Be a Parent, Not a Pushover: : A Guide to Raising Happy, Emotionally Healthy Teens

by Maryann Rosenthal, Dale Fetherling, Denis Waitley (Foreword)

Teens are struggling to hold on to the joys of childhood even as they graduate into the threatening adult world. For them it's both an exciting and scary time. Because they lack the experience to navigate in the adult world, their still-forming personalities often swing like a pendulum, such as: Shall we sulk? Or celebrate? Shall we become loners? Or crowd pleasers? During this confusing period, they end up doing both and being both. Not only do most parents misjudge the complexity of their teen's conflicts, but they also fail to understand their own paradoxes. Just as teens struggle to find a balance between seizing life's joys and shielding themselves from its harshness, we parents wrestle continuously with finding the balance between loving our children and setting limits for them. When there's too much discipline, teens will rebel. When there's too much freedom, they hunger for structure and often find it in unsavory ways. Finding that balance is not simple. But it is what this book is about.

Genres: Parenting

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a somewhat softer warm-and-fuzzier not-as-witty book as "Get Out of My Life..." The best part for me was the list for avoiding communication breakdowns

1. Blaming
2. Name-Calling
3. Denying the Importance of the Other's Feelings
4. Using Sarcasm
5. Getting off Track
6. Making Crying an Offense
7. Preaching or Moralizing
8. Commanding
9. Teasing
10. Blowing Out of Proportion

In my mind, when I think about holding this book, it squishes in my hands.