Playdate Politics
Aging:The Final Boss
Why Is My Teen Like This?
100

This type of play, common in toddlers, involves kids playing side-by-side but not actually interacting—it’s basically the social equivalent of parallel parking.

What is Parallel Play?

100

This stage of life is often associated with retirement, senior discounts, and the freedom to yell at kids to get off your lawn.

What is late adulthood?

100

This is the part of the brain that isn’t fully developed in teens, explaining why they sometimes make decisions like texting their ex at 3 a.m.

What is the prefrontal cortex?

200

This type of play is when kids start playing together with a shared goal, like building a Lego castle or taking over the sandbox.

What is cooperative play?

200

In Erikson’s final psychosocial stage, older adults reflect on their life with a sense of satisfaction—or dwell on regrets in this dramatic-sounding conflict.

What is integrity vs despair?

200

This stage of adolescence is when teens start to form their own identities—unfortunately, ‘having no idea who they are’ is part of the process.

What is identity vs. role confusion?

300

This type of play involves pretending, like being a superhero or a chef, and is critical for developing creativity and social skills

What is symbolic play?

300

This type of intelligence, which involves wisdom and experience, tends to remain strong even as quick problem-solving skills decline.

What is crystallized intelligence?

300

Teens are particularly prone to emotional roller coasters, and research suggests this brain structure is highly involved in regulating feelings—especially when they slam doors for no reason

What is the Amygdala?

400

In the early stages of play, kids may explore toys and environments without much interaction.

What is solitary play?

400

The stage in a woman's life when her menstruation and ovulation cease as a result of estrogen and progesterone reduction.

What is menopause?

400

Teens can sometimes feel like their every action is under scrutiny. 

What is the imaginary audience?

500

When a kid has ____ they usually engage in solitary play, and do repetitive and less strenuous play.

What is autism?

500

The process of your bones becoming weak and brittle because you're losing calcium and hormones in the bone.

What is osteoporosis?

500

This natural developmental process helps teens develop their ability to think abstractly and handle complex concepts—meaning they might overthink that social media post they liked last week.

What is formal operational thinking (or abstract thinking)?