though, what windows have you pulled blinds down on? You don't seem like the type of person who'd do that (metaphorically speaking).
& I'm sososo glad you liked it, I've really worked hard on this one.
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