**Financial Literacy Might Be the Skill Your Teen Needs Most— But Chances Are, They’re Not Learning It**

LEGACY EVENTS FOR EDUCATION · COMMENTARY ON YOUTH DEVELOPMENT · PART 2 OF 2 OPINION & RESEARCH COMMENTARY — Personal opinion informed by published research. Not clinical advice. Consult a licensed mental health professional before acting on any suggestions herein. PART 2 OF 2 · THE PATH FORWARD Finding Your Way Back What the research suggests teens, young adults, and parents can actually do to rebuild autonomy — at any age David A. Terry · President, Legacy Events for Education · legacyeventsfored.org Opinion & Research Commentary · 8 min read · May 2026 IMPORTANT: The practices described below are drawn from published research and offered as a starting point for reflection — not clinical recommendations. Please consult a licensed therapist or counselor, particularly one familiar with self-determination theory, CBT, or adventure-based approaches, before acting on this material if you are experiencing significant anxiety or depression. Part 1: The Stolen Hours Haven’t read Part 1? It covers the research on what happened to childhood and what it produces in teens and young adults today. This piece picks up where it left off. THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION Why Autonomy Can Be Rebuilt Part 1 laid out the evidence: a generation raised in scheduled, supervised, adult-managed environments didn’t develop the internal locus of control — the felt conviction that their choices matter — that unstructured play was quietly building. The result shows up as anxiety, decision paralysis, avoidance, and a pervasive sense that life happens to them rather than through them. Here is the encouraging part: locus of control is not fixed. Research confirms it has a dynamic quality and responds to intervention at any age. [1] The developmental work that free play was doing can still be done at 17 or 24 or 35. The inconvenient part: the only thing that actually does it is the same thing that did it in the first place — real autonomy over real stakes, with real consequences. The most evidence-backed framework here is Self-Determination Theory (SDT) , developed by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, which holds that humans have three core needs: autonomy (genuine choice), competence (the experience of mastery), and relatedness (connection to others). A meta-analysis of 184 SDT-informed intervention datasets found that supporting autonomy produced measurable improvements in competence, motivation, and health outcomes. [2] Research on young adults ages 18–30 found that an internal locus of control correlated with approach-based, problem-solving coping — and that interventions actively building internal control showed meaningful results. [3] ◆ SEVEN PRACTICES What the Evidence Actually Supports BEFORE YOU READ ON: These practices are research-informed starting points, not a treatment plan. If you are experiencing significant anxiety, depression, or distress, please work with a licensed mental health professional. 01 Choose Something Hard and Do It Without Being Rescued This is the central mechanism. Internal locus of control is built through accumulated evidence, not insight. As Gray puts it: “How can you have an internal locus of control if you don’t have experience controlling your own life?” [4] It doesn’t need to be dramatic — it needs to be genuine. The outcome matters to you, and no one is standing by to smooth it over. Apply for the thing you’re afraid of. Have the conversation you’ve been avoiding. Each time that loop completes — you chose it, faced it, got through it — your nervous system updates its assessment of you. 02 Sit With Boredom — All the Way Through It The ability to tolerate boredom without reaching for your phone or asking someone what to do is the foundation of self-direction. Research finds that children who sit with boredom long enough to find their own way out are building something real. [5] Start small: one hour with no plan, no device, no agenda. See what you reach for from inside yourself. The discomfort is precisely the thing you were never allowed to practice — and practicing it is what builds the capacity. 03 Make Decisions and Stop Seeking Permission Afterwards Many young adults can make a decision but immediately seek confirmation it was the right one. That loop — decide, poll, adjust — is not autonomy. SDT research confirms that environments requiring genuine, unsupported choice are precisely what builds autonomous motivation and wellbeing. [2] Studies on college students found that parental autonomy support was associated with significantly better wellbeing and academic outcomes. [6] Make the decision and let it stand. Uncertainty is simply the feeling of being the one in charge. 04 Find Physical Challenge in Novel Environments Adventure-based interventions are among the most consistently effective for building agency in young adults, showing improvements in stress tolerance and emotional regulation that parallel CBT and DBT outcomes but with higher engagement rates. [7] Rock climbing, wilderness hiking, kayaking, demanding team sports — physical challenge in unfamiliar environments creates felt evidence of competence inside the body. You don’t need a formal program — you need situations that are genuinely demanding, where you rise to meet them on your own. 05 Navigate Conflict Without a Mediator One of the most persistent gaps from over-managed childhoods is near-complete absence of practice resolving conflict without adult intervention. Research confirms that unsupervised peer interaction is where communication, cooperation, and conflict-resolution skills develop — and this does not happen in adult-managed settings. [9] When a disagreement arises: stay present. Say what you think. Hear what they think. Work toward resolution without deferring to a third party. You are likely better at this than you expect. 06 Let Yourself Fail — and Stay With the Aftermath Resilience is not built in the absence of failure. It is built by failing, surviving it, and updating your belief about your own capacity to recover. A 2024 scoping review found that authentic agency — including the freedom to fail — was a critical mechanism in resilience-building programs. [10] If your childhood minimized failure and maximized visible success, you have a gap in your evidence base about your own durability. Attempt things where failure is genuinely possible. When it comes, stay with it long enough to discover it didn’t end you. 07 For Parents: Step Back — Even When It’s Hard to Watch If you are the parent of a teenager or young adult, the research carries a clear and difficult message: continued over-involvement — however loving — may be the primary obstacle to your child developing the capacities you most want them to have. The 2022 systematic review found a direct relationship between overprotective parenting and anxiety and depression. [11] Research on college students found that parental autonomy support was associated with significantly better wellbeing. [6] A qualified family therapist can help you navigate that transition. “It is never too late to do what childhood was for.” The developmental work that free play was doing — building agency, resilience, self-trust, and the quiet conviction that you can handle what comes — is not time-locked to childhood. The research suggests it happens wherever you find the courage to make real choices, face real stakes, and let the evidence accumulate that you are capable of your own life. RESEARCH REFERENCES 1. Hunter, 1994; Newton, 1998; Page & Scalora, 2004. Cited in: Reorienting locus of control through strengths-based interventions. PMC / Frontiers in Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7522323/ 2. Ng, J. Y. Y., et al. (2020). A meta-analysis of self-determination theory-informed intervention studies in the health domain. Health Psychology Review. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17437199.2020.1718529 3. IJFMR Research Team. (2026). The predictive role of coping strategies for locus of control among young adults ages 18–30. https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2026/2/76514.pdf 4. Gray, P. (2024). Improving mental health through independent play. Harvard GSE EdCast. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/edcast/24/02/improving-mental-health-through-independent-play 5. The Heretic Media. (2026). Let children play: The unmeasurable component imperative for development. https://www.theheretic.media/post/let-children-play-the-unmeasurable-component-imperative-for-development 6. Schiffrin, H. H., et al. (2014) / Cullaty, B. (2011). Parental autonomy support and college student outcomes. Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-017-0750-4 7. Momentum Recovery. (2024). The research case for adventure therapy: Studies on outdoor interventions and stress tolerance. https://www.momentumrecovery.com/blog/does-adventure-therapy-work-research-evidence 8. Gray, P. / Let Grow Foundation. (2023). From an evolutionary standpoint, why do children engage in risky play? https://www.inspiringinquiry.com/the-learner/play 9. American Psychological Association. (2023). The many wondrous benefits of unstructured play. https://www.apa.org/topics/children/kids-unstructured-play-benefits 10. Scoping Review Team. (2025). Risky outdoor play and adventure education in nature: A scoping review. PMC / NIH. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12837311/ 11. Vigdal, J. S., & Brønnick, K. K. (2022). A systematic review of helicopter parenting and its relationship with anxiety and depression. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9176408/ David A. Terry · President, Legacy Events for Education · legacyeventsfored.org Opinion informed by published research · Not clinical advice · Part 2 of 2