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The Space Between: A Parent's Guide to Teenage Development (Youth Specialties
The teenage years are a unique life stage—one that fills even the calmest parents with confusion and dread as they begin to feel like helpless bystanders to the rapidly changing lives of their teens.
If you're struggling as a parent, you're not alone. Raising children is difficult work, and it gets more difficult as they reach adolescence. But you don't need to feel alone or paralyzed by these feelings.
With deep encouragement and practical advice born from long study and first-hand experience, Walt Mueller has written a guide for parents with children who are going through the tumultuous years of adolescence.
The Space Between will walk you through how your teen is developing physically, socially, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually as you
How you can make the adolescent period smoother for your teen.How you can begin to break through the walls of confusion, fear, frustration, and misunderstanding.How you can be a positive and proactive bridgebuilder into the life and world of your teenager.Finally, you'll discover how you can approach the task of parenting teenagers as an opportunity to depend on God while teaching your impressionable teen to do the same.
If you're struggling as a parent, you're not alone. Raising children is difficult work, and it gets more difficult as they reach adolescence. But you don't need to feel alone or paralyzed by these feelings.
With deep encouragement and practical advice born from long study and first-hand experience, Walt Mueller has written a guide for parents with children who are going through the tumultuous years of adolescence.
The Space Between will walk you through how your teen is developing physically, socially, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually as you
How you can make the adolescent period smoother for your teen.How you can begin to break through the walls of confusion, fear, frustration, and misunderstanding.How you can be a positive and proactive bridgebuilder into the life and world of your teenager.Finally, you'll discover how you can approach the task of parenting teenagers as an opportunity to depend on God while teaching your impressionable teen to do the same.
- GenresParentingYoung Adult
129 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2009
4 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Walt Mueller
16 books8 followersDr. Walt Mueller is the founder and President of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. He's been working in youth ministry for over 32 years. For the last twenty, he's been studying youth culture with CPYU, then getting that info out through writing, speaking, and media interviews.
He's the author of eight books including Youth Culture 101 (Zondervan/Youth Specialties, 2007), Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews and Christian Truth (InterVarsity Press, 2006), and The Space Between (Zondervan, 2009). Walt's commentary and analysis on youth culture is heard daily on over 870 radio stations across the United States and Canada on CPYU's daily radio program, Youth Culture Today.
Walt and his wife Lisa live in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania and have four children; Caitlin, Joshua, Bethany and Nathaniel.
He's the author of eight books including Youth Culture 101 (Zondervan/Youth Specialties, 2007), Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews and Christian Truth (InterVarsity Press, 2006), and The Space Between (Zondervan, 2009). Walt's commentary and analysis on youth culture is heard daily on over 870 radio stations across the United States and Canada on CPYU's daily radio program, Youth Culture Today.
Walt and his wife Lisa live in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania and have four children; Caitlin, Joshua, Bethany and Nathaniel.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 12, 2017
This book is so fun, it gives you a bit of an insight into your teenager's life. If you ever wanted to see things in their eyes, this is the book for you. I like the way that Mueller uses stories from his own life and others to relate to the things that we go through as parents.
April 2, 2024
Easy to read and very practical!
February 1, 2016
When people find out I am a youth pastor and that I have been so for more than 6 months, I am often asked if I have aspirations for being a 'real' pastor. I have so many answers to this but that is an entirely different post. I think the questions comes partly from people's disbelief that anyone would actually choose to be around teenagers.
After all, we remember our teenage years and the limbo we often battled with. Some have raised teenagers in their own home and wondered what happened to the sweet little toddlers. Because the terrible two's weren't so bad, right?
It is for this reason I am glad to recommend Walt Mueller's book The Space Between: A Parent's Guide to Teenage Development. It's not his newest book, but this one is still timely.
Walt tackles the gamut on teenagers, from how they are changing physically, socially, intellectually, emotionally and even morally. He's got something here for everyone, from stats and figures to personal stories. His is a voice that can be trusted, not only because he has raised his own teenagers, but because he has dedicated his life to studying the culture of adolescence.
Along the way he offers tons of practical advice, and even a section for further reading. But be warned. If you are looking for a cookie-cutter plan to raising your own teen, you won't find that here. Walt reminds us of the unique qualities of every teenager. That is a good thing. In order to help your child survive the bridge to adulthood that is adolescence, they will need your unique perspective.
And just as I choose to continue being a youth pastor, you can choose to live this adventure with your teenager, instead of closing your eyes and hoping you survive.
You can find this book, and many other resources, at Walt's site; The Center for Parent & Youth Understanding.
After all, we remember our teenage years and the limbo we often battled with. Some have raised teenagers in their own home and wondered what happened to the sweet little toddlers. Because the terrible two's weren't so bad, right?
It is for this reason I am glad to recommend Walt Mueller's book The Space Between: A Parent's Guide to Teenage Development. It's not his newest book, but this one is still timely.
Walt tackles the gamut on teenagers, from how they are changing physically, socially, intellectually, emotionally and even morally. He's got something here for everyone, from stats and figures to personal stories. His is a voice that can be trusted, not only because he has raised his own teenagers, but because he has dedicated his life to studying the culture of adolescence.
Along the way he offers tons of practical advice, and even a section for further reading. But be warned. If you are looking for a cookie-cutter plan to raising your own teen, you won't find that here. Walt reminds us of the unique qualities of every teenager. That is a good thing. In order to help your child survive the bridge to adulthood that is adolescence, they will need your unique perspective.
And just as I choose to continue being a youth pastor, you can choose to live this adventure with your teenager, instead of closing your eyes and hoping you survive.
You can find this book, and many other resources, at Walt's site; The Center for Parent & Youth Understanding.
August 7, 2015
Written for parents who are trying to connect the dots between childhood development and their role as parents. Mueller gives great advice about the role of parents for coming alongside of their teenagers. Not very much statistical data about adolescent development.
September 21, 2010
Great primer on navigating adolescence. Walt Mueller is a respected voice in the field & provides a great, easy to read, basic resource for parents.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews