Monday, July 18, 2022

Review of A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens by Joani Geltman



Turn back the clocks! Your sweet child has morphed into a teen. And it's no longer just a messy bedroom or an attitude with a capital "A" causing concern. There's a whole new range of issues on the horizon.

What if your daughter texts a naked picture to a "boyfriend"...which he then forwards to the entire class? What if your son becomes increasingly withdrawn...Or your child is being bullied online? Would you know what to do? You could read a whole book on teen psychology--but who has the time! As a parent, what you need most is quick and candid advice for dealing with the issue at hand. After all, if you say the right thing you will open up the lines of communication, but say the wrong thing...and WATCH OUT.

A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens is the solution. Covering a broad range of issues from the terrifying (sex, drinking, drugs, depression) to the frustrating (defiance, laziness, conformity, entitlement), parenting expert Joani Geltman approaches each of the 80 topics with honesty and a dash of humor. Want to understand why teens do what they do? Joani reveals what they are thinking and feeling--and what developmental factors are involved. She then explains how to approach each problem in a way that lets your kid know you "get it" and leads to truly productive conversations.

From lying to sexting to falling grades, the teenage years can be an uphill battle. Here is the no-nonsense guide you need to get your teen talking, listening, and back on track.


(affiliate link included)


**My thoughts**


Raising teens is a difficult business. This book is a quick resource, designed to help parents with the usual situations that most find themselves in as they battle the hormones and precarious years leading to adulthood. Instead of reading the book from cover to cover, which you can easily do, the book is set up as a quick reference for different situations. Your teen is making your crazy today? Flip through the table of contents to find the situation that best describes yours and then read. Advice is concise, yet clear, and likely to be very helpful. Remember that you aren't going to change the behaviors overnight, but by following these steps you should see some gradual change. It's not going to be a quick fix, but is useful advice.

One of my favorite lines in the book is "If you see this as a teaching moment, like teaching your toddler to say please and thank you, you'll be on easy street." Joani tackles the tough topics with such humor and wisdom throughout the book. This helps to make it a more pleasurable read.

I received a requested review copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

No comments:

Post a Comment