Do you know anything about the current state of brain research? If not, you should look into it before making statements which contradict current neurobiological findings.
I don't know much about the current state of brain research, which is why I don't comment on it. I should perhaps point out that while I know you are reading an interesting book on the subject, one book does not an expert make.
I do have sufficient experience observing the development of decision-making capacity to say I think that decision-making competence is at least as much a matter of experience and training than of physical development. I do not believe that on the day the brain reaches full development, decision-making ability is suddenly conferred in all its glory. That simply doesn't square with observed reality: we see fully mature adults making stupid and irresponsible decisions daily, and we see teenagers making responsible and intelligent decisions daily. I won't say that physical development is not a factor, but it is clearly not the only one.
My 5 year old daughter makes decisions every day. They are relatively small ones, and she generally makes them with some guidance. As she gets older, the guidance will decrease, and the decisions she is allowed to make will become more complex. My 11 year old son makes many decisions on his own; I trust him to do this because he has shown a great deal of competence in making decisions. In some particular circumstances he consistently makes better decisions than some 30 year olds that I know.
Of course the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter. A given 17 year old may or may not be competent to make a decision about whether to have sex or not, but they still have to make the decision. You may try to make the decision for them, but they still have to decide whether or not they will obey you. Unless you keep the kid under 24-hour surveillance, they will have the opportunity, and when the opportunity arises, they will have to decide, whether or not their brain is fully matured. At that point, the experience and training that parents have provided by giving the child the opportunity to make gradually more important decisions under gradually decreasing levels of supervision becomes the key element in what decision is made. |
